Microchip Announces New Family of Time Sensitive Networking Ethernet Switches for Industrial Automation Networks
January 28, 2022
News
Microchip Technology announced the LAN9668 family of TSN switching devices, delivering IEEE standards-compliant features in the industry’s first switching solution enabling lower latency data traffic flows and greater clock accuracy.
Complementing the LAN9668x is Microchip’s newly released LAN8814 quad-port Gigabit Ethernet Physical Layer (PHY) transceiver.
Microchip’s LAN9668-I/9MX and LAN9668-9MX devices are 8-port switches for industrial and commercial applications, respectively, outfitted with Arm Cortex-A7 central processing units (CPUs), supporting TSN IEEE standards for communication in industrial settings. These include 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.
Microchip’s Ethernet Switch API (MESA) and PHY API (MEPA) allow designers to develop a comprehensive, user-friendly function library that is operating-system independent. The LAN9668 and LAN8814 scalable TSN chipsets are supported by Microchip’s software framework and provide 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 requirements including IEEE 1588 v2 and frame preemption. Designers using LAN9668 and LAN8814 technology can employ the TSN chipset to achieve timing, stream reservation, protection, and management.
In addition to the LAN9668 family and LAN8814 Ethernet PHY, Microchip provides their associated IStaX/SMBStaX and WebStaX network operating systems. These include a reproduceable reference design available as a board design or kit of Microchip parts including TSN switches, Ethernet PHYs, clock devices, and oscillators. This integrated solution is compliant to all network standards.
The LAN9668-I/9MX and LAN9668-9MX TSN Ethernet switches are supported by the VSC6817SDK IStaX Linux Application Software, an industrial Ethernet switch software solution supporting Microchip's managed Ethernet switch devices. The VSC6817SDK IStaX Linux Network Operating System is an industrial Ethernet switch software solution also supporting Microchip's managed Ethernet switch devices. The SMBStaX Linux Network Operating System and WebSTaX Linux Network Operating System are available to commercial designers and follow the long-term support Linux Kernel. These solutions all are highly integrated with advanced L2+ switch features. In addition, reference designs and evaluation boards also are available from Microchip and the company’s distribution partners.
The LAN9668/9MX is available in volume production in 1,000 quantities starting at $16.14. The LAN8814/ZMX is available in volume production in 1,000 quantities starting at $6.43. For more information, visit Microchip’s website.
Tiera Oliver is the assistant managing editor at Embedded Computing Design. She is responsible for web content editing, product news, and story development. She also manages, edits, and develops content for ECD podcasts, including Embedded Insiders.
She utilizes her expertise in journalism and content management to oversee editorial content, coordinate with editors, and ensure high-quality output across web, print, and multimedia platforms. She manages diverse projects, assists in the production of digital magazines, and hosts company podcasts by conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders to deliver engaging and insightful discussions.
Tiera attended Northern Arizona University, where she received her bachelor's in journalism and political science. She was also a news reporter for the student-led newspaper, The Lumberjack.
