Switch Enables Seamless Connectivity of IQ2000 NPUs

FOCUS Connect affords network OEMs the ability to scale system capacity and reduce overall cost by eliminating the need for integration logic, such as ASICs and FPGAs. Eight IQ2000 network processors can be seamlessly connected to a single FOCUS Connect for line card throughput of 12.8 Gb/s using the high performance, low pin count FOCUS interface. For more complex chassis based applications, such as IP multi-service switches, designers can construct larger multi-stage switching networks by cascading multiples of the connects, enabling systems to run at up to 64 Gb/s of bandwidth. Using various numbers of the devices and IQ2000 NPUs as building blocks, designers can easily build multi-port STS-1/STS-3/STS-12 and 10/100/1000 Ethernet linecards. VSC2708 FOCUS Connect is well suited for applications including edge switches and routers, intelligent edge aggregation platforms, and L4-L7 web switches. It incorporates eight low-pin-count bi-directional 16-bit interfaces operating at speeds up to 100 MHz and has a single stage throughput capacity of 12.8 Gb/s with each of the eight FOCUS interfaces supporting 1.6 Gb/s of bandwidth. FOCUS Connect is available in a 456-pin PBGA package costing $96 each/1,000.