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Broadcom unveils switch SoCs for enterprise and SMB networks

Date: 29/01/2013
Broadcom has launched new switch SoCs for enterprise networks and SMB network.

Broadcom's new switch SoC IC series for enterprise networks StrataXGS BCM56340 delivers >120 Gbps of line-rate performance with large forwarding tables, to meet the needs of a growing mobile user base in enterprise campus networks. App-IQ security intelligence distributes enterprise firewall capabilities among all access ports, eliminating network bottlenecks and delivering increased application visibility. Control and provisioning of wireless access points (CAPWAP) tunnel port capabilities provide seamless unified wireless/wireline integration. These ICs combine a 48-port gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switching core, a dual-core ARM A9 CPU, and energy-efficient 10GbE SerDes uplinks into a single chip solution.

"IT organizations are under increasing pressure to provide access to applications and data from anywhere, at any time, via any device,"said Matthias Machowinski, Infonetics Directing Analyst, Enterprise Networks and Video. "Bandwidth, integration and intelligent security features that scale to a large number of users are among the top requirements. Broadcom's latest innovation for the enterprise should strengthen the company's position as a leading supplier in this space."

"Mobile device use in the enterprise continues to scale at a dramatic rate, straining the network in terms of bandwidth, data security, and connectivity to services. IT managers are seeking solutions to enable a considerably more agile and secure network," said Ram Velaga, Broadcom Vice President and General Manager of the Core Switching Group. "Our new StrataXGS devices are designed from the ground up to address these challenges, delivering maximum stackable port density and performance, distributed security intelligence, and unified switching across LANs, WLANs, and data centers — all in a single chip solution."

Key Features of BCM56340 include:
App-IQ distributed security intelligence provides high bandwidth Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) for highly granular application visibility
Integrated Smart-Buffer capabilities provide optimal, adaptive management of network congestion and absorption of bursty workloads
Integrated Smart-Table technology delivers large Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding scale with flexible, network topology-based provisioning
Layer 2 multipathing and network virtualization via IEEE 802.1BR enable optimum workload mobility
Large IPv6 forwarding tables, up to 80G stacking and optional 40GE uplinks provide maximum scalability for Fortune500 network environments

Availability of BCM56340: Now in samples, volume production in 2H 2013.

Broadcom has also announced the StrataConnect Series of switch system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for small-to-medium business (SMB) networks. Broadcom's new SoCs combine Layer 2 and Layer 3 (L2/L3) switching, 16 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) physical layer transceivers (PHYs), 10 GbE and high-performance central processing unit (CPU) onto a single piece of silicon, delivering enterprise-class features to the SMB network.

The new StrataConnect Series features tighter security and application-based prioritization. The integrated CPU can scale processing power as necessary and includes added intelligence to enable cloud-based network management. In addition, advanced power management features deliver power savings that go beyond Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) to reduce energy costs.

"For small to medium businesses, cloud services have quickly become a critical way to deliver leading technology without the complexity of big IT," said Derek Lam, NETGEAR VP of Engineering, SMB Switching and Wireless. "As a result, scalable switching solutions with advanced features are now more important than ever. It is essential that semiconductor suppliers address these trends with products optimized for SMB networks."

"Broadcom's leadership in Ethernet networking has allowed us to engineer the most integrated, scalable and feature-rich switches to meet the efficiency demands of SMB networks," said Ed Redmond, Broadcom Vice President & General Manager, Compute and Connectivity. "Building on Broadcom's proven architecture, we developed a solution that enables the next generation of SMB networks, supporting more cloud services, wireless users, VoIP phones, and advanced security."

Key Features of StrataConnect Series:
Scalable table sizes and advanced security features support increasing numbers of VoIP and wireless deployments and cloud-based network management
High performance ARM-based CPU integrated on-chip to scale with cloud-based applications
Integrated 10GbE ports for connecting to high-speed servers and for high bandwidth applications deployed in SMB networks
Advanced power saving techniques such as burst and batch control policy and LED intensity controls achieve savings beyond targets set by EEE

Availability: The StrataConnect Series of switch SoCs, including the BCM53333, BCM53334, BCM53344 and BCM53346 devices are now sampling with volume production slated for 1H 2013.