Product category:
Communications ICs (Wired)
News Release from: Solarflare | Subject: Solarstorm 10G Ethernet Controller
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 02 February 2007
Controller enables full range 10Gbit/s
Ethernet
Demonstration in demanding alien crosstalk environment shows the robustness of 10 Gigabit Ethernet to 100m on unshielded twisted pair cabling.
Systimax Solutions and Solarflare Communications have performed the industry's first public performance demonstration using Solarflare's Solarstorm 10GBase-T server adapters and the Systimax Gigaspeed X10D cabling solution The demonstration occurred in a demanding alien crosstalk environment to show the robustness of 10 Gigabit Ethernet to 100m on unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 31 Jan 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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In the public demonstration in France, the Solarflare Solarstorm 10GBase-T server adapter, the industry's first 100m reach 10GBase-T server adapter, delivered near 10Gbit/s throughput, operating error-free over the worst case channel: four-connector, 100m and in a demanding alien crosstalk environment.
The ability to use high-performance 10Gbit/s Ethernet connections for copper cabling is expected to make 10 Gigabit Ethernet more suitable and accessible to data centre and enterprise networks.
Solarflare believes it will do this by lowering the cost of 10Gbit/s networking while increasing its flexibility and scalability by enabling plug-and-play RJ45 connectivity that supports channel topologies with up to four connections.
This collaboration between Systimax Solutions and Solarflare Communications demonstrates that 10Gbit/s UTP cabling products and 10GBase-T Ethernet network products such as the ones they are offering are ready for widespread use today.
Solarflare was the first PHY vendor to ship standards-compliant 100m-reach 10GBase-T samples to customers in September 2006.
The Solarflare Solarstorm server adapter reference design is an evaluation platform for Solarflare's original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers.
It combines the Solarflare Solarstorm 10G Ethernet Controller silicon, which was announced 29 January 2007, with the 10Xpress 10GBase-T PHY.
"The Solarstorm 10G Ethernet controller delivers the optimal balance of performance, power and price, enabling the widespread implementation of 10 Gigabit Ethernet throughout data centres and enterprise networks", said Bruce Tolley, Vice President of Marketing at Solarflare.
"We believe the combination of Solarflare's new Solarstorm 10G Ethernet Controller and 10Xpress 10GBase-T PHY will accelerate deployment of 10 Gigabit Ethernet.
"Solarflare has been committed to solving the difficult technical problem of supporting the Ethernet standards and the clear requirement from standards and customers for 100m-reach 10GBase-T products", Tolley continued.
"The combination of our server adapter reference design with the Gigaspeed X10D 100m four-connector channel delivered an impressive, reliable performance in a public forum by providing error-free transmission exceeding the error rate requirement in the IEEE 802.3 10GBase-T standard.
We believe this clearly shows that our solution is robust and that solutions for 10 Gigabit Ethernet on UTP copper are available right now".
Systimax Solutions believes it was the first vendor to provide a full 100m UTP solution that guarantees compliance with both the ratified IEEE802.3an standards for 10GBase-T and the new Category 6A/Class EA cabling standards.
In December 2004, Systimax Solutions launched the Systimax Gigaspeed X10D Solution to provide a next-generation cabling solution that supports both the bandwidth needs of today's enterprises and the needs of more demanding applications - such as high-resolution video, grid computing, storage area networking (SAN) and network attached storage (NAS).
"The 10GBase-T standard was ratified in June 2006.
Our Category 6A cabling products have been shipping since 2004.
The reliability demonstrated by our Gigaspeed X10D Solution and the Solarflare 10GBase-T products confirms our vision that 10Gbit/s over twisted pair cabling will move quickly from early adopters to mass-market - similar to the movement we saw when the 100Mbit/s and 1Gbit/s standards were ratified", said Luc Adriaenssens, Senior Vice President of R and D and Technology, Enterprise, CommScope.
"The cost reduction and power consumption curves are very steep for network electronics.
As enterprises look back on how their bandwidth needs have grown and changed over time, they should look closely at what they expect their bandwidth needs to be in the future with respect to investing in 10Gbit/s-enabled twisted pair cabling.
We believe they should be evaluating Category 6A cabling and 10GBase-T products now".
Solarflare Communications designed the Solarstorm 10 Gigabit Ethernet controller to deliver the industry's lowest-power, lowest-latency 100m solution, and to leverage the host CPU as efficiently as possible resulting in an attractive price/performance ratio.
Solarstorm server adapter reference designs (10GBase-T, 10GBase-CX4, and XFP optical) are available now and each one is priced at US $1500.
The Solarflare 10Xpress 10GBase-T PHY supports distances of at least 100m on UTP Category 6A cabling.
The PHY is currently sampling.
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