As networking technologies continue to evolve, information systems (MIS) managers are faced with a bewildering assortment of choices for upgrading their enterprise networks. The 100Base-T and VG-AnyLAN standards offer high-speed upgradability for legacy networks with varying levels of infrastructure compatibility, while Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) delivers the most effective backbone technology today.
MIS managers faced with these and other alternatives are choosing to keep their options open. Rather than committing to a single, homogeneous approach, many managers of enterprise networks are maintaining their existing, heterogeneous local area networks (LANs) by adding interoperable switches and routers, providing higher levels of performance for inter-LAN backbones and high-traffic areas. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who serve these customers are designing their products accordingly, making them flexible, so that they provide MIS managers with solutions for a variety of network configurations, with easy upgrades to meet future customer needs. These OEMs, in turn, look to their silicon providers to supply them with integrated circuits (ICs) and support that enables fast designs of flexible, easily upgradable equipment.
Texas Instruments is driving the development and delivery of networking technology in order to meet these needs. TI's commitment is evidenced by its introduction of the ThunderNET architecture, the industry's first architectural approach to Ethernet, token ring, high-speed Ethernet and ATM networks. TI's architectural approach to networking brings several important benefits to OEMs and MIS managers.
Design Simplification. ThunderNET silicon solutions provide the highest levels of feature and functional integration and are delivered in the smallest possible packages. The architecture also provides simple yet efficient software support while reducing the amount of software required for network drivers, network management and LAN emulation.
Ease of Upgrade. By offering an effective migration path from classic to new technologies and protocols, ThunderNET silicon solutions anticipate the need for emerging high-speed networking to coexist with classic LANs.
Freedom of Choice. Since enterprise networks are not homogeneous, ThunderNET provides a compatible silicon solution for each of the popular network protocols. TI is unique among silicon suppliers in offering a networking architecture designed for this much flexibility.
ThunderNET products fall into three groups: ThunderLAN ICs for 10Base-T and high-speed Ethernet, ThunderCELL ICs for ATM networks, and ThunderRING ICs for token ring networks. Taken all together, they represent the broadest spectrum of IC products available to the networking industry.
ThunderLAN's intelligent protocol architecture offers designed-in upgradability, with support for 10Base-T, 100Base-T and 100VG-AnyLAN Ethernet from a single high performance architecture. A built-in 10Base-T physical layer interface (PHY) supports direct 10-Mbps connection to the twisted-pair cables most commonly used in Ethernet networks today. For ease of design in PCs, servers, and other LAN equipment, ThunderLAN devices interface to the high-speed Peripheral Component Interface (PCI) bus on the system side.
One set of software drivers supports all major network operating systems. ThunderLAN's software drivers take full advantage of silicon architectural features, such as adaptive performance optimization, to provide benchmark performance, while at the same time giving end users compatibility with whichever networking standard they prefer.
The TNETE100 ThunderLAN network controller features an additional Media Independent Interface (MII) that is compatible with external high-speed PHYs for 100Base-T and 100VG-AnyLAN. When the TNETE100 is operating in VG-AnyLAN mode, it supports both Ethernet and token ring frame formats for ease of upgrade from either type of system.
In order to help OEMs develop networking products that support high-speed Ethernet standards, TI and other companies supply reference designs using TI's TNETE100 along with high-speed PHYs from the other companies. These PHYs include National's DP83223/DP83840 TWISTER Ethernet Physical Layer for 100Base- TX networks, AT&T's ATT2X01 transceiver, a member of the Regatta 100VG-AnyLAN family, and Broadcom's BCM5000 10/100BASE-T4 Fast-PHY Transceiver Chip for 100Base-T4 networks.
The ThunderLAN family is growing quickly, with conversion to 3-volt operation, high-speed PHYs, and single chips integrating high-speed PHYs planned. Other product plans include integrated network management. Epilogue Technology Corporation, the market leader in network management technology, has agreed with TI to provide networking vendors a version of its Remote Network Monitor (RMON) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) software that supports the ThunderLAN silicon architecture. This agreement offers OEMs and end users a potent combination of networking silicon and network management software for management continuity in equipment upgrades
TI's ThunderCELL architecture emphasizes high performance, conformance with emerging standards, and an evolutionary path from classic to ATM networks. The ThunderCELL family of ATM products addresses desktop, hub, server and WAN gateway equipment.
The basic and most common ATM implementation supports throughput of 155 Mbps. TI's HyperSAR TNETA1570 Segmentation and Reassembly (SAR) device meets this requirement, and can be cascaded to support more than 200 Mbps, a higher throughput than any similar product. HyperSAR is targeted at Ethernet and token ring hubs and LAN and enterprise switches that have an ATM interface or backplane. The HyperSAR design adapts to existing networking environments, enabling the continuing use of legacy equipment and services and supporting gradual evolution to ATM.
ThunderCELL's highly integrated 155-Mbps functionality is also available to network interface card (NIC) OEMs in the TNETA1560 SBus SAR and the TNETA1561 PCI SAR. A physical layer using the ATM standard Utopia interface is provided in the TNETA1500. Other ThunderCELL products support ATM networks operating at 622 Mbps, for extremely high-performance. Future developments that will result from greater integration include available bit-rate (ABR) traffic management, higher clock frequencies and multiple on-chip PHYs.
ThunderCELL's multiple chip architectures and application- specific feature set make it the industry's first robust approach for Ethernet-to-ATM and token ring-to-ATM interfaces. ThunderCELL provides a full adaptation layer and related support for voice, video and data transport. Its leadership performance and scalability are setting the industry standard in ATM port costs, allowing manufacturers to establish new markets for ATM equipment.
TI has strengthened its industry leadership in token ring networking by creating a solution that integrates both the network control and PHY functions. This chip, the TI380C30, designs seamlessly into PCs with the aid of TI's 380PCI interface device. The 'C30 has already brought higher performance at lower cost to token ring systems.
Planned product enhancements for TI's token ring product family include 3-volt operation and integrated support for token ring switching.
TI technologists play major roles in the 100-Mbps standards committees (IEEE 802.3/100Base-T and IEEE 802.12/100VG-AnyLAN), the ATM Forum technical and marketing committees, and the IEEE 802.5 token ring committees. The company's networking research is considered to be a leading global contributor to high- performance networking, switching, signal processing and data compression. Use of this technology by industry-leading networking and communications OEMs helps ensure a continued flow of innovative products to meet evolving networking needs.
Today, TI's leading-edge technology and manufacturing strength provide the broadest selection of IC products available to the networking industry. The ThunderNET architectural approach to networking, including its ThunderLAN, ThunderCELL and ThunderRING product families, provides MIS managers and networking OEMs with simplicity of design and ease of upgrade, giving them freedom of choice in the protocols and technology they implement. All of these factors are making TI the leading IC supplier to the networking industry.
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Trademarks:
ThunderNET, ThunderLAN, ThunderCELL and ThunderRING are trademarks
of Texas Instruments Incorporated.
TWISTER is a registered trademark of National Semiconductor.
Regatta is a registered trademark of AT&T.
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