Switch boosts performance of wireless and video infrastructure

Supporting multicast routing, this third-generation switch enables simultaneous interconnection of Serial RapidIO-enabled processors and peripheral devices at an aggregate bandwidth of 80 Gbits/s. Improving both system and distributed processing performance, the Tsi578 accommodates packet routing tables for up to 64,000 endpoints.

To further boost performance, the device’s non-blocking switching fabric management features also include fabric monitoring to supervise and manage traffic flow, error management to provide the fabric controller with proactive issue notification, a programmable buffer depth for guaranteed bandwidth and independent unicast and multicast routing mechanisms.

A highly scalable solution for mesh, fabric and aggregated systems, the Tsi578 provides designers and architects with configuration options to match the precise I/O bandwidth needs of a wide range of networking, wireless and video infrastructure applications. The switch provides up to eight 4x mode ports or up to sixteen 1x mode ports, with each port configurable to 1.25, 2.5 or 3.125Gbits/s. The ports are completely independent and the switch supports mixed speed and width configurations.

This port flexibility, combined with the use of very low power, high speed SerDes means that the Tsi578 Serial RapidIO switch also ensures that power consumption can be readily optimised. To help simplify signal path routing, the switch also supports I/O lane swapping.

Implemented in 0.13 micron CMOS technology and provided in a 27mm x 27mm, 675-ball FCBGA package, the Tsi578 is backward compatible with its predecessor, the Tsi568A™. The device requires 1.2V and 3.3V power rails and is rated for industrial and commercial temperature operation. The switch also supports IEEE 1149.6 JTAG standard for high speed interconnects.