Leesburg VA, May 15, 2005 – Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing has introduced a new ready-to-deploy military network system – the SwitchBox, an innovative single-slot Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch housed in a fully ruggedized single-slot chassis. At just 12″x 8.25″x 3″ (304.8mm x 209.55mm x 76.2 mm), the SwitchBox’s low-profile provides system designers with unmatched flexibility for distributing fully integrated systems in space-constrained vehicles and operational systems.
The SwitchBox eases the addition of GbE network connectivity to new or existing defense and aerospace platforms. Because the SwitchBox is fully configured and simple to connect to existing subsystems it reduces development costs and Time-to-Integration (TTI) and frees system integrators to focus on the optimal partitioning and segmentation of their application’s network.
Designed to ease the deployment of Net-Centric operations and to extend the reach of transformational networks, the SwitchBox is a fully-configured, managed Gigabit Ethernet multi-layer switching system. It is ideal for building Intra-Platform Networks (IPNs) for air, land, and sea vehicles. The SwitchBox features a Natural Convection Cooled Chassis designed for use in -40°C to +71°C Operating Ambient Temperature environments. Built for harsh environments, the system is rated to withstand 0.15 g2 / Hz Vibration (per Mil-Std-810E) and 40G Shock (per Mil-Std-810E).
“The SwitchBox is a perfect expression of Curtiss-Wright’s expertise in board and module level design combined with market-leading system integration capabilities,” said Darwin Beckel, president and general manager of Subsystems Solutions, Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing. “With its VME-680 SwitchBlade host and ruggedized single-slot chassis, Curtiss-Wright puts it all together from hardware to Gigabit Ethernet network management software.”
The SwitchBox enables fast, reliable, and deterministic forwarding (switching and routing) of control and data packets with up to 20 wire-speed 10/100/1000-Mbps interfaces that can be used to connect multiple chassis, cards, or even processors within platform networks. Using star, dual star, mesh and hybrid network topologies, the SwitchBox provides a flexible cost effective solution that can be used to architect a reliable backbone communications infrastructure for current and future networked platforms.
The SwitchBox Features:
• Up to twenty 10/100/1000 Mbps non-blocking, auto-negotiating ports at wire-speed performance
• Fully integrated Layer 2 switching, Layer 3 routing, Quality of Service (QoS), IP multicast, security and network management
• Out of band debug 10/100 BaseTx Ethernet interface
• Intuitive Command Line Interface, web interface and SNMP interface for easy configuration and network management
• Dual Broadcom BCM5690 managed switch devices with a Motorola MPC8245 control and management processor
• 64Mbyte SDRAM with ECC, 4Mbyte boot flash, 32Mbyte configuration flash
• Natural Convection Cooled Chassis, -40°C to +71°C Operating Ambient Temperature
• 0.15 g2 / Hz Vibration per Mil-Std-810E
• 40G Shock per Mil-Std-810E
• Wide 16V to 40V input range with 50V transient
• Provides 50ms power holdup
• Meets MIL-STD-461E for various EMC requirements
Industry Leading GbE Technology
The SwitchBox comes fully configured with Curtiss-Wright‚s VME-680 SwitchBlade, the world’s first VME form-factor, conduction-cooled, wire-speed, non-blocking, full duplex GbE switch in a single VME slot.
Software Support
The SwitchBox comes with support for VxWorks operating environments. The management and control software integrated in the VME-680 SwitchBlade solution, including the full suite of Layer 2/3 software protocols required for intelligent switching and routing of IP packets, provides rich functionality that systems integrators can leverage as their application’s networking requirements grow. Systems may be remotely configured, monitored and upgraded through a secure set of interfaces, dramatically reducing system debug and maintenance costs.