Znyx Networks bh5700 Overview of the Ethernet Switch Blade, High Performance Embedded Switching

Chapter 1 Overview of the Ethernet Switch Blade

The Ethernet Switch Blade is a 72-port AdvancedTCA® Hub and providing Gigabit Ethernet. Up to 14 ATCA node boards may be addressed via the PICMG 3.0 Base Interface and via the ATCA PICMG 3.1 fabric . The Base and Fabric switching domains are kept totally separate, both on the physical layer and the software layer. The Ethernet Switch Blade provides a tightly integrated modular switching platform that enables high-density solutions.

The Ethernet Switch Blade is actually two separate switches, one for the Base ports and one for the fabric ports. There are two OpenArchitect® operating system images, one for each switch, allowing the maximum in separation between the control signaling and the data. The modular design provides great flexibility and control.

Ethernet Switch Blades can support a 10 Gigabit Ethernet Inter-Switch Link (ISL) for the Fabric Interfaces, and a Gigabit Ethernet ISL for the Base Interface switches. Depending on the version of OpenArchitect used, the ISL for the Fabric Interface switches may be operated at 10 Gigabits per second and provide stacking features.

Linux-based OpenArchitect 3 runs on the embedded processors, providing a comprehensive package for the management of Layer 2 and Layer 3 packet switching. VLAN management and Layer 2-7 packet classification are also included with a user-friendly interface. OpenArchitect can be used with a variety of IP routing protocols.

As part of Advanced TCA, the switch incorporates the PICMG 3.0 Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) standard for Field Replaceable Unit FRU) management by the Shelf Manager.

High Performance Embedded Switching

The Ethernet Switch Blade with OpenArchitect combines the performance of silicon-based switching fabric with flexibility of software-managed routing policies. It provides Base fabric PICMC 3.0 (1 Gigabit Ethernet ) links to each of the payload slots, plus two to four PICMC 3.1 in-band GigE ports to each node card, and GigE links to management ports and the second switch. The Ethernet Switch Blade maintains the forwarding table on silicon, providing the capability to switch and route at full line rate performance on every port.

Advanced TCA® Compliant

The Advanced TCA® standard developed by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturer Group defines an embedded Ethernet environment for high availability chassis. This environment includes two switch fabric slots that create a dual star Ethernet network to the 14 Base node slots. Placing the Ethernet Switch Blade in a hub slot provides embedded Ethernet services to each node card of the chassis. A standard HA configuration is one Ethernet Switch Blade placed in each of the two hub slots in a chassis for creation of a redundant, high availability system.

Ethernet Switch Blade User's Guide release 3.2.2j page 17