Your optics will go end-of-sale before your switch does

Most people track the end-of-life date on the switch. Almost nobody tracks it on the optic — and the optic usually runs out first. That is not a criticism of anyone. It is a scheduling reality that follows directly from how vendors manage product lifecycles, it is fully published, and once you have seen it […]
Are Compatible Optical Transceivers as Good as OEM?

Every network engineer has heard the warning, usually from a vendor account manager: “third-party optics will take your network down.” It’s a powerful fear. The optic is a £50–£500 part sitting in a £50,000 switch, carrying traffic your whole business depends on — and if it fails at 2am, nobody wants to be the person […]