SAN MATEO, Calif. — Marvell Semiconductor Inc. is set to announce two packet processors that support Gigabit Ethernet and 10-Gbit Ethernet. The parts are the first members of the company's Prestera generation of networking chips.
Marvell might be correct in asserting that the Prestera-MX620 and MX630 are the first 10-Gbit/second network processors to hit the market: The pair is due to begin shipping this month. But several companies are on Marvell's heels, planning to sample 10-Gbit/s devices in January. Most of those chips handle multiple protocols including Sonet, while Marvell is targeting Ethernet specifically.
The Prestera chips are designed for the metropolitan network, where service providers are seeking ways to enforce bandwidth agreements and prioritize traffic. They target Layer 2 through 4 packet processing, as well as multiprotocol label switching, meaning they will handle basic quality-of-service (QoS) and prioritization but won't delve into the actual content of packets to make QoS decisions.
"The standards [for Layers 2 through 4] are very well-defined, and the requirements are very well-defined. This isn't the device that on its own can do Web switching," said Michael McDonald, product director for Marvell. For Layer 7 switching, Marvell would team up with other network processor vendors, he said.
The difference between the two Prestera devices is in the media-access controller. The MX620 has integrated MACs for 10 streams of Gigabit Ethernet, while the MX630 uses a single 10-Gbit/s Ethernet MAC.
The MX devices include circuitry for coprocessing functions, such as classification, traffic management and queue scheduling, all of which are integrated to keep costs down, McDonald said. Both chips use standard DRAM for external memory.
Sampling dates for the Prestera-MX chips were undetermined at press time, although Marvel officials said that the parts might be available as early as last week.
Announced in September, the Prestera family will include a crossbar switch and a fabric interface, the latter linking the crossbar to the packet processors. These devices are due to be unveiled in 2002.
Separately, Marvell is preparing the Prestera-EX series of packet processors for enterprise networks. Due to be announced in the first quarter, the EX devices are targeted at the enterprise network, where low cost is a primary factor and Gigabit Ethernet to the desktop a key motivator, McDonald said.
The Prestera parts will be the cornerstone of Marvell's networking silicon for the next two years or more and will accommodate aggregate switching speeds in the 1-Tbit/second range, McDonald said.
