6U CompactPCI GBit Ethernet switch now in three rugged levels

The Kontron CP6923 is a PICMG 2.16 compliant 6U CompactPCI managed Ethernet switch with 24 link ports and two 10GbE XFP uplink connections. Designed for reliable and robust operation under the broadest range of conditions, the Kontron CP6923 now comes in three rugged levels defined as R1, R2 and R3. The R2 and R3 versions are available with E2 capabilities (extended temperature range from -40° C to + 85° C). The R1-version is designed for standard application requirements in air-cooled environments. The R2-version is ruggedized for higher shock and vibration environments in accordance with the EN60068-2-27/64 (similar to VITA 47's EAC6) specification. The R3-version is fully conduction cooled and meets VITA 47's ECC4 requirements.

These three versions make the Kontron CP6923 CompactPCI switch an ideal partner for the Kontron CP6001 CPU board with Intel® Core™ Duo / Core™ 2 Duo that is also available in the R1, R2 and R3 versions. OEMs benefit from a functionally validated combination of CPU board and Ethernet switch at each rugged level that provide a high degree of routing redundancy and can communicate with each other rapidly over GbE via the CPCI backplane. Together, they offer a cost-effective solution for applications that require high-end performance in a wide range of harsh environments, including those found in the military, maritime and aerospace sectors.

Built around the highly compact Broadcom BCM56500 Gigabit Ethernet switch chip, the Kontron CP6923 is the perfect choice for services such as VoIP installations for call servers, media gateways and trunking gateways (both wired and wireless networks). A boost in switching capacity allows systems to stay ahead of the rising transaction and traffic load for VoIP applications. It supports all relevant standards in carrier grade L2 and L3 switching, routing, VLANs and QoS (Diffserv) developed by Kontron. Beyond the typical telecom applications, the R2 and R3 versions are the ideal solution for communication applications in military/defense and aerospace systems.

The Kontron CP6923 CompactPCI switch comes with the latest technologies for non-blocking layer 3 switching and routing and has a 24-port GbE layer 3 switch with 19 link ports to CPCI boards and 1 link port to second fabric boards (all ports 10/100/1000Base-T). Depending on the rugged level, the board will be equipped with 4 additional ports on the front panel or on the backplane. Furthermore, 2 fibre optic 10GbE XFP uplink ports may be provided on the front panel for R1 boards. The Kontron CP6923 provides a fully managed software environment and comprehensive firmware package with seamless integration into the shelf and shelf management with IPMI V1.5. It supports hot-swap capabilities, the reset of basic fabric and reliable field upgrades for all software components. An IP router is integrated into the base fabric. It also contains dual boot images with roll-back capabilities during upgrades. The system can be managed via SNMP with standard MIBs and command line interfaces over Telnet, SSH or serial lines.

The Kontron CP6923 CompactPCI switch complies with PICMG 2.0 R3.0 specifications, PICMG 2.1 R.2.0 hot-swap specifications, PICMG 2.9 R1.0 system management, PICMG 2.16 R1.0 packet switching backplane, IPMI specification V1.5, IEEE 802.3, 2000 and IEEE 802.3ae.

The Ethernet implementation supports QoS (IEEE 802.1p) on all ports as well as VLAN including VLAN registration with GARP/GVRP (IEEE 802.1q). The routing capabilities also support DiffServ standards and routing functionality redundancy using a second switch hub board. Services include onboard event management, test and trace facilities, power on the shelf diagnostics and configuration retention after restarts. There is also support for retrieving and installing multiple configurations.