Fiber Optic technology has been around for several decades now, and is the go to media for network backbones and other high-demand applications, as it generally offers significantly greater bandwidth than traditional copper. But, aside from a few notable examples such as the optical audio interfaces found on high end stereo equipment, fiber optic technology has not caught on as a traditional end use product.

A large part of the reason for this is the more expensive nature of the media. Fiber optic cables are made of a specialized glass-like material that costs a good bit more to manufacture than traditional copper networking cables. But in recent years, as technology
has improved, the price of fiber optic media has fallen to the degree as to be affordable for networking applications on a smaller scale than previously was feasible.

The main obstacle that has remained to widespread adoption of fiber optic networking has been the extremely high precision demands and delicate construction that come along with the media. Copper ethernet cables are able to withstand relatively rough treatment, and even a damaged cable can sometimes continue functioning, if intermittently, as long as the copper connection is intact.

Fiber optic cables, on the other hand, must be treated more carefully, and damage or defects to the cable can often render it useless (though it should be noted that fiber optic media's imperviousness to magnetic interference is a definite advantage it enjoys over copper media). In addition, the interfaces on either end of the cable have often been required to be very expensive, highly complex transceivers that required a large amount of intricate configuration to perform optimally.

With Cisco's GLC-LH-SM fiber optic transceivers, those obstacles are a thing of the past. Here's three ways the GLC-LH-SM transceiver makes fiber optic networking possible.

1) No configuration needed - The transceiver does not need to be configured to begin functioning, and offers internal calibration to optimize data throughput. External calibration is also available for more stringent applications, where required. 

2) Hot Swappable - Not requiring intricate configuration means Cisco was able to make the GLC-LH-SM transceivers hot-swappable, a major development in fiber optic networking technology. Previously, a transceiver failure generally meant a lengthy amount of network downtime, as not only did the replacement have to be configured in itself, but other major network components would have to be taken offline to prepare for installation of the new transceiver. With the GLC-LH-SM, you just pull the inoperative unit, pop in the replacement, and your network is back off to the races.

3) Single or Multimode operation - Whether you need a network solution that covers a long distance, or you need the huge bandwidth of fiber optic, this transceiver has things covered. Single mode allows data transmission over distances exceeding 10km, useful for very large research facilities, hospitals, or university campuses. And multi-mode opens the data floodgates, giving you a maximum throughput upwards of 1.25 Gbps.

The GLC-LH-SM fiber optic transceiver by Cisco presents a sea change in the ease of incorporating fiber optic technology - previously the purview of carrier-grade networks - into enterprise networking. It does this by making the implementation of fiber optics essentially as simple as installing a traditional ethernet router. And, being hot swappable, it can be assured that these transceivers will acquit themselves well over the life of the network. Finally, by offering the choice of single or multimode operation, Cisco has delivered a product with versatility, opening the playing field in regards to what applications can be served by fiber optics.