New family of TSN Ethernet switches provides turnkey solution

Microchip Technology has launched the LAN9668 family of TSN switching devices providing IEEE standards-compliant features in the industry’s first switching solution allowing lower latency data traffic flows and better clock accuracy.

Complementing the LAN9668x is its newly released LAN8814 quad-port Gigabit Ethernet PHY transceiver.

Its LAN9668-I/9MX and LAN9668-9MX devices are eight-port switches for industrial and commercial applications, respectively, outfitted with Arm Cortex-A7 CPUs, supporting TSN IEEE standards for communication in industrial settings. These comprise IEEE 1588v2 and IEEE 802.1AS-2020 for Precision Timing, IEEE 802.1Qci for per-stream filtering and policing, IEEE 802.1Qav and IEEE 802.1Qbv for Traffic Shaping and IEEE 802.1CB for Seamless Redundancy, as well as IEC-62439-2 (Media Redundancy Protocol) and ODVA-DLR and IEC-61158-6-10 for Media Redundancy.

Its Ethernet Switch API (MESA) and PHY API (MEPA) offer designers the freedom and flexibility to create a comprehensive, user-friendly function library that is operating-system independent. The LAN9668 and LAN8814 scalable TSN chipsets are supported by its software framework and offer the lowest latency and end-to-end transmission of communication traffic.

The LAN8814 is a new generation quad-port Gigabit Ethernet PHY that fully supports the latest TSN demands, including IEEE 1588 v2 and frame preemption. Designers employing LAN9668 and LAN8814 technology can use the TSN chipset to deliver timing, stream reservation, protection and management, therefore, saving development time and cost.

“While devices and equipment previously required their own communication systems, TSN improves interoperability through connecting data streams to simplify traffic,” said Charles Forni, vice president of Microchip’s USB and networking business unit. “Enabling converged network architectures, this technology allows developers to expand their products into new markets and provide better performance in existing networks.”

As well as the LAN9668 family and LAN8814 Ethernet PHY, the company offers their associated IStaX/SMBStaX and WebStaX network operating systems. This completes the hardware and software journey to arrive at a fast time to market. These incorporate a reproducible reference design offered as a board design or kit parts, including TSN switches, Ethernet PHYs, clock devices and oscillators. This integrated solution is compliant with all network standards, simplifying developers’ first designs.