10-03-2023 | Microchip Technology | Industrial
Microchip Technology Inc has added increased cyber protection and the redundancy needed for high network availability in mission-critical applications with long-distance connectivity.
"Like our PDS-104GO switch, the PDS-204GCO complies with the high outdoor industry standards and is designed for easy and safe installation," said Iris Shuker, director of Microchip's PoE business unit. "It also takes the next step to better support applications in which massive amounts of critical data are collected from widely dispersed PoE-powered edge IoT devices. It addresses these dual challenges of network security and network availability all the way from the endpoint to the central management system."
PoE technology allows power to be sent over standard Ethernet infrastructure for fast and easy installation of edge IoT endpoints. Outdoor PoE switches connect these devices to the network and power them under various environmental conditions while monitoring and controlling status, including remote reset. The switch is the first to support the industry's high IP67 waterproof rating in these applications while eradicating the need to open the unit during installation and jeopardising safety, performance or reliability. The switch takes the next step, adding cybersecurity features for Ethernet networks to shield applications against threats at all network levels and redundancy features that allow high network availability.
The device includes four PoE Gigabit Ethernet ports supporting the IEEE 802.3bt (Type-4) standard and two SFP fibre links supporting 1Gbps or 2.5Gbps speeds. The fibre links can be employed as optical uplink ports for surveillance cameras and as a redundant uplink path for increasing network availability.
Support for ITU-T G.8032 ERPS technology ensures communication continues if an uplink link fails. The switches also support multiple network topologies, and multiple units can be concatenated utilising a daisy-chain topology to expand the reach from the main central switches while reducing the amount of optical cables connected directly to it from each device.
The device's cybersecurity features protect the data traffic transmitted within the switch and its system management. Key features protecting transmitted data within the switch include endpoint device authentication and authorisation, manual switch-traffic policy management, and DoS attack prevention. Key features to safeguard switch management and configuration include securing web browsing using self-signed or CA-signed certifications and user authentication and authorisation by remote servers utilising RADIUS or TACACS+ security mechanisms.
The outdoor PoE switch is based on the company's VSC7514 10-port industrial Ethernet switch, VCS6817 IStaX software package, and PoE integrated circuits.
