NetLogic Microsystems introduces low-power 10/40/100GE PHY for next-generation data center Ethernet applications/Hitachi Cable unveils 40-Gigabit port terabit box switches

JULY 12, 2010 — NetLogic Microsystems Inc., maker of high-performance intelligent semiconductor solutions for next-generation Internet networks, announced its low-power 10/40/100 Gigabit Ethernet PHY for next-generation data center applications.

The new NLP1342 PHY quad-port device integrates receive equalization and transmit pre-emphasis technologies with ultra low latency to address new datacenter opportunities, says a company representative. The device supports 10Gbps SFI-to-XFI, 40Gbps XLPPI-to-XLAUI, and 100Gbps CPPI-to-CAUI modes to enable migration of data centers from 10 Gigabit to 100 Gigabit throughputs.

The exponential demand for video, IPTV, social networking, peer-to-peer, and virtualization services over the Internet has caused network bottlenecks in data centers that are serving media-rich content and services, driving the migration of servers and networking equipment in the data center from 10 Gigabit links to 40 and 100 Gigabit to support next-generation services.

Minimizing the latency in transmitting network traffic has become an important performance metric in the data center, as it can have a profound impact on the overall application performance. It is particularly important because data centers are responsible for managing mission critical and time sensitive transactions, such as financial trades, web-based services, and video content delivery. Unlike enterprise or telco infrastructure networks that transmit packets over longer distances, data center devices are usually only a few meters apart so every micro-second reduction in latency has a very large impact on the overall application performance.

The ability to drive 10/40/100 Gbps transmission over either twin-ax copper or optical cable makes NetLogic Microsystems’ NLP1342 PHY well suited for next-generation data centers because of the lower latency the device offers, according to the company. The NLP1342 device integrates an enhanced equalizer front end that enables lower jitter, lower latency, and communications over extended cable distances. Optical fiber and twin-ax copper offer lower latency when compared to traditional Cat-5/Cat-6/Cat-7 copper cabling.

In addition to lowering latency, minimizing power consumption is also critical for successful data center deployments given the large amount of high-performance equipment concentrated in a small area. As datacenters move to 10 Gbps and faster speeds, more power is required to transmit at higher speeds. NetLogic Microsystems’ NLP1342 PHY device delivers an ultra-low power profile of 0.5 watt/channel, enabling energy-efficient data centers.

“NetLogic Microsystems’ NLP1342 PHY is the first device for the data center to support 10/40/100 Gigabit Ethernet transmission over twin-ax copper, as well as LR and SR optical cabling,” says Jag Bolaria, senior analyst at The Linley Group. “Twin-ax copper is popular in the data centers owing to its lower latency and lower power consumption than the current 10GBASE-T copper alternative.”

Direct-attach, twin-ax copper cabling offers a cost-effective medium for 10/40/100 Gbps communications over distances of 10 meters. It makes the NLP1342 device well suited for communications from top-of-rack (TOR) switches to rackmount and blade servers. Because the enhanced equalizer front end also supports SR/LR optical cabling, the NLP1342 PHY enables server to end-of-rack (EOR) switch and TOR to EOR switch communications.

The NLP1342 PHY device exceeds the electrical parameters of the nPPI interface as defined in P8023.ba Annex 86A and is compliant with the CR4/CR10 PMDs as defined in P802.3ba Clause 85. The device also offers integration with dedicated pins for SFP+ management and control, dedicated general-purpose I/Os, clock synthesizers, and flexible and programmable Ethernet frame generators and checkers, BER calculators, and link margining tools–all in a low pin-count package ideally suited for SFP+/QSFP+ designs.

JULY 26, 2010 — Hitachi Cable (TOKYO:5812) has announced the development of two terabit box switches, the Apresia 15000-64XL-PSR , and Apresia 15000-32XL-PSR power supply redundant Ethernet switches. The Apresia 15000-64XL-PSR and Apresia 15000-32XL-PSR will be the world’s first 40-gigabit port equipment, Hitachi Cable asserts. Sales of these new switches will start at the end of February 2011.

The Apresia 15000-64XL-PSR is a terabit box switch that implements two 40G uplink ports, and sixty-four 1G/10G SFP/SFP+ ports in a 2U size unit. The Apresia15000-32XL-PSR is half the size of 64XL and implements a pair of 40G uplink ports and thirty-two 1G/10G SFP/SFP+ ports in a 1U size unit. Switching capacities are 1.28 Tbps for the 64XL, and 640 Gbps for the 32XL.

When set to equal capacities, the 64XL and the 32XL are not only space-saving, but also achieve significant cost-savings when compared to the conventional chassis switches, Hitachi Cable says. Furthermore, the power consumption of the 64XL and 32XL can be reduced to 370 W and 210 W, respectively.

Both the 64XL and 32XL are designed to be used as data center switches or network core switches and broadband L2 switches for enterprises and academic institutions. Planned functions specific to data center switches that play an important role in cloud computing include FCoE, storage I/O integrated technology, and Data Center Bridging (DCB), a new Ethernet technical standard to realize FCoE and other functions that support virtual server environments.

A data center license and L3 license are optional and can be purchased in accordance with the intended use. Without such licenses, both the 64XL and 32XL perform as high-end L2 switches.