Broadcom began sampling a fully integrated 48-port Fast Ethernet (FE) single-chip switch. The device is the first in a new family of Broadcom switches that provides enterprise-level features and "WebSuperSmart" network management for managed and lightly managed small-to-medium business (SMB) networks. The 48-port FE switch offers double the port count of existing FE solutions, plus integrated 10/100 PHYs, to address the requirements of the cost-conscious SMB market.
Broadcom said fast Ethernet solutions in 24-port configurations have been very popular with customers worldwide. The new 48-port solutions offer even more robust "intelligent" switching capability at lower cost points.
The key features of the new ROBOSwitch family include:
- A built-in compact field processor that enables ACLs, a key security feature for FE switches
- 24 integrated 10/100 PHYs
- Support for Power over Ethernet (PoE), which enables the deployment of technologies such as VoIP and Wi-Fi networking
- Full-featured, integrated Level 2+ switch for managed and lightly managed applications
- Wire-speed (13 Million packets per second (Mpps)), non-blocking, full-duplex system-on-a-chip (SOC)
- Common hardware and software architecture for 24-port and 48-port Fast Ethernet designs with 4 Gigabit uplinks
