PMC Module Offers 1-Gb/s Transfer Rates

Claiming to be the industry’s fastest PMC networking module for CompactPCI and VMEbus baseboards, the Lightning PMC Ethernet module can deliver data throughputs up to 1 Gb/s over a single channel. Also available with two Gigabit-Ethernet channels, it can deliver an aggregate throughput of 2 Gb/s. These high throughputs are also said to be attainable over ordinary Category 5 copper wiring, thereby eliminating costly fiber interconnects. The module can be used with any VMEbus or CompactPCI baseboard that provides PMC slots. It employs programmable big- and little-Endian byte ordering, enabling it to work with baseboards using either Pentium or PowerPC processors. Another first, the module is claimed to be the industry’s first to use Intel’s new 82349 EtherExpress 1000 media-access controller that transfers data at speeds up to 512 Mb/s in both the send and receive directions. In a single-channel configuration, pricing is $695.