Level One Communications Unveils Internet Exchange Architecture Product Family; New Family of Components to Include the Internet Exchange Network Processor.PALM SPRINGS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 1, 1999-- Level One Communications, Inc., an Intel company, today unveiled a family of silicon components based on the new Intel(R) Internet Exchange See IXP and NAP. (IX) Architecture. The IX Architecture is a new approach to designing networking and telecommunications equipment based on reprogrammable silicon and open interfaces. Manufacturers of networking and communications equipment can use components from the IX Architecture-based product portfolio for designing new, more intelligent network systems. The flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. based on IX Architecture is the IXP (1) (Internet EXchange Processor) See IXA. (2) (Internet eXchange Point) A public junction point on the Internet that provides an on-ramp to the Internet as well as a location for carriers to exchange traffic. 1200 network processor, a powerful, flexible network engine that is designed to replace the ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) Pronounced "a-sick." A chip that is custom designed for a specific application rather than a general-purpose chip such as a microprocessor. (application specific integrated circuit integrated circuit (IC), electronic circuit built on a semiconductor substrate, usually one of single-crystal silicon. The circuit, often called a chip, is packaged in a hermetically sealed case or a nonhermetic plastic capsule, with leads extending from it for ) used in traditional equipment. Level One also introduced an extensive range of supporting components for the IX Architecture including a family of scalable switching and formatting engines and physical layer devices for local and wide area networks (LANs and WANs) or Internet networks. "With the explosion of Internet communications and e-business, companies need a `smarter' generation of high-bandwidth equipment that can evolve at the same pace as technology," says Dr. Robert Pepper, Intel vice president, Network Communications Group and general manager of Level One Communications, Inc. "Our new IX Architecture portfolio featuring the IXP1200 network processor is designed to provide that flexibility." The Internet Exchange Processor (IXP) Level One's IXP1200 is a highly integrated network A network that supports both data and voice and/or different networking protocols. See converged network and new public network. processor that includes a powerful StrongARM(R) processor core along with six programmable RISC RISC in full Reduced Instruction Set Computing Computer architecture that uses a limited number of instructions. RISC became popular in microprocessors in the 1980s. micro engines. Each IXP1200 can switch 2.5 million packets per second, and a scalable design allows multiple IXP1200 processors to be linked together to deliver terabit-class performance. The IXP1200 allows manufacturers to speed the design of high-bandwidth routers, switches and access concentrators supporting such protocols as Gigabit Ethernet An Ethernet standard that transmits at 1 Gbps. Used mostly to connect high-end workstations and servers as well as for network backbones, Gigabit Ethernet transmits full duplex from point to point using switches and half duplex in a shared environment (CSMA/CD) using a hub. , Sonet and ATM. Initial samples of the IXP1200 are available now, with production unit availability later this year. Quantity one pricing is expected to be $200. The IXP1200 network processor is targeted at "edge applications" where LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. to WAN protocol and packet translation frequently are required. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a recent International Data Corporation report(1), network processors will also be well suited for high-end applications, such as core switches, as well as with high-end enterprise and carrier-class routers. Service providers, in particular, have demanded performance improvements and more flexibility in accelerating their ability to offer a broader and more flexible array of network services. A number of system and software developers today announced plans to develop products based on the IXP1200 network processor. Companies announcing product specific plans or support for the IX Architecture today include: Broadband Access See broadband and wireless broadband. Systems; Cabletron; CAG CAG 1 Chronic atrophic gastritis 2 Coronary angiography, see there ; Cisco; Newbridge Networks Newbridge Networks was an Ottawa, Ontario, Canada company founded by Canadian/Welsh entrepreneur Terry Matthews. It was founded in 1986 to create data and voice networking products after Matthews was forced out of his original company Mitel. ; and Omneon Video Networks. Third-party developers that have announced support for the IX Architecture include: Hi/fn; Harris & Jeffries; Inter-Niche; Trillium, T.Sqware, Inc.; and Wind River Systems. "The performance improvements made possible with the IXP1200 