Broadcom Monday
unmasked new networking components it says will catapult blade server
technology into the next generation — where 10 gigabit Ethernet looms
large.
The Irvine, Calif. networking chipmaker brought new ServerWorks System I/O
server core-logic chipsets, gigabit Ethernet controllers, gigabit and Fast
Ethernet transceivers, high-speed SerDes devices for backplanes and gigabit
and Fast Ethernet switches to the table to help blade server original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as IBM, HP
and Dell
prepare for “next-generation
blade server designs,” according to Broadcom Product Line Manager Allen
Light.
Light told internetnews.com previous blade incarnations were focused
on “ultra-density” and were far more messy and cumbersome with regards to
the amount of fabric involved. Light also said previous blade architectures
lack the computing power to power enterprise-class systems.
As the main go-to firm for blade server components (Broadcom competes with
Intel in this space), Broadcom aims to change all of that — not with
InfiniBand
technologies, particularly with respect to the speedy 10 gigabit Ethernet
transmissions.
Gartner analyst Joe Byrne said the fact that Broadcom is being supported by
so many major OEMs in this endeavor demonstrates its attractiveness. “There
is a lot of innovation taking place in this area,” Byrne told
internetnews.com. Byrne was also disinclined to write off InfiniBand as a dead technology.
Light explained that Broadcom’s approach is to attract OEMs by employing
SerDes physical layer technology within gigabit Ethernet controllers and
switches, which yields lower power, lower cost designs, higher density and
smaller physical board space. Ethernet technology, Light argued, enables
smoother integration of the server into the rest of the network than
Infiniband or other standards.
If OEMs are interested, Broadcom is also offering an upgrade path to its
blade server roadmap that includes more advancements in Ethernet technology
and the integration of performance-enhancing features such as 10-Gigabit TOE
(TCP/IP Offload Engine). 10-G Ethernet, Light claimed, is where the future
is for blade servers.
As for Broadcom’s products, the firm’s purchase
of ServerWorks, with its Grand Champion chipset family, is a key aspect of
the company’s attractiveness to blade server OEMs: the chipsets are designed
to handle large amounts of I/O bandwidth.
Broadcom’s gigabit Ethernet controllers allow its customers to qualify one
driver family across a broad range of products, from high performance
enterprise servers down to desktop clients. Broadcom’s gigabit and Fast
Ethernet switches connect the various server blades together within the
blade server chassis and are provided as a complete family of switch ASICs
(Application-Specific ICs) for any blade server design.
Broadcom also manufactures gigabit Ethernet transceivers that offer
error-free operation over existing Category-5 cabling infrastructures, which
are found in most corporate networks today.
Broadcom Airs Ethernet Components for Blade Servers
