Chipset Set To Tackle Gigabit, Layer 3/4 Ethernet Switch Designs

Claiming to be the first of its kind, the two-chip set comprised of the AL1022 two-port Gigabit Ethernet switch chip and AL3000 high-performance Layer 3/4 routing engine and network management chip are earmarked for use in Gigabit, Layer 3/4 Ethernet switches. By using the chipset, OEMs reportedly can significantly reduce the chip count and design cost of switches for workgroups, enterprises and the Internet. Each device contains a 12.8-Gb/s, 32-bit RoX-II interface that allows either scaling of the design by linking multiple chips together or the design of a wide variety of switches by linking to other of the company's devices.
The AL1022 supports features such as quality-of-service, VLAN, and four classes of service, which allows a networking switch to recognize and give priority to packets of data marked for faster delivery. The device recognizes and prioritizes class 0 (management information), class 1 (voice and video), class 2 (data), and class 3 (back-up data) signals. And its trunking feature enables multiple ports to be combined into a faster connection.
Previously executed on an expensive microprocessor, implementation in hardware of the Layer 3/4 routing algorithms is performed by the AL3000 chip. The device includes a command interpreter, search engine, parser, memory server, two memory interfaces, six DMA channels, the RoX II bus, and network manager.
The AL1022 is sampling now and will go into production in April. It's priced at $45 each/1000 in a 456-pin BGA. Also sampling now, the AL3000 is $50 each/1000.