Intensive edge networking applications require hardware platforms that are rugged, reliable, and proven. Enter the ComEth4510e, a 6U OpenVPX 40 Gigabit Ethernet switch from Interface Concept.

The Interface Concept ComEth4510e 40 GbE 6U OpenVPX switch.

The ComEth4510e is a dual-plane switching solution based on two carrier-grade Marvell Prestera DX Ethernet packet processors, which were designed as access- and aggregation-layer (Layer 2+/ 3) management solutions for next-generation converged fixed and mobile networks. The Marvell switching matrix enables the ComEth4510e as the main communications switch in 10 GbE or 40 GbE systems.

The Marvell Prestera DX Ethernet Packet Processor.

Compliant with the VITA 48.1 VPX REDI mechanical specification and VITA 65.0 SLT6-SWH-16U16F-10.4.5 6U OpenVPX system specification, the ComEth4510e delivers support for up to 98 ports with 1000BASE-T SFP+ and QSFP interfaces on the front panel and 1000BASE-KX/10GBASE-KR and 40GBASE-KR4 interfaces on the rear.

Specifically, the ComEth4510e Ethernet interfaces include:

Control Plane

• 16x 1GBASE-KX/10GBASE-KR ports (P1 connector)
• 2x 1G/10G SFP+
• 1x 40G QSFP
• 4x 10M/100M/1GBASE-T (RJ45)

Data Plane

• 64x 1GBASE-KX/10GBASE-KR or 16x 40GBASE-KR4 ports (P2, P3, P4, P5 connectors)
• 4x 1G/10G SFP+, 2x 40G QSFP, or 4x 10M/100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10GBASE-T (RJ45)

The ComEth4510e is compliant with the VITA 65.0 SLT6-SWH-16U16F-10.4.5 OpenVPX slot profile.

The 6U rackmount form factor board is available in air and conduction-cooled variants, making it a viable option in across a spectrum of harsh industrial and military environments. It supports operating temperatures of -40ºc to +85ºC, up to 40G shock, and up to 2000 Hz sinusoidal and random vibration.

The Interface Concept ComEth4510e in Action

With up to 720 Gbps of switching throughput, the ComEth4510e supports IEEE 1588 precision time protocol (PTP) to deliver high-speed, deterministic IP-based networking to critical environments.

Layer 1/2 features of the ComEth4510e switch comprise flow control, auto negotiation, port rights management, QoS on all ports, static port authentication and 802.1X authentication, ingress filtering, storm prevention, and rate limiting, among others. At Layer 3, the platform highlights include Network Address Translation (NAT); IPv4 and unicast/multicast static IP routing; IPv6 capabilities via RIPng and OSPF v3; and ICMP, DHCP, and Proxy-ARP support.

To help users manage the high port density on the ComEth4510e, Interface Concept provides the platform with the Switchware switch management stack. Switchware supports the configuration of transmission speed/mode, STP parameters, mirroring, VLANs, IPv6 support, and so on. It also provides supervisory functions that capture real-time switch status data – including local temperature, CPU load, port and VLAN statistics, etc. – and offers a variety of maintenance and network updating functions.

Users can access Switchware management capabilities via a GUI, command line, or SNMP v2C or v3.

The ComEth4510e is also compliant with the VITA 46.11 VPX System Management specification and supports version 1.5 of the Intelligent Platform Management Interface spec for sensor management, inventory management, recovery and diagnostic management, and system configuration.

Getting Started with the ComEth4510e 6U OpenVPX Managed Layer 2+/3 Switch

By adding 40 GbE capabilities, the ComEth4510e replaces the previous-generation Interface Concept Ethernet switch, the ComEth4510a, but maintains backwards compatibility.

A block diagram of the ComEth4510e.

The latest-generation Layer2+/3 switch can also be used in conjunction with FPGA mezzanines and other single-board computers to create high-performance embedded computing platforms or deliver application-specific functionality. For instance, a VPN mezzanine can be added to the switch and loaded with Interface Concept’s VPNware routing stack to create a high-performance secure gateway.

The Interface Concept ComEth4510e 40 GbE 6U OpenVPX Managed Layer 2+/3 Switch is slated to ship in Q1 2021, and the company is accepting orders now.

For more information on how to get started with the ComEth4510e, visit www.interfaceconcept.com or learn about VITA’s OpenVPX standard via the links below.

Resources:

• ComEth4510e 40 GbE 6U OpenVPX Managed Layer 2+/3 Switch: www.interfaceconcept.com/produits/Ethernet-Switches/6U-VPX/365-ComEth4510e-6U-VPX-dual-plane-40-Gigabit-Ethernet-Switch
• Marvell Prestera DX Ethernet Packet Processor: www.marvell.com/products/switching/carrier.html
• VITA 65.0 SLT6-SWH-16U16F-10.4.5 6U OpenVPX System Specification: www.vita.com/resources/Specifications/VITA65/AV65DOT1-2019.xlsx
• VITA 48.1 VPX REDI: https://global.ihs.com/doc_detail.cfm?document_name=VITA%2048%2E1&item_s_key=00556448
• VITA 46.11 VPX System Management: www.vita.com/Resources/VITA_News/VITA-NR-2015-07%20VITA%2046.11%20Ratification.pdf
• VITA Intelligent Platform Management Interface v1.5: http://vita.mil-embedded.com/articles/implementing-system-management-openvpx/