*****For immediate use April 12, 1999
NEC releases 8-Port 10/100Mbps EthernetTM Controller with Large Capacity On-Chip FIFO
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| "On-Chip 8-Port 10/100Mbps
EthernetTM Controller (µPD98431)" |
NEC Corporation (NEC)*1 (NASDAQ: NIPNY) today began sample shipments of its new 8-port 10/100Mbps EthernetTM*2 controller (µPD98431), which incorporates a large capacity FIFO (First In-First Out) enabling the complete storage of Ethernet packets.
The controller is compliant with key Ethernet definitions IEEE802.3 and IEEE802.3u, and has 8 ports that each incorporate a 10Mbps/100Mbps Ethernet MAC function. The controller also includes an independent receive (2 Kbytes) and transmit (512 bytes) FIFO for each port capable of storing an entire Ethernet packet (1518 bytes), an effective method for reducing packet loss for improving system performance.
A high-speed FIFO bus interface enables data to be transferred using a 64bit x 66MHz (max.) bus, while flexibility in the bus architecture on the system side is made possible by mode settings for a 64-bit bi-directional or 32-bit uni-directional bus. A RMON MIB-based statistics counter is also included in each port to monitor the traffic on each transmission route, to supply the statistical data required for network management.
Support for flow control, VLAN frame detection and port mirroring functions in the Ethernet controller ensure the availability of extensive functions for switch applications. A variety of other processing functions have been provided for packet reception, allowing selection of packets received based on their destination address and error condition. These make it possible to add information to the packet on its status, thereby reducing the packet-processing load in higher-level systems.
Volume production is scheduled to begin from August 1999, at a rate of 100 000 per month.
Background
Ethernet is the most commonly used technology for local area networks (LAN), and with the expansion of the Internet and spreading Intranet webs, demand for LAN switches and routers in the networking equipment field is forecast to grow considerably. While there have been ongoing efforts to reduce the cost of devices in this field, the rapid increase of network traffic has made improved packet processing capability in networking equipment the main issue. One solution to this problem has been the replacement of conventional CPU-based packet transfer processing with hardware-based processing using ASICs, as seen in the popular layer-3 switching technology.
In response to these requirements, NEC is pursuing the development of an Ethernet core for use in ASICs, and at the same time advancing the integration of NEC's leading-edge process technology with ASIC core technology to produce an Ethernet standard product (ASSP). Adding to its previously announced high-speed address search engine (µPD98421), NEC plans to augment its range of ASSPs for Ethernet use with products targeted at networking equipment such as LAN switches and routers, and including support for gigabit Ethernet functions.
NEC intends to lever its abundant ASIC products and ASIC core lineup to provide total solutions in this field, and to aggressively promote these products for application in network communications equipment.
For Main Specifications of the µPD98431, please see the attached sheet.
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Notes:
*1: NEC is a trademark and/or registered trademark of NEC Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. *2: Ethernet is a trademark of Xerox Corporation USA.
Media Contact:- Aston Bridgman NEC Corporation TEL: +81-3-3798-6511 FAX: +81-3-3457-7249 E-mail: Aston_Bridgman@HO-PRD.ccgw.nec.co.jp |
Customer Contact: NEC Semiconductor Technical Hotline (Information Center) TEL: +81-(0)44-548-8899 FAX: +81-(0)44-548-7900 E-mail: s-info@saed.tmg.nec.co.jp URL: http://www.ic.nec.co.jp/index_e.html |
