Chip Allows Low-Cost Design Of Gigabit Ethernet Switches

Touted as the industry's first Gigabit Ethernet switch chip, the AL1000 allows the design of Gigabit Ethernet switches with a port cost of less than $100, making it possible for Gigabit switches to replace hundreds of thousands of slower 155-Mbps ATM switches in the Internet backbone. The switch contains all the digital circuitry needed to implement the switching function for two Gigabit Ethernet ports according to the IEEE802.3 standard. The full/half-duplex chip works with network management standards.The device uses a 4-Gbps RoX (Ring of Switches) expansion bus to link multiple chips and enable engineers to design a 2-, 4-, 6-, or 8-port switch. The RoX bus achieves wire-speed transfers for 2- or 4-port Gigabit switches, and wire-speed transfers 90% of the time for 6- or 8-port switches. The bus can connect an optional AL300 chip that collects network management information reported from each AL1000.