NBase Selects Quality Semiconductor's QS6612 Fast Ethernet PHY
IC for its MegaSwitch II 16/24-port Dual-speed Ethernet/ATM
Switch
Business Wire - November 06, 1997 13:23
%QUALITY-SEMICONDUCTOR QUAL %CALIFORNIA %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONICS %COMED %INTERACTIVE %MULTIMEDIA
%INTERNET %TELECOMMUNICATIONS %PRODUCT V%BW P%BW
A Product Application Announcement from Quality
Semiconductor Inc.
Quality Semiconductor Inc. (QSI)(NASDAQ:QUAL) today announced that NBase Communications, a leading
supplier of high-performance switches for LAN and enterprise networking, has selected Quality
Semiconductor's all-CMOS QS6612LF 10/100Base-TX Transceiver for its new 16/24-port 10/100Base-TX
Switch based on the MegaSwitch(TM) II platform.
This new addition to NBase's switch family of products features four high-speed uplink slots, ready for NBase's
ATM and Gigabit Ethernet uplink modules: management support for RMON and SNMP; and dual-speed
10/100-Mbps operation, with auto-negotiation, on all ports.
"We chose QSI to supply us with dual-speed PHY technology for several reasons. Among them are the
company's experience in the industry as a major supplier of Fast Ethernet PHYs and key attributes of the
QS6612 that made it the best fit for our new switch family, its all-CMOS design, small footprint and low power
consumption," says Ofer Iny, Vice-President of Engineering at NBase. "My engineering team evaluated all the
CMOS Fast Ethernet devices on the market and found QSI's device has the best fit and features for our new
MegaSwitch II-based platform products."
"We are extremely pleased with NBase's selection of QS6612," says Farzin Firoozmand, Vice President of
Networking Products at Quality Semiconductor. "NBase has one of the industry's most complete LAN switching
product portfolios and strong OEM relationships with companies like DEC, Intel and Newbridge Networks. We
look forward to working closely with them to continue developing products for the high-speed switching market."
NBase Communications, a division of MRV Communications, is a switching-technology innovator in the
LAN/Enterprise networking industry and a manufacturer of leading-technology switching products for Ethernet,
Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and ATM.
QSI currently makes two CMOS Fast Ethernet transceiver devices for the best fit with various MAC and
repeater controllers. Both devices feature an all-CMOS highly integrated, high-performance design, low power
consumption and space-saving surface-mount packaging (only 10 x 10 mm). The company plans to expand its
offerings in Fast Ethernet by adding more single-channel enhanced devices as well as multiple-channel devices
for high-density hubs and switches.
QSI's QS6612 transceiver, an all-CMOS 5-volt device, offers space-and power-saving advantages over
competing devices. The device consumes only 150mA in Auto-Negotiation mode, the mode used by
unconnected repeater ports. This saves significant power for any ports on the repeater that are unused or
otherwise not operating. For connected and fully operating ports, power conservation is also considerable
compared with that of other solutions. The package for the QS6612 is the smallest in the industry for its function
-- the "Low Profile Quad Flatpack" (LQFP) is only 10 x 10 x 1.4 mm in package body size. Other features of the
device include fully integrated clock generation and clock recovery, on-chip wave shaping and filters, and
complete 10- and 100-Mb/s PHY functions, with Auto-Negotiation for automatic speed selection built in.
At less than $250 per port, NBase's MegaSwitch II is the first Plug n' Play 10/100 Ethernet switch with ATM and
Gigabit uplinks. Capable of handling 1GB per second throughput, this store-and-forward switch has a filtering
and forwarding rate of one million pps.
Auto-Negotiation in the switch takes control of the cable when a connection is established to a port on the
switch. It detects the various modes that exist in the device on the other end of the wire, the link partner, and
advertises its own abilities to automatically configure the highest-performance mode of interoperation. This
allows the switch to operate in the optimum mode with each of its link partners, for example, 10 or 100
Mbits/sec data rates, full- or half-duplex mode. The QS6612 PHY generates and detects the special signaling
on the line used in the Auto-Negotiation process.
Headquartered in Chatsworth, Calif., NBase Communications manufactures Ethernet switches and is dedicated
to providing efficient and cost-effective solutions for workgroups, campus and metropolitan networks. Its
MegaSwitch family of LAN switches offers practical solutions for improving workgroup performance today while
providing migration paths to high-speed technologies on demand. With an installed base exceeding one million
ports, NBase has established a global presence, with sales and customer service offices in North America,
Europe and Israel.
Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., Quality Semiconductor, Inc., is a manufacturer of advanced standard and
low-voltage 5-volt FCT and 3.3-volt LCX logic; QuickSwitch(R) devices; clock management and Fast Ethernet
networking devices for high-performance computer and data communications applications. The company's
stock is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange as "QUAL." For complete company and product information
check the QSI website at www.qualitysemi.com .
Note to Editors: MegaSwitch(TM) is a trademark of NBase Communications. QuickSwitch is a registered
trademark of Quality Semiconductor Inc.
CONTACT: Quality Semiconductor
Gerry Moseley, 408/450-4910
gerry_moseley@qualitysemi.com
Dan Andersen, 408/450-8060
dan_andersen@qualitysemi.com
or
NBase Communications
Noam Lotan, 818/773-9000
or
The King Group
Karen George, 818/773-9000
News, News, News.
Halaluea! Tell The World.
Now if only Dow jones, Reuter's would pick these things up
Forgot about Saddam...Nuke him too! |
