New Ethernet switch family supports increased capacity and port configurations

Microsemi has announced it will be unveiling a new member of its SparX-IV enterprise Ethernet switch product family, the VSC7449 offers significantly higher switching capacity and competitive port configurations. The new SparX-IV enterprise Ethernet switch is ideal for managed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enterprise switch platforms, including Wi-Fi access and aggregation, as well as industrial Internet of Things (IoT) applications, says the company. “The VSC7449 device supports 48 one-Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports and four 10GbE ports switching in a single chip, including direct connectivity 10G fiber, which, combined with the Microsemi’s high density 12-port 1000 Base-T PHY, offers the most cost-effective fully managed L2/3 switching solution in the industry,” said Uday Mudoi, vice president, marketing, for Microsemi's Ethernet Networking Technology (ENT) group. “Additionally, the VSC7449 offers integrated SyncE and 1588v2 timing support necessary to meet emerging industrial Ethernet market needs.” According to market research firm Infonetics’ 2015 report, the enterprise Ethernet switch market continues to grow in terms of number of ports supported by these devices, especially in 2.5 GbE and 10GbE. Port speeds of 2.5GbE are expected to grow from approximately 412,000 ports in 2015 to 9.5 million in 2019, and 10GbE port speeds are expected to grow from approximately 44 million ports in 2015 to more than 171 million by 2019. The VSC7449 features optimal port configurations, providing up to four 10Gbps Ethernet port connectivity without requiring an external PHY and up to 24 2.5Gbps Ethernet port supporting an upgrade to 802.11ac networks using existing cable infrastructure. With its industrial temperature range, and integrated IEEE 1588 timing and synchronization, the SparX-IV Ethernet switches are also ideal for industrial Ethernet switch applications. SparX-IV switch family, enabled by Microsemi’s turnkey application software SMBStaX and IStaX, and complemented by Microsemi’s Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) power sourcing equipment (PSE) integrated circuits (ICs) and clock management product portfolios, offers a quick time-to-market path for enterprise and industrial equipment manufacturers, says the company.