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Gigabit interface converter (GBIC) is a standard fortransceivers. First defined in 1995, it was used withGigabit Ethernet andFibre Channel. By standardizing on ahot swappable electrical interface, a single gigabit port can support a wide range of physical media, from copper to long-wavesingle-mode optical fiber, at lengths of hundreds of kilometers.[1]
TheSmall Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) transceiver, also known as mini-GBIC, succeeds GBIC.[2] Announced in 2001, it obsoleted GBIC.
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Flexibility is the benefit ofhot-swappable transceivers like the GBIC standard as opposed to fixed physical interface configurations. Where optical technologies are mixed, an administrator can just-in-time purchase GBICs of the specific type for each link. This flexibility lowers fixed costs. However, if one port type such as copper predominates, a switch with built-in ports is cheaper and space efficient.
The GBIC standard is openly defined by theSmall Form Factor Committee in document number 8053i.[1] The first publication was in November 1995. A few corrections and additions were made through September 2000. Robert Snively ofBrocade Communications was the technical editor. The original contributors wereAMP Incorporated,Compaq Computers,Sun Microsystems, and Vixel Corporation.[1]
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