A server administrator is tasked with upgrading the network connectivity for a critical application server to alleviate a performance bottleneck. The current connection is 1 Gbps, and the new requirement is a 10 Gbps link. The server's network adapter and the switch both have available SFP+ ports. Which of the following components must the administrator use to successfully establish the 10 Gbps connection?
The correct answer is an SFP+ transceiver. SFP+ (Enhanced Small Form-factor Pluggable) is the standard transceiver for 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. Since the server and switch both have SFP+ ports, an SFP+ module is required to achieve the 10 Gbps link speed.
An SFP transceiver is incorrect because it is designed for speeds up to 1 Gbps. While it is physically the same size as an SFP+ and would fit in the port, it would not negotiate a 10 Gbps connection.
A QSFP+ transceiver is incorrect because it is a different, larger physical form factor designed for 40 Gbps (4x10 Gbps) and will not fit into an SFP+ port.
A 10GBASE-T NIC is incorrect because the scenario specifies that the existing hardware uses SFP+ ports, which are optical/transceiver-based slots, not RJ45 ports used by 10GBASE-T network interface cards.