The Cisco FourX converter module (Figure 3) offers the flexibility to convert a 40 Gigabit Ethernet CFP port of a Cisco switch or router into four independent 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports supporting Cisco 10GBASE Small Form Factor Pluggable Plus (SFP+) modules. The 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ modules are not included.

The main features of Cisco 40GBASE CFP modules include:

• Support for 40GBASE Ethernet and OTU3 standards
• Interoperability with respective industry IEEE- and/or OTU3-compliant interfaces
• Variety of interface choices for 40 Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
• Support for the "pay-as-you-populate" model
• Support for digital optical monitoring (DOM)
• Support for the Cisco quality identification (ID) feature, which enables a Cisco switch or router to identify whether the module is certified and tested by Cisco