Vitesse touts first synchronous Ethernet Gigabit transceiver
FEBRUARY 11, 2008 -- Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. (search for Vitesse) today announced the VSC8664 SimpliPHY, a quad Gigabit dual media Ethernet transceiver designed to improve the reliability of synchronous data transfer over IP packet-based carrier network equipment. The company says reliable synchronous Ethernet will allow telecom providers to migrate to next-generation packet architectures supporting time-sensitive applications, including voice, circuit emulation services, and streaming video.
Vitesse claims to be the first company to develop a multi-port Gigabit Ethernet Copper/Fiber PHY that includes two recovered clock outputs, providing both primary and secondary clock references for a synchronous timing system.
Fueled by converged data, voice, and video applications in wired and cellular wireless systems, demand has dramatically increased for Ethernet backhaul links capable of implementing high-quality timing synchronization in accordance with ITU-T Recommendation G.8261/Y.1361. Synchronous Ethernet uses the Gigabit Ethernet physical layer to provide reference timing signal distribution over packet networks. The secondary clock reference is required for fail-over protection, an important feature in carrier-class communication systems.
The VSC8664 quad Gigabit Ethernet PHY is the latest addition to the Vitesse SimpliPHY portfolio. SimpliPHY devices contain field-proven, fully adaptive equalization and innovative timing recovery algorithms that provide greater noise tolerance performance than the competition, says Vitesse. Superior noise tolerance eases system design and installation challenges in high-density Gigabit Ethernet switches, blade servers, and line cards, as well as in legacy copper cable plants with sub-standard cables, marginal connectors, and noise from other communications services. SimpliPHY devices are also based on a patented, fully balanced, voltage-mode line driver technology, allowing for lower cost magnetics to be used.
"Telecom equipment OEMs, who have been Vitesse's customers for two decades, expect the same level of timing, synchronization quality, and redundancy capabilities with Gigabit Ethernet as they currently enjoy with traditional telecommunication systems," explains Jason Rock, product marketing manager at Vitesse. "Bringing the VSC8664 to market further demonstrates our commitment to continuously providing solutions that enable the propagation of precision telecom timing throughout the synchronous network connected purely by Ethernet links."
According to the company, the flexible VSC8664 device supports:
• 10/100/1000BASE-T copper and 100BASE-FX/1000BASE-X fiber media, including support for small form-factor pluggable optical modules (SFPs);
• Four-pin Cisco SGMII v1.7 compliant MAC interface; and
• Read/write multiplexer to control and status SFPs and power-over-Ethernet (PoE) modules.
Telecommunication and metro Ethernet OEMs can now reduce IC chip count and associated component bill-of-material cost in high-speed broadband equipment, note Vitesse representatives. The VSC8664 is offered in a 17- x 17-mm, 256-ball plastic BGA package with a 1-mm ball pitch. The integration of copper media-side resistors, SerDes receiver decoupling capacitors, and quad read/write multiplexer allows OEM vendors to design compact synchronous Ethernet devices.
The first in a family of fully integrated synchronous Ethernet timing solutions, the VSC8664 quad Gigabit Ethernet transceiver is currently sampling. In addition, Vitesse is also sampling the VSC8634, a pin-compatible device with a copper-only interface. A complete reference design kit is currently available for evaluation of these new PHY transceivers
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