Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES) has announced the release of its newest 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch module, the XChange302. The 3U VPX switch provides both 10 Gigabit Ethernet and PCI Express Gen3 (backwards compatible with Gen2 and Gen1) functionality, which allows the XChange3021 to serve as the heart of inter-board communications inside a high-end OpenVPX system.
The XChange3021 was designed to provide the Ethernet switching capability needed for the next generation of 3U VPX systems, such as within X-ES’ own 3U VPX rugged, embedded systems and those found inside unmanned vehicles and robotics applications. The 3U VPX switch module features a managed 10 Gigabit Broadcom BCM56450 Ethernet switch, including 102.5 Gb/s of non-blocking switching, an on-chip ARM A9-based CPU, an integrated hierarchical traffic manager to reduce overall board complexity and power, and a feature-rich packet processing engine, all within a single 40 nm device.
The XChange3021 also includes a PCI Express switch that increases throughput by supporting PCI Express Gen3 technology. The integration of a PCI Express switch allows the XChange3021 to support X-ES’ latest 3U VPX modules, such as the XPedite767x family of single board computers, and consequently provides users with a higher bandwidth for both the data plane and control plane.
With one 10-port, 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch, up to eight 10BASE-KR or 1000BASE-BX/KX Ethernet ports, and up to three 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet ports connected to the XMC site, the XChange3021 is capable of switching some of the largest 3U VPX backplanes.
The XChange3021 is within the second generation of X-ES’ embedded switch line which also includes the XChange3018 and XChange3013 3U VPX Ethernet switches, and the XChange3100 6U VPX Ethernet switch. All of X-ES’ switches include Managed Layer 2 Switching and optional Layer 3 Routing Management support.
Compliance with a variety of VITA 65 OpenVPX switch slot profiles allows for easy integration of the XChange3021 into ready-made backplanes. XChange3021 can optionally include VITA 48.2 Type 1 Two-Level Maintenance (2LM) REDI support.
The XChange3021 features a wide variety of configuration options depending on project requirements. Additional features include extensive IEEE protocol and IETF RFC support, VICTORY Infrastructure Switch support, advanced cable open/short detection, IPv4 and IPv6 support, Energy Efficient Ethernet support, and a Ruggedized Enhanced Design Implementation (REDI) per VITA 48.
