BCM56700 Datasheet, PDF (2/2 Pages) Broadcom Corporation. – 16-PORT, 192-GBPS LOSSLESS SWITCH FABRIC

OVERVIEW
General Description
The BCM56700 switch fabric is designed to enable next-generation
modular and stackable Ethernet switching systems based on Broadcom’s
industry-leading StrataXGS^® family of switches.
The BCM56700 enables vendors to design a chassis system that
provides:
• A variety of line cards to match user requirements
• Multiple generations of upgrades in functionality and port density
• Cost reduction with every new generation of line cards
Wirespeed Performance
The BCM56700 delivers wirespeed switching performance across all the
ports simultaneously. Each HiGig2/HiGig+ runs at 12+ Gbps full
duplex, which results in 192-Gbps of full-duplex switching bandwidth.
High Integration
The BCM56700 offers an unprecedented 192 Gbps of switching
bandwidth on a single chip. The high level of integration dramatically
reduces the design complexity and power consumption of modular
chassis systems. The BCM56700 also integrates all the SerDes circuitry
associated with all 16 fabric ports. Each SerDes interface is CX-4 and
PICMG3.1-compliant and can directly drive 12 Gbps of data across
InfiniBand^® cable or chassis backplane.
Scalability
A difficult challenge of switch fabric design is providing a scalable
solution that is cost-effective in small chassis configurations. The
BCM56700 addresses this issue by using a single building block, which
is cost-effective for small configurations and can scale to 1.28T using
multiple switch fabric stages. This solution provides the most effective
approach to the scalability vs. cost trade-off.
Quality of Service
The BCM56700 provides support for 10 classes of traffic (eight for user
data and two for system management). The BCM56700 features an
advanced packet scheduler that uses a combination of deficit-round-
robin, weighted-round-robin, and strict-priority scheduling to enforce
the bandwidth allocation configured by the system user. System
management packets are always scheduled ahead of user data using strict
priority.
The BCM56700 further improves system reliability by supporting
hardware-based link failover, which dramatically reduces packet loss
when a link failure occurs.
Efficient Management
With a dedicated system management queue, the BCM56700 enables
system management traffic to coexist with user traffic, thus reducing the
system cost by eliminating the need for a separate chassis management
network.
The BCM56700 switch fabric is managed by a host CPU using a PCI bus
running at speeds of up to 66 MHz. Advanced DMA is supported in
hardware. Moreover, the CPU port behaves like a 17th switch fabric port,
which provides for efficient exchange of data between the CPU and the
BCM56700.
The BCM56700 can also operate without a host CPU by using
forwarding tables and the I²C interface to initialize chip registers.
Service Aware Flow Control
The BCM56700 switch fabric supports Service Aware Flow Control
with dynamic threshold management. This mechanism ensures reliable
packet delivery while still being able to respond effectively to temporary
traffic bursts. The BCM56700 also features a queue dedicated to system
flow control messages, which guarantees message delivery and shortens
the system flow control response time.
Summary
The BCM56700 device’s features, integration, and low cost set a new
standard in switch fabric design and enable system vendors to build next-
generation switching systems that are scalable and cost-effective and can
be upgraded incrementally to suit a user’s needs.
Broadcom^®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything^®, HiGig+^™, HiGig^™, and StrataXGS^® are trademarks
of Broadcom Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and certain other countries. All other
trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
®
BROADCOM CORPORATION
16215 Alton Parkway, P.O. Box 57013
Irvine, California 92619-7013
© 2006 by BROADCOM CORPORATION. All rights reserved.
56700-PB02-R 8/16/06
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Web: www.broadcom.com