Posted to News on 11th Dec 2008, 18:04
GE expands NETernity family of Gigabit Ethernet switches
GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, is launching the NETernity RM980RC and RM982RC 6U VMEbus Gigabit Ethernet switches. These two new products respond to the rapidly growing demand for high-performance, high-reliability switching and high port density. They extend the breadth and depth of NETernity Ethernet switches, providing engineers with more choice and flexibility as systems continue to rely on more Gigabit Ethernet communications in their architecture.
Rubin Dhillon, Communications Product Manager at GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, says: "Gigabit Ethernet switching is at the heart of today's sophisticated, demanding network-centric applications, and these two new products deliver the port density, features and price/performance that customers require. They also support our strategy of developing the industry's broadest range of embedded switching products, allowing us to offer an appropriate solution for virtually every application and environment."
The RM982RC is a configuration-managed switch, featuring GE Fanuc's embedded OpenWare Lite management software that allows the switch to be monitored and/or controlled either locally or remotely. Management features include support for VLANs, MSTP, trunking, mirroring and limited SNMP. It can be configured with either 24 copper rear Gigabit Ethernet I/O ports or 22 copper rear I/O ports plus two fibre or copper ports routed to the front panel.
Unmanaged alternatives
A lower-cost option for customers not requiring a managed switch is the unmanaged RM980RC, available in three configurations. The entry-level unit supports 12 Gigabit Ethernet ports routed to rear I/O. Alternatively, a 24-port version and 22-port version are available, the latter with two further copper ports with RJ45 connectors routed through the front panel.
Both the RM980RC and RM982RC are RoHS-compliant, and are capable of Layer-2 switching and routing at wire speed. 12-, 22-, and 24-port rear transition modules are available. Each switch board occupies only a single chassis slot (the 22- and 24-port rear transition modules require two slots) providing maximum port density per slot, and each is able to facilitate communications both within a chassis as well as supporting the external network.
The OpenWare Lite switch management environment is available on selected NETernity configuration-managed Layer 2 Ethernet switches, providing a common control and monitoring environment that can enhance customer productivity. Configuration and monitoring functions are accessible from a serial console or via a network. Supported access methods include Telnet, SSH and SNMP. OpenWare Lite is easy to deploy and is Linux-based, allowing faster implementation and easy updates to firmware. A familiar Linux command line interface and remote Telnet user interface support allows users to select how they interact with the switch. It is portable across switch fabrics and processor environments.
For more information about GE Fanuc in the communications market go to www.fanuc.eu.
