PLX Delivers PCIe ExpressLane Switches

PLX Technology, Inc., supplier of PCIe switch and bridge solutions, announced that two PLX PCIe ExpressLane are delivering high-performance connectivity in the new SPARC Enterprise M3000 servers. The dual PLX PEX 8533 switches provide the M3000 with the crucial interface between four Gigabit Ethernet ports, four 8-lane PCIe slots and a SAS port, thus allowing high-speed serial communication within and outside the servers.

The SPARC Enterprise M3000 servers deliver mission-critical, mainframe-class reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS) in an ultra-dense open system at an entry-level price. The new M3000 system is an ideal platform for single-threaded enterprise applications, including databases, BIDW, ERP, and CRM. The SPARC Enterprise M3000 is powered by Fujitsu’s single quad-core SPARC64 VII processor and Sun Microsystems’ Solaris 10 operating system.

"The SPARC Enterprise M3000 server, while supported by PLX switch technology, strikes a perfect balance between reliability, performance and power efficiency," said Kenichi Sakai, general manager, Mission Critical Server Division of Fujitsu Ltd. "Fujitsu chose PLX for our high-speed interconnect requirements on the SPARC Enterprise M3000 server because of its proven technology that meets our very high standards. PLX also provides us with a valuable technical support team."

The PLX ExpressLane PEX 8533 offers 32 PCIe lanes and six flexible ports that enable users to add scalable, high-bandwidth I/O to a wide variety of applications, including servers, storage, communications, blade servers, and embedded-control systems. The PEX 8533 is well suited for fan-out, aggregation, peer-to-peer, backplane, and switch fabric applications. The PEX 8533 architecture supports packet cut-through and leads the industry with lowest latency of 115ns.

"With a commitment to innovation and leadership in PCI Express and our other core businesses, PLX has set the standard in quality and reliability with solutions capable of meeting the rigorous demands of industry-leading customers like Fujitsu," said Gene Schaeffer, vice president of worldwide sales at PLX. "We work relentlessly at providing both silicon and software solutions that are designed to improve and differentiate our customers’ products, and we are happy to have been able to meet these goals with Fujitsu."

PLX Technology today offers more than 40 PCIe interconnect devices and supportive software tools. These solutions include the industry’s largest lane- and port-count switch at 96 lanes and 24 ports, down to a four-lane, four-port switch. PLX was first to market with PCIe switches in 2004 and has built on that success with innovative product designs to address varied markets worldwide. The company is now investing in the development of products compliant with the PCIe Gen 3 specification and is working closely with key manufacturers to meet and exceed their future requirements.