Interview with STAR-Dundee on the Routing Switch development
Introduction to the SpaceFibre Routing Switch
SpaceFibre Routing Switch
The SpaceFibre routing switch is a core component of the Hi-SIDE onboard network which uses the emerging, high performance, high reliability, high availability and extremely versatile SpaceFibre standard to interconnect the data chain elements, providing consistent interfaces and common configuration, control and housekeeping capabilities as well as supporting very high data rates.
Produced by STAR-Dundee, the SpaceFibre Routing Switch is a ten port multi-lane SpaceFibre routing switch, supporting 10Gbit/s data rate (12.5Gbit/s including 8B10B encoding overhead) on each port. Two ports have four-lanes and eight-ports have two-lanes with lane rates of 6.25Gbit/s. In addition, there are two SpaceWire ports connected into the routing switch. A further two SpaceWire ports provide access to a configuration/scrubbing logic inside the routing switch unit, allowing configuration from Flash memory or over a SpaceWire link.
A block diagram of the SpaceFibre Routing Switch is shown below along with a photograph of the unit.
SpaceFibre Routing Switch
A versatile SpaceFibre Routing Switch has been designed, implemented and demonstrated in a radiation tolerant FPGA, providing the high-performance, high-reliability and high-availability network technology for the next generation data-handling chain needed for future demanding space missions.
Performance:
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Hardware: 2.5 Gbit/s per lane and 10Gbit/s for a 4-lane link (in current flight FPGA)
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IP Core: 10 Gbit/s per lane and 40 Gbit/s for 4-lane link (in future flight FPGA)
Hardware Achievements:
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5 Gbit/s per lane and 10Gbit/s for a 2-lane link
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Multi-lane routing switch with 10-ports
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Core data-handling demonstrated
IP Core Achievements:
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10 Gbit/s per lane and 40 Gbit/s for a 4-lane link (in simulation)