CNXT new Chipsets.
Tuesday May 2, 6:03 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
New Conexant Chipsets Give Routers Breakthrough Capability to Handle Higher Volumes of Traffic in the Internet Infrastructure
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2000--
Conexant Chipsets Will Cut Board Space By 50 Percent And Component Costs By As Much As 20 Percent, While Reducing Design Cycles For Developing Internet Protocol (IP) Routers That Can Handle Significantly More Lines And Channels
Manufacturers of Internet protocol routers can now support higher Internet traffic volumes using two new chipsets from Conexant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNXT - news). The two new chipsets will also significantly reduce the component count, while cutting board space requirements by 50 percent and per-port framer costs by as much as 20 percent.
Conexant's new chipsets include a broadband access multiplexer (BAM) and a 1024-channel multichannel synchronous communications controller (MUSYCC(TM)-1024) high-level data link controller (HDLC) device. They join the company's recently introduced OptiPHY(TM)-M622 and OptiPHY-M155 framer/multiplexer devices for synchronous optical network (SONET) and synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) equipment. Together, the family of chipsets allows equipment designers to support higher volumes of data using fewer discrete components. They provide, in a single comprehensive solution, all of the core technology for combining low-speed circuits into higher-speed circuits so that significantly more Internet and other data traffic can be processed by equipment using the SONET/SDH transmission standards.
For applications where OC-12 (622 Mbps) or synchronous transfer module (STM)-4 traffic must be channelized down to DS1/E1 for IP traffic configuration, the complete Conexant solution consists of four highly-integrated BAM devices, two HDLC devices, and a single OptiPHY-M622 SONET/SDH framer/multiplexer.
This solution consolidates all IP traffic mapping, multiplexing, demultiplexing and framing functions into one high-density chipset and reduces the required chip count from currently available 17-chip solutions to a 7-chip solution from Conexant. For an OC-3 (155 Mbps) or STM-1 application, only three devices are required including one OptiPHY-M155, one BAM, and one HDLC device.
Designed predominately for IP router applications, the complete solution supports both the American and European SONET/SDH and plesiochronous digital hierarchy (PDH) standards, enabling manufacturers to develop a single software-configurable design that can be used in both U.S. and international markets. The 7-device chipset occupies a compact 13x7cm area on the IP router board.
``This is the industry's highest-density solution for transmission of IP traffic over OC-12/STM-4, channelized down to DS1/E1 circuits,'' said Marek Tlalka, SONET/SDH product line manager for Conexant's Network Access Division. ``Conexant continues to expand its network access portfolio to address some of the most pivotal challenges of today's aggressive Internet infrastructure upgrade.''
According to market research firm RHK Inc., the North American wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical networking market is expected to grow from $3.1 billion today to $15.5 billion in 2003, driven by unprecedented growth in Internet traffic.
``Internet traffic in North America has reached 350,000 terabytes per month in 1999, and is expected to reach more than 15 million terabytes by 2003,'' said Brian VanSteen, analyst for optical networking with RHK. ``New generations of network elements traditionally offer four times the capacity of previous generations, which puts pressure on silicon vendors to provide higher-density solutions.''
Technical Information
Conexant's BAM SONET/SDH-to-PDH mapper performs mapping, multiplexing, demultiplexing and framing of three STS-1, AU-3, DS3, or E3 inputs -- or one AU-4 input -- into any valid combination of 84 DS1 or 63 E1 circuits.
It generates and terminates all virtual tributary (VT) and virtual container (VC) path overhead, and supports SONET/SDH-to-PDH mapping at 51 Mbps, 2 Mbps and 1.5 Mbps rates. It includes three embedded DS3/E3 framers, three M13/E13 mux/demux blocks with G.747 support, plus 84 embedded DS1 framers and 63 embedded E1 framers.
Other features include standards-compliant alarm indicators, status monitoring and error counters for all supported tributaries, and an embedded programmable state machine that offloads major network maintenance activities from the host processor.
The BAM's companion MUSYCC-1024 multichannel HDLC controller formats and deformats up to 1024 HDLC data channels, and supports 32 serial ports for an aggregated data throughput of 500 Mbps full duplex, making it the highest-density HDLC controller device available in the market.
The device provides a comprehensive, high-density solution for processing these channels for such internetworking applications as Internet/Edge routers, point-to-point protocol (PPP) Internet access interfaces, frame relay/multiservice switches, ISDN-D channel controller, signaling system 7 (SS7), packet-based DSLAM equipment and remote access concentrators.
The final components of Conexant's complete solution are its recently-announced OptiPHY physical-layer (PHY) framing and multiplexing devices, which perform all required SONET/SDH processing, overhead termination, and multiplexer/demultiplexer functions.
Conexant's initial OC-3/STM-1 OptiPHY-M155 and OC-12/STM-4 OptiPHY-M622 solutions are the first in what will be a comprehensive family of PHY products for the rapidly-growing, optical-networking market. They extend the company's broad fiber-optic transceiver line and growing family of network processors.
The BAM device can be ordered by specifying part number CX29503, the MUSYCC-1024 HDLC can be ordered by specifying part number CX28500, and the OptiPHY-M155 and OptiPHY-M622 can be ordered by specifying part numbers CX29600 and CX29610, respectively. Each will sample in the third calendar quarter of 2000, with volume production slated for the fourth calendar quarter of 2000.
The CX29503 BAM device is packaged in a 31x31mm super ball grid array (SBGA) package and is priced at $790 each in OEM volumes of 10,000. The companion CX28500 controller is packaged in a 35x35mm ball grid array (BGA) and priced at $275 in OEM volumes of 10,000. The CX29600 and CX29610 framer/multiplexers are packaged in 416-pin 27x27mm SBGAs, and are priced at $70 for the CX29600 and $225 for the CX29610 in OEM quantities of 10,000.
Definition of Terms:
What is SONET?
Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) is a North American standard for transmitting synchronous data on optical and electrical media. It is used as a standard for the backbone and access telecommunications networks transmitting voice and data.
What is SDH?
Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) is a worldwide standard for transmitting synchronous data on optical and electrical media. SDH has a few overhead byte and some multiplexing scheme differences as compared with SONET, but it operates in the same manner.
What is PDH?
Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) is the standard used for transmitting data on American T-carrier and European E-carrier systems. The building blocks in the American PDH hierarchy are DS0 (56 Kbps), DS1 (1.544 Mbps), and DS3 (44.736 Mbps); the European PDH hierarchy consists of 64 Kbps circuits, E1 (2.048 Mbps), and E3 (34.368 Mbps) blocks. PDH circuits are mostly used to provide local high-speed access to the network transport infrastructure.
What is Multiplexing?
Multiplexing refers to combining, in a predefined standard way, low-speed circuits into higher-speed circuits both in the PDH and SONET/SDH hierarchies. For example in SONET, three STS-1s are multiplexed into a STS-3, and in PDH, 24 DS0s are multiplexed into a DS1.
What is Mapping?
Mapping refers to inserting PDH signals into similar rate SONET/SDH signals for the purpose of transporting plesiochronous signals over synchronous networks. For example, a DS1 can be mapped into a SONET VT1.5, or an E1 can be mapped into SDH VC12. Demapping is a reverse process. |