network processor are key to the evolution of Newbridge's market leading 36170 multi-service switching platform," says Ed Ogonek, vice president of Broadband Switching at Newbridge Networks. "As the IP services and network bandwidth explosions continue, Newbridge is providing carriers with significant advances in core-switching performance, capacity and IP internetworking capabilities. Newbridge's new additions to the 36170 family of multi-service switches will achieve a major internetworking milestone by integrating IP service capabilities with ATM quality-of-service and scalability, providing 320 gigabits per second (Gbps) switching capacity in mid-2000, scalable to over 5 Terabit-per-second capacity. We are very excited about the progress that we are achieving with Intel's support." Along with the IXP1200 processor, Level One unveiled a range of 13 products as a part of the IX Architecture portfolio that will allow companies to build flexible and scalable LAN, WAN or Internet-based networks. The interoperable family of products provides equipment designers with the flexibility to use these independently or in a combination to build the latest in state of the art equipment. In addition to the IXP1200 network processor and its companion scaling fabric (IXB IXB Bagdogra, India - Bagdogra (Airport Code) 3208), the IX Architecture product family consists of switching engines, formatting engines and physical layer components. Switch Engine Family (IXE (Internet EXchange Engine) See IXA. ) The IXE2000 (Internet Exchange Engine) Fast Ethernet LAN switching family as well as WAN transport switch fabric will provide wire speed Fast Ethernet and Gigabit switching and routing performance is sampling to customers this quarter. This software configurable switching family supports wire speed layer 2, 3 and 4 switching and routing. Also expected to be sampling by early 2000 is a multi-port wire speed Gigabit single chip switch fabric that can scale to 100 Gb performance. Formatting Engine Family (IXF (Internet EXchange Forwarder) See IXA. ) The IX Architecture-based products also include a family of Internet Exchange Formatting engines focused on providing wire speed LAN and WAN frame and cell processing. At the core of the family is the new IXF6400 (Internet Exchange Formatting), a third-generation 64-bit access processor, capable of processing and provisioning a broad range of high-speed network traffic types, including frames, cells, and packets, at data rates of up to 622 Mbps full-duplex or up to 2.4 Gbps in a multi-engine configuration. Rounding out the IXF family is the IXF3461, an ATM to SONET/SDH framer that will be sampling later this year. Also expected to be sampling early next year is a Multi-Channel T1/E1 combination device providing superior WAN performance. For LAN based enterprise network systems, the IXF family also includes the IXF1002, a dual-port Gigabit Ethernet media access controller (MAC) and the IXF440, an Octal A numbering system that uses eight digits. It is used as a shorthand method for representing binary characters that use six-bits. Each three bits (half a character) is converted into a single octal digit. Okta is Greek for 8. Fast Ethernet MAC, for use in routers and switch applications in a LAN-based network. They help simplify system design and enhance performance by implementing a set of programmable features in hardware to offload tasks from the switch or router engine. Sampling now, the IXF1002 will be in volume production in early 2000 and the IXF440 is available today. The IX Architecture includes the first copper Gigabit Ethernet network accelerator. Physical Layer Family (LXT LXT Linear Xenon Tube LXT Local Exchange Terminal ) Central to the new LXT family is the LXT1000 Gigabit Ethernet PHY See physical layer and physical. providing low power 10/100/1000 connectivity. The LXT1000 will be sampling in Q4 and in production at year-end. Also announced is the new LXT97XX, a new Octal Fast Ethernet PHY with breakthrough technology that significantly increases the resistance to cable electrostatic discharge failures and therefore reduces the chance for field failures. The LXT97XX Octal PHY is now shipping. For WAN connectivity, the new LXT6155 enables multi-service connectivity for access, edge and backbone infrastructures for next generation ATM networks. With speeds at 155 Mbps, this device helps enable the critical link between access networks and the high-speed backbone, that are crucial to high-bandwidth applications such as the Internet and e-commerce. Level One Communications Inc., an Intel company, provides silicon connectivity solutions for high-speed telecommunications and networking applications. These components are key building blocks for the Intranets and Internets of the future. For information on the company and its products, visit www.level1.com Note to Editors: Third party marks and brands are property of their respective holders. (1) "Need for Next Generation Switches and Router Drives Network Processor Revolution," International Data Corporation, April, 1999. |
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