Scalable architectures for high-bandwidth Ethernet line cards

Nilam Ruparelia, Altera Corporation
EETimes (1/10/2011 12:50 PM EST)

As more consumers receive streaming video in various formats over the Internet, demand for bandwidth continues to increase. However, consumers watching streaming movies via their Xbox or Wii, or viewing YouTube on their computers, are not paying more for the additional gigabits they download each month watching these video feeds. This is one of many factors fueling the demand for higher bandwidth while yielding lower price per gigabit of bandwidth.

Thanks to its scale and cost advantages, Ethernet continues to thrive in such environments. Historically, Ethernet has evolved with the promise of ten times the bandwidth at two-and-half times the cost of the previous speed. For example, Gigabit Ethernet started ramping up in PCs and enterprise switches in 2003 when the cost of a 1 Gb port came down to about 2.5x of the cost of a fast Ethernet port. Transition from a 1 Gb port to a 10 Gb port in enterprise and carrier networks has been underway since 2008 as the cost of a 10 Gb port for servers and switches continues to decrease.

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