BCM567X BOARDCOM [Broadcom Corporation.], BCM567X Datasheet - Page 13

• Manufacturer Part Number: BCM567X
• Description: A Scalable Approach to Gigabit Ethernet Switch Design
• Manufacturer: BOARDCOM [Broadcom Corporation.]

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BCM567x/BCM569x
06/27/02
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There are many types of Gigabit Ethernet switches that a designer might elect to build, depending on the enterprise
applications the switch vendor wishes to support. A switch vendor might focus on building a particular type of system that
addresses the needs of a specific customer environment or application. A vendor might design and manufacture a family of
switches to satisfy a range of business customer applications, such as a large enterprise’s wiring closet, campus backbone,
and small branch office.
T
S
YPES OF
YSTEMS
List below, are some of the types of switches that a switch vendor can design with the XGS Product Family
Stackable Switches.
These connect user desktops to the high-speed campus backbone. These highly scalable
switches contain some number of Gigabit Ethernet or Fast Ethernet “user” ports. Traffic from these ports is aggregated over
a HiGig uplink for connectivity to corporate data resources in servers and, increasingly, to call servers or IP PBXs for VoIP
applications. Stackables are often found in the wiring closet network segment to accommodate a growing user base. As
additional users join the network, more ports can be added by “stacking” additional switches on top of one another with a
common external interconnect; in effect, creating one big integrated switch.
Chassis-based Switches.
This form factor is generally deployed in highly resilient backbone applications. These
systems contain slots that can be used for redundant line cards, including system buses, power supplies, and security. They
can be configured with redundant components to the degree deemed appropriate for the redundancy and manageability
required for the installation.
Integrated Switch/Servers.
This configuration combines application and data servers with network switches, thus
allowing very high-speed server interconnections. In this configuration, server blades are generally interconnected across a
GE switch backplane. SerDes support in StrataXGS chips plays a large role in this application, enabling high-speed
connections across the backplane. The integrated switch/server form factor generally appeals to end customers looking for
very high-speed server connectivity while wishing to collapse functions into a single device to reduce capital costs and
management complexity.
Standalone or “Fixed” Switches.
These are most often used in small/medium-sized enterprise applications, where
high growth is not expected. These systems arrive with a fixed number of ports. In order for the customer to accommodate
additional users beyond the number of ports in that switch, additional systems must be purchased.
Unmanaged Switches.
This form factor represents the simplest of the devices and operates only at Layer 2, which
reduces software development and makes use of low-cost CPU interfaces. These switches are generally installed in small
environments with no IT support and where packet classification/prioritization for VoIP or high-priority data applications is
not required.
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