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Vitesse's Low Cost Stackable Layer-2 Gigabit Ethernet Smart Switch Eliminates the Need for Fast Ethernet Stackable Products

Posted on: Monday, 24 April 2006, 09:00 CDT

OEMs and ODMs Gain 10X Performance for Entry Level Applications While Reducing Price, Footprint and PCB Complexity

Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ:VTSS), the market leader in Gigabit Ethernet ICs, today announced the E-StaX-34(TM) switch-on-a chip (SoC) product, the industry's first low cost stackable Layer 2 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) Smart Switch designed to bring affordable Gigabit Ethernet to entry level applications. The E-StaX-34 reduces the total bill of materials for a Gigabit Ethernet stackable system, eliminating the need for Fast Ethernet stackable solutions. Vitesse has achieved this with market leading innovations including a new patent-pending VStaX(TM)cabling technology, a scalable high-speed 24+4 port configuration, a performance driven architecture, and a rich integrated feature set to deliver low cost GbE for OEM and ODM customers.

"With the E-StaX-34 our OEM and ODM customers can now replace existing Fast Ethernet stackables with an affordable Gigabit Ethernet stackable. The E-StaX-34 achieves this new cost point because of its smaller footprint while taking advantage of our integrated SoC functionality to simplify printed circuit board layout, improve security, and streamline stack management and performance," said Martyn Humphries, vice president and general manager of the Ethernet Products Division at Vitesse. "Gigabit Ethernet has been largely cost prohibitive for entry level applications. Vitesse is employing enabling technologies to bring price down to a point to enable the transition from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet."

Upgrading from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet affords ten times the speed, ten times the bandwidth to enable new applications and support file sharing performance, reduced latency and granular Quality of Service (QoS) among other benefits. However, OEMs and ODMs have been unable to widely adopt the technology for entry-level solutions due to cost constraints. With a low cost GbE solution in a stackable Smart Switch to combine network intelligence with performance and scalability, these solution providers can now address a critical need for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) customers.

"Vitesse already offers market leading integration for smart GbE switches ranging from 5 to 24 ports," said Bob Wheeler, senior analyst at The Linley Group. "The addition of stacking capabilities to its switch line is the next logical step for Vitesse and better positions the company for SME applications."

Low Cost Scalability, High Performance Functionality

In a revolutionary 24+4 port design, Vitesse delivers scalability with performance for entry-level applications. The E-StaX-34 offers 24 1Gbps ports along with four scalable 1Gbps/2.5Gbps interfaces to enable high-speed operation while simplifying printed circuit board (PCB) layout and backplane architecture. Vitesse also utilizes the highly cost effective VStaX(TM)cabling system to drive cost down while accelerating performance. This cost effective cabling solution enables a cost point that can be as low as one tenth of conventional Gigabit Ethernet stack offerings available in the market. Other key features to the E-StaX-34 SoC product enhance traffic flow, manageability, security and QoS. These include:

-- Layer 2 Switching -- Provides line rate Layer 2 forwarding and bridging of traffic. Ensures lossless performance and maximum data throughput in highly loaded networks.

-- VStaX(TM) Stacking -- Utilizes scalable switch inter-connect architecture for a single point of management with stack-wide feature consistency and optimal use of stack link capacity.

-- VCAP Security -- Includes content-aware packet processor for inbound and outbound wire-speed packet inspection for rich implementation of security features for wireline and wireless applications.

-- Vcore II -- Eliminates the need for an external CPU by providing a complete embedded CPU system for advanced real-time protocols and full-featured Web/SNMP-based management.

-- QoS -- Enables programmable QoS classification via QoS Control Lists (QCLs) to optimize network performance and support any digital stream from Internet browsing to VoIP and video.

Pricing and Availability

The E-StaX-34 is designed for SME Smart Switch stackable, SME Smart Switch pizza box, and SerDes (Serializer/Deserializer) backplane configurations. A 24+4 GbE stacking switch based upon the E-StaX-34 solution is available for approximately the same price as a 24+4 Fast Ethernet stacking switch. The E-StaX-34 will start sampling to major OEMs and ODM customers in Q2'06.

About the Gigabit Ethernet Products Division

Vitesse is the pre-eminent supplier to OEMs designing tomorrow's new wave of broadband products. With the industry's most far-reaching offering of tightly integrated, ultra-low power Gigabit Ethernet devices, and a staunch commitment to Gigabit Ethernet, the company continues to set the pace of innovation across market sectors.

About Vitesse

Vitesse designs, develops and markets a diverse portfolio of high-performance, cost-competitive semiconductor solutions for communications and storage networks worldwide. Engineering excellence and dedicated customer service distinguish Vitesse as an industry leader in Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Ethernet-over-SONET, Advanced Switching, Fiber Channel, Serial Attached SCSI, Optical Transport, and other applications. Vitesse innovation empowers customers to deliver superior products for Enterprise, Access, Metro, and Core applications. Additional company and product information is available at www.vitesse.com.

Source: Business Wire

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