Net Insight, the leading worldwide provider of Dynamic synchronous Transfer Mode (DTM) networking solutions, today announced that it has successfully integrated full multiservice switching functionality as a single system-on-a-chip (SOC) design. The Twintin SOC, developed in cooperation with Toshiba Electronics, has been successfully tested and verified on Net Insight´s Nimbra 290 switch. Twintin is a complete multiservice switch engine for voice, data, and video, guaranteeing 100% quality of service (QoS) for real-time traffic in optical networks. The test result of this first ASIC in the Twintin family marks the next step in Net Insight´s aggressive integration roadmap for optical switching.
DTM-a multiservice provisioning platform (MSPP) that combines a dynamic time slot mechanism and fast circuit set up-solves the QoS problem by imposing dynamic bandwidth on circuits as opposed to circuit emulation over packet technology. With this unique combination of dynamic bandwidth and end-to-end QoS, DTM is optimized as both a direct voice, video, or data connection as well as a broadband carrier network. The Twintin DTM ASIC implicitly provides direct support for real-time applications-TV/video and voice over IP-through strict channel separation and constant switching delay. This ability will enable a push for these types of real-time applications over the Internet.
"We are very proud to offer the world not only the first DTM SOC but also the first chip that in itself is a multiservice solution," said Bengt Olsson, CEO of Net Insight AB. "As a successful SOC, Twintin not only demonstrates the validity of DTM as a multiservice technology but also shows our immense confidence in DTM as a leading solution for the future of networking. People around the world have been waiting for this type of solution to make their dreams for new voice, data, and real-time video services-all with guaranteed quality-available, affordable, and with superior performance. Twintin allows us to streamline production of our own Nimbra series switches and access devices, and offers other networking companies the opportunity to provide this highly scalable DTM functionality for their products today and tomorrow-including applications such as crossbar functionality in a terabit router or backplane for ADSL equipment."
"We are proud that we could enable Net Insight with our leading technology to bring such an innovative DTM single-chip solution to the market ´first time right,´" said Armin Derpmanns, Senior Manager of Telecom IC Marketing at Toshiba Electronics Europe. "It is crucial for Toshiba in such a competitive, fast growing market to provide solutions to integrate such complex devices to help companies like Net Insight introduce products that serve the increasing demand for bandwidth."
Twintin
Twintin is implemented as a fully integrated switch core on a single chip. Twintin´s channel separation combined with the channel granularity of 512 Kbps provides 100% QoS and multiservice capabilities. Twintin is both a dynamic crossbar and can run in full DTM mode, including all framing, slot handling, and switching in the same chip without any external buffering or FPGAs. Twintin was developed in conjunction with Toshiba Electronics and uses 0.25-micron CMOS technology. Twintin will be initially used in Net Insight´s Nimbra 200 series switches, reducing time-to-market for these products as well as for future products. Twintin is also available to other vendors to provide DTM functionality in their own products. The primary features of the chip are:
· 8 Gbps: The chip has a switching capacity of 8 Gbps, and the switch core operates as an 8x8 switch (eight input ports and eight output ports). Each port can handle up to 1 Gbps of bandwidth.
· Port combining: Any or all of the ports can be configured into ports with higher capacity (e.g., a 4x4 switch with 2.0-Gbps ports).
· Non-blocking: The switch core ensures that all ports can be fully loaded and still be non-blocking.
· Multicast and broadcast: The chip offers full broadcast and multicasting, allowing a channel to have any number of receivers.
· Bypass: The port-to-port latency through the switch is less than a microsecond, ensuring a low end-to-end delay even in large networks with very complex topologies.
· Cascading: By cascading Twintin chips, larger switches can be created offering scalability with increasing capacity demands. Twintin can support densities ranging from the one-chip solution of 8x8 1.0-Gbps ports up to theoretically any number of ports. (Even a 32x32 DTM switch is still non-blocking and offers the same low delays and full multicast support.)
· Synchronization: Twintin includes DTM´s unique synchronization mechanism ensuring full synchronization between ports running different bit clocks.
· QoS: Twintin guarantees 100% QoS for real-time sensitive traffic due to isolated channels and constant switching delay.
For more information, please contact:
Bengt Olsson, CEO Net Insight, phone +46 70 544 30 80,
bengt.olsson@netinsight.net
Jennifer Guinan, KJ Communications/Sage Strategic Marketing, phone 610-415-9659,
jennifer@sagestrat.com
About DTM
DTM combines the advantages of guaranteed throughput, channel isolation, and inherent QoS found in SONET with the flexibility found in packet-based networks such as ATM and Gigabit Ethernet. DTM, first conceived in 1985 at Ericsson and developed by a team of network researchers including the three founders of Net Insight, uses innovative yet simple variable bandwidth channels. Channels are composed of one or more 64-bit time slots within a 125-microsecond (8000Hz) DTM frame; consequently, each channel is provisioned in 512 Kbps (8000 x 64) increments up to wire speed with guaranteed constant delay. DTM guarantees each channel a certain bandwidth and dynamically reallocates capacity between channels and nodes on demand. Through this traffic separation, DTM provides controlled and ensured QoS. There is no hop-by-hop decision-making in DTM: channels are rapidly set up, broken down, or adjusted in size as needed. With DTM´s dynamic resource management, network operators have excellent network control, much greater flexibility, higher utilization, and simplified administration and maintenance.
About Net Insight
Net Insight is the leading developer and provider of DTM-based networking solutions that enable network operators to reduce costs and build future-proof networks with superior performance and unique scalability. Net Insight offers the Nimbra One carrier-class DTM switch, a series of Nimbra DTM access devices, and the world´s first ASIC chip for DTM networks, Twintin. Net Insight is based in Stockholm, Sweden, with North American headquarters in Boston. Net Insight AB is publicly traded on the Swedish stock exchange.
Net Insight, Nimbra, and Twintin are trademarks of Net Insight AB. Other names are registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective companies or organizations.