Internet Machines Introduces 200 Gbps single chip switch element
Edited by Mardi Balgochian Scalise, Lightwave Web Editor
Internet Machines Corp., developer of highly integrated, protocol independent communications integrated circuits (ICs), introduced its IMpower switch element, the SE200, as part of its IMpower product family of comprehensive network processing and switching solutions for designers of high-speed OC-192c and 10 Gbps networking equipment.
The IMpower product family consists of three protocol-independent chips and a software development kit (SDK): the NPE10 network processing engine, the TMC10 traffic management co-processor, the SE200 switch element, and the Development Workbench SDK. The IMpower family of chips delivers a high level of integration, performance and ease of use available for developers of OC-192c and 10 Gbps optical, metro area, and Internet infrastructure systems.
By using patent-pending techniques and an advanced 0.13-micron process, Internet Machines is able to deliver competitive integration levels, as well as true wire-speed packet processing for any packet size at full-duplex OC-192c rates. The three chips are designed to work together to deliver a complete system-centric solution, or designers can select an individual chip for use with
other networking components.
The first chip to be delivered is the IMpower SE200, a 200 Gbps protocol independent switch element. The SE200 is a high-capacity, single-chip switch element, providing 200 Gbps full duplex switching throughput per switch element and scalable to terabit speeds.
It offers support for multiple concurrent protocols and services for any size packet at 10 Gbps data rates. Sixty-four embedded serializer/deserializer (SERDES) transceivers optimize performance and increase integration.
Targeted at developers of IP/MPLS routers and switches, high-speed metro core and edge switches for the emerging optical network, network elements for data centers, storage area networks (SANs), and high-end network access, the company claims its SE200 is the highest capacity, single chip switch element available.
A single chip delivers 200 Gbps of switching capacity, and larger fabrics using multiple SE200 devices can deliver terabit speeds. Sixty-four embedded serializer/deserializer (SERDES) transceivers optimize performance and integration efficiency in backplane and shelf-to-shelf interconnection schemes.
Based on Internet Machines' modular and scalable Parallel Channel Architecture, the SE200 allows systems designers to develop high-performance multi-gigabit switches that can scale incrementally in aggregate and per-port bandwidth capacity, as well as overall system port density. The main application of the SE200 is to provide high-speed switching between a source and destination port, supporting multiple line cards in carrier-grade networking platforms built with per-port speeds of 10 Gbps/OC-192c.
Through its virtual link aggregation capability, the SE200 supports switching for multiple concurrent protocols and services for any size packet at any data rate from OC-48c to OC-768c. For high-end switching applications, multiple SE200 devices can be designed into a single stage topology to scale fabric capacities to terabit speeds.
The SE200 offers the following key features and benefits:
* Concurrent switching of multiprotocol and/or multiservice traffic for any size packet at wire speed
* Sixty-four embedded high-speed serializer/deserializer (SERDES) transceivers optimize performance and increase integration
* Scalable to terabit switching
* Distributed architecture allows for N+1, N+2, and 1+1 redundancy options, with zero packet loss fail-over capability to maximize carrier-class availability and reliability
* CRC and FEC data protection for carrier-class fault tolerance
The NPE10 of the IMpower product family is a programmable, single chip, massively parallel network processor based on RISC microcores and capable of performing packet processing at full duplex OC-192c rates. It provides the system designer with an easy-to-program single-threaded programming model for straightforward application code development.
The NPE10 offers fully software programmable fast path packet processing while maintaining wire-speed OC-192c throughput at all packet sizes in both ingress and egress directions concurrently. Its flexibility allows multiple protocols and services to be supported simultaneously on different subchannels. Developers can use Internet Machines' available Development Workbench, or familiar, off-the-shelf GNU compilers for programming.
The Development Workbench SDK, shipping since April, comprises an extensive suite of graphical, user-friendly software development tools, including a clock cycle-accurate simulator of the NPE10 network processor. This full-featured software development kit allows systems designers to quickly evaluate the NPE10, as well as develop forwarding code early in the development cycle, accelerating the introduction of new features in weeks rather than years.
Finally, the TMC10 of the IMpower product family is a single chip, wire-speed traffic management co-processor capable of operating at full-duplex OC-192c rates. It performs buffer and queue management functions, traffic scheduling, flow control across a switch fabric, congestion management, and statistics for multiprotocol traffic at OC-192c line rates. This allows equipment and network designers to balance congestion control with quality of service parameters for a variety of edge, metro and core network applications.
The TMC10 leverages Internet Machines' patent-pending Parallel Channel Architecture to provide a rich feature set that maximizes carrier-class availability and reliability through support for various fabric redundancy configurations, including N+1, N+2, and 1+1 redundancy options, along with zero packet loss fail-over capability.
About Internet Machines:
Internet Machines is a fabless semiconductor company that offers the IMpower family of highly integrated communications ICs for OC-192c and 10 Gbps optical, metro area network and Internet infrastructure equipment. For more information, visit www.internetmachines.com.