Vitesse targets high-density carrier Ethernet, mobile backhaul and enterprise networks

CAMARILLO, UAS: Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. has introduced its latest 10G Ethernet physical-layer SerDes.

Ideal for high-density 10G aggregation in emerging 40G/100G Ethernet backbones, Mobile Backhaul/Transport, and Enterprise networks, the VSC8488 and VSC8484 dual and quad Ethernet PHYs are the first such devices brought to market that support Synchronous Ethernet and other precision timing capabilities, along with working and protection failover capability required to meet Carrier resiliency.

The well documented explosion in mobile data and video applications continues to drive ever expanding bandwidth needs across the network. As mobile access demand for 3G and 4G grows, and related backhaul is upgraded from the E1/T1 TDM platforms to the 1G packet based systems, network timing, management, and redundancy requirements must be maintained at much higher data rates. 10G uplinks will be needed to aggregate the multiple 1G access points.

“Per our latest Networking Port count analysis released in April, 10G ports shipments approached 2M in calendar 2009 and cumulative 10/40/100G port shipments will grow to 35M by calendar year 2014, a five-year CAGR of 59 percent,” said Andrew Schmitt, directing analyst, optical at Infonetics Research. “Products such as Vitesse’s multichannel 10G SerDes are well positioned to support the ongoing 10G port density ramp along with the migration to 40G and 100G implementations.”

Beyond Mobile Backhaul/Transport upgrades, the overall network infrastructure is evolving to high-density 10G ports typically in 40G and 100G implementations along with continued migration from SONET/TDM to Carrier Ethernet networks.

Bandwidth upgrades must also extend down to new KR based system backplanes in both Carrier and Enterprise applications. The quad channel VSC8484 aligns well with this network evolution by satisfying LAN and WAN requirements, Synchronous Ethernet timing per ITU G8261/2, and full compliance to IEEE802.3ap, including 10GBASE-KR.

Offering insertion loss and crosstalk compensation capabilities well in excess of the 10GBASE-KR backplane standard, the devices can easily support new KR backplane applications along with upgrading older legacy backplanes. The insertion loss compensation ability of 35 dB and insertion loss to crosstalk ratio (ICR) support down to 6 dB exceed KR requirements. In addition to supporting signal degradations in excess of the KR link requirements, the devices sustain full KR compliant rate auto-negotiation and link optimization.

The VSC8488 and VSC8484 integrate numerous differentiating features:

* Both devices include a crosspoint switch, enabling easier design of redundant failover systems;
* Vitesse’s analog Electronic Dispersion Compensation (EDC) implementation results in a total path latency of 1 ns, compared to DSP-based latencies measuring hundreds of ns, thus enabling low latency system design;
* Both devices support 40GBASE-KR4, 40GBASE-CR4, 40GBASE-CR10, nAUI, and nPPI high-speed I/O requirements allowing systems designed today to be ready for upgrade to 40G/100G; and
* Superior receiver performance and low jitter SONET compliant transmit path allows the user to support a broad array of module formats including all of the present XFP, SFP+, QSFP+, and CFP host applications with high system link margin.

“Across the network, from the initial access points at Mobile Backhaul/Transport and Broadband to the core, system needs demand rapid and accelerating bandwidth expansion. Additionally, the bandwidth is being added during a transition period in network implementation from SONET/TDM to Ethernet,” said Gary Paules, product marketing manager at Vitesse.

“Because the VSC8488 and VSC8484 dual and quad 10G PHYs uniquely address these expansion and transition challenges, designers can accelerate development of 40G/100G Ethernet backbones, Mobile Backhaul/Transport, and Ethernet networks by leveraging the unique capabilities of these new Vitesse devices.”

The VSC8488 and VSC8484 SerDes devices are supported by unique Vitesse technologies such as VScope, which allows a customer to view the degraded input signal to the devices and verify the EDC performance; and FlexEQ adaptive equalization technology to simplify the design of systems of optical systems and proprietary backplanes.