The Model 6468 GigPCI-Express Switch board announced by DSS Networks is a flexible communications board geared to run Linux 2.4/2.6 or VxWorks 5.5. The board links an 8-port Ethernet switch to an 8-lane PCI Express host interface, with an onboard FPGA for management, control, and routing. It can be used as a front-end network processor or managed multiport switch.

(Click here for a larger view of the 6468 board)

The 6468 contains 1.5 MB of onboard memory for packet buffering and it boasts 16 Gbits/s of aggregate Ethernet bandwidth, 16M frame/s maximum switching rate and, on a 6-lane PCI Express bus, throughput of up to 7.84 Gbits/s. Four of the 6468's Ethernet ports are routed to shielded front-panel CAT5 RJ-45 connectors and four are routed to PCI Express in what DSS calls a flexible and innovative 4+4 switching design. The board supports extended Ethernet frame sizes up to 9 KB in length.

The GigPCI-Express Switch board is also available as part of an OEM developer kit that provides on-board firmware for configuration, management and health monitoring, Linux and VxWorks device drivers, library functions, frame generators, loopback tests, benchmark programs, performance statistics, management utilities and documentation. It can be installed in x8 or x16 (8-lane or 16-lane) PCI Express slots.

For more info about PCI Express, read the PCI Express whitepaper.

 
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