Vitesse targets security, performance over Ethernet networks

Santa Clara, CA. Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. chose DesignCon to preview the newest additions to its 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) PHY portfolio, the VSC8256, VSC8257, and VSC8258 quad-channel 10/40G physical-layer transceiver family. The new transceivers, formally announced February 2, enable government-grade, FIPS-197-certified, 256-bit MACsec encryption to protect critical enterprise, cloud, and mobile network infrastructures.

Ernest Muhigana, senior product marketing manager, said the company, which employs about 350 people in seven countries, is targeting “Ethernet Everywhere” in carrier, enterprise, and Internet of Things (IoT) networks—accelerating performance while enhancing security.

Muhigana said Internet traffic demand on the user side is projected to nearly triple over the next five years, with cloud computing representing 76% of total data-center traffic by 2018, according to Cisco’s Global Cloud Index.

Security, he said, is a top concern, with corporations requiring encryption to protest against wiretapping, monitoring, masquerading (MAC address spoofing), and certain denial-of-service attacks. Further, he said, NSA’s Ethernet Security Specification (v1.0, Sept 2013) requires mandatory adoption of 256-bit IEEE 802.1AE MACsec for networks carrying Top Secret information.

Addressing these needs, Vitesse’s VSC8256, VSC8257, and VSC8258 enable secured connections with improved quality and efficiencies:

40G connectivity;
IEEE 1588 network timing; and
Flexible Layer 2 security (IEEE 802.1AE MACsec) offload for companion network processors, I/O processors, MAC controllers, and/or FPGA-based designs.

The company said the VSC825x family delivers 40G connectivity with “secure 1588,” made possible by Vitesse’s FIPS-certified Intellisec IEEE 802.1AE MACsec security encryption technology and Vitesse’s VeriTime IEEE 1588 timing and synchronization. Together, Intellisec and VeriTime deliver line-rate 256-bit encryption with the industry’s de facto highest accuracy IEEE 1588 timing. Intellisec’s “tag-in-the-clear” capability also provides the network transparency needed to enable use of third party networks for delivery of critical services to mobile, Enterprise and Industrial-IoT networks.

“Addressing the ‘Snowden effect’ and growing security concerns in our increasingly connected world is critical in next-generation networking equipment,” said Uday Mudoi, vice president of product marketing at Vitesse, in a press release. “Vitesse’s game-changing technologies readily enable the rigorous security needed to safeguard enterprise, cloud, and mobile network infrastructures.”

The VSC825x family delivers various features:

seamless pin-for-pin hardware upgrade from an intelligent KR repeater function to a highly integrated Ethernet PHY with security and accurate IEEE 1588 network timing distribution capabilities;
standard 10G serial interfaces, simplifying hardware design and offering direct connections to most recent SOCs and FPGAs; and
the ability to maximize network provisioning flexibility for feature-rich tiered service delivery.

The new 10GE PHY family includes these devices:

VSC8256 serial quad-channel 1G/10G Ethernet retimer and repeater,
VSC8257 serial quad-channel 1G/10G Ethernet PHY with VeriTime IEEE 1588 timing and synchronization, and
VSC8258 serial quad channel 1G/10G Ethernet PHY with VeriTime IEEE 1588 timing and synchronization and Intellisec IEEE 802.1AE MACsec.

Samples are available immediately.