Multiport gateway-on-a-chip speeds SOHO solutions

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Nov 28, 2002

The KS8695 is a multiport "gateway-on-a-chip" that delivers a new level of networking integration and performance for speeding broadband gateway development.

Delivering a new level of networking integration and performance for speeding broadband gateway development, the new KS8695 multiport "gateway-on-a-chip" from Solid State Supplies integrates five-port fast Ethernet transceivers, five MAC units, switch controller and on-chip frame buffer memory with a high performance ARM922T core creating a fully optimised solution for the SOHO gateway market.

Comprising all the key components required for a high performance, low cost and low power multiple Ethernet broadband gateway, the KS8695 is a single chip solution which enables OEMs to provide up to six times the routing performance of a typical existing gateway product.

The ARM922T CPU core has an MMU for running some embedded O/Ss such as Linux or WinCE and provides a platform for value added facilities such as Firewall, VPN or routing performance.

The processor also has an 8Kbyte l-cache and an 8Kbyte d-cache.

An independent MAC unit supports a MAC or PHY mode MII interface for networking expansion.

The five-port Ethernet managed switch, on-chip frame buffers and five low power mixed signal 10/100 transceivers enables WAN port Internet sharing and LAN switching at wire speed.

The WAN port connection supports xDSL, cable modem, wireless and fibre optics.

All transceivers support auto MDI/MDIX to detect and support crossover cable.

The KS8695 also includes a protocol engine and three DMA engines with FIFO buffers.

The protocol engine speeds up network protocol applications such as NAT.

The DMA engines and FIFO buffers increase the data traffic efficiency among the WAN port, CPU and LAN Ports.

Richard Bethell of Solid State commented: "The typical applications of the KS8695 are primarily aimed at SOHO and a residential gateway for broadband access sharing, firewall or virtual private networking, security appliances and a combined wireline and wireless LAN gateway, but this device can also address VoIP gateway or fibre-to-the-home CPE applications.

SOHO and home broadband is a fast growing market which need highly integrated SoC solutions such as this".