Switcher connects eight network processors at 12.8 Gbps

-- EDN, 1/18/2001

Scaling network processors to handle more channels or faster data rates requires management of traffic and control data between multiple network processors. This approach usually requires an in-house ASIC or FPGA design and the accompanying design resources and delays. Therefore, it's not surprising that a vendor is now offering an off-the-shelf network-processor-interconnection device.

The VSC2708 Focus self-routing switch from Vitesse connects as many as eight IQ2000 network processors or other Focus-enabled devices on a single line card for a throughput of 12.8 Gbps (Picture). For more complex applications, you can construct multistage switching networks by cascading multiple Focuses for as much as 64 Gbps of bandwidth. Each of the eight bidirectional, 16-bit Focus interfaces operates as fast as 100 MHz.

The Focus uses a low-overhead route header to explicitly define unicast, multicast, and broadcast traffic between ingress and egress ports to reduce the complexity of multistage architectures and minimize ingress-bandwidth requirements. The header also supports multiple priority levels.

The VSC2708 Focus Connect comes in a 456-bump PBGA. Samples are available now, and volume production will begin in March. Price is $96 (1000).

Vitesse, www.vitesse.com.

-by Nicholas Cravotta