Microchip Technology announce Ethernet switches with TSN and flexible port bandwidths

A key feature of the LAN969x Ethernet switches is their support for High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) and Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP), which are essential for applications requiring high levels of redundancy. These hardware protocols ensure zero-loss redundancy in Ethernet networks. The LAN969x series can support multiple HSR and PRP Redundancy Box (RedBox) instances, operating both in parallel and in series, and are compatible with Ethernet port speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps.

The LAN969x series also introduces the QuadBox function, facilitating the connection of two HSR networks. This feature is particularly beneficial in scenarios where high reliability and zero downtime are paramount. Unlike other solutions requiring multiple components, the LAN969x’s QuadBox reduces design complexity and system costs.

Charles Forni, Vice President of Microchip’s USB and networking business unit, highlighted the innovation of the LAN969x series, saying: “Prior to the introduction of Microchip’s LAN969x Ethernet switches, customers seeking to implement TSN and HSR/PRP features needed multiple ICs. Our new single-chip LAN969x solution reduces component count and system-level costs.” He also mentioned the support provided by their VSC6817SDK IStaX Linux application software package, which aids designers in swiftly bringing products to market.

The highly configurable LAN969x Ethernet switches offer up to 30 ports and support a variety of interfaces including RGMII, SGMII, QSGMII, USGMII, and USXGMII. Targeting secure and safety-critical applications, these switches are ideal for high-port-count 10M/100M/1G/2.5G/10G switching links.

Security features in the LAN969x family include secure boot and secure firmware execution, aligned with the customer’s root-of-trust manufacturing process. Security measures encompass TCAM-based frame processing using a Versatile Content Aware Processor (VCAP), Arm Trusted Firmware for fast secure boot, crypto libraries, hardware security accelerators for boot and code encryption, and one-time programmable immutable key storage.

The LAN969x family complements Microchip’s TSN switch portfolio, which includes the SparX-5i family supporting up to 64-ports and 200 Gbps of switching bandwidth, and the LAN9662 and LAN9668 models offering 4 to 8 ports with 4 to 11 Gbps of switch bandwidth.