GBIC modules are divided into two categories: one is GBIC modules used in common cascades to achieve common connections with other switches; the other is stacking dedicated GBIC modules to achieve redundant connections with other switches.

　　GBIC is basically replaced by SFP for the following reasons:

　　SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggables) can be simply understood as an upgraded version of GBIC.

　　SFP module (the volume is reduced by half compared to the GBIC module, and the number of ports can be more than doubled on the same panel.

　　Because the SFP module is basically the same as the GBIC in function, it is also called Mini-GBIC (Mini-GBIC) by some switch manufacturers.

　　SFP modules further compress size and power consumption by placing CDR and electrical dispersion compensation outside the module. For optical communication applications in telecommunication and data communication. SFP connects the motherboard of network equipment such as switches, routers and other equipment and optical fiber or UTP cables. SFP is an industrial specification supported by some fiber optic component providers.

　　SFP supports SONET, Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel (Fiber Channel) and some other communication standards. This standard extends to SFP+, which supports 10.0 Gbit/s transfer rates, including 8 gigabit Fibre Channel and 10GbE. Introduced SFP+ module versions of fiber and copper core versions, compared to the Xenpak, X2 or XFP versions of the modules, SFP+ modules leave part of the circuit implemented on the motherboard instead of in the module