fast blackplanes (was Re: Experience with SMC 8624T L2 switches and nics)

[Greg Lindahl]

On Tue, Feb 25, 2003 at 02:14:06PM -0800, Dale Harris wrote:

> I guess I'm missing something here.  How would this compare to going
> with a switch that has a large number of ports with a really fast
> backplane?

Search on google for the Broadcom BCM5670. It's a 10 gig, 8 port chip
you can use to build a full-speed, 80 port 1 gig switch. There are
other, bigger parts that can be used for higher port counts. You can
build stackable switches with it, or you can build a chassis. The only
difference is that the first one has a funny "higig" cable that you
hook between boxes, while the second hides the funny cable inside the
chassis.

-- greg