Broadcom Debuts Family Of High-Speed Gigabit And 10 GBE Switches

Broadcom Corporation has unveiled a series of Gigabit and 10 GBE switches based on what it calls the fastest, highest-performing family of fully integrated Ethernet switch chips.

Broadcom's 500 Series switches are built around the company's StrataXGS III chipset, offering ubiquitous security, wire-speed IPv6 routing and wireless LAN support. The new line features five switches targeted at different operating requirements. However, they are all designed to enable the deployment of converged networks and advanced network applications with greater simplicity and cost-effectiveness due to the switches' high level of integration.

Described as the flagship of the 500 Series line, the BCM5604 features 24 GbE ports and four 10 GbE ports. Broadcom claims that this configuration is unique in a single-chip device, noting that it meets a requirement of netwok operators to support concurrent stacking and redundant 10 GbE uplinks. The 10 GbE ports operate in either native 10 GbE or stacking mode, while the GbE ports are compatible back to 10 megabits per second. The BCM5604 also boasts impressive multi-layer switch performance and is capable of processing over 100 million packets per second.

According to Broadcom vice president and general manager of enterprise switches Martin Lund, the BCM5604 is representative of the StrataXGS III chipset-based switches, enabling advanced network convergence. "With StrataXGS III, we are delivering an exciting new generation of switching silicon that enables reliable and secure communication of voice, video and data traffic on a single high-performance network," Lund said in a statement. "Building on the success formula of the previous generations of StrataSwitch and StrataXGS, StrataXGS III features an impressive collection of unique technologies that will power the world's most advanced enterprise and carrier networks over the next several years."