Gigabit Ethernet network access controller

U.S. Air Force leaders needed a gigabit Ethernet network access controller for a bomber aircraft upgrade program. They found their solution from Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia, N.Y. Air Force officials chose the next-generation ET-71000 GigExtreme intelligent gigabit Ethernet network access controller from DDC, which the company is newly releasing. The network access controller has DDC’s TCP/IP offload engine (TOE) technology and extended operating temperature. By offloading the entire TCP/IP stack, DDC’s ET-71000 series TOE reduces host utilization to less than 5 percent, compared to 50 percent or higher processor loading experienced with standard gigabit Ethernet interfaces. A transparent host driver implemented using a standard TCP/IP socket interface enables operation of the ET-71000 without modification to the network application. The cards are conduction-cooled, with front- and rear-panel network interface options, operate in temperatures from -40 to 85 degrees Celsius, and feature a dual-redundant architecture. “GigExtreme was designed from the ground up for embedded military applications and does not use up-screened commercial components,” says DDC Product Manager Steve Rood Goldman. DDC’s co-processor architecture and host socket driver implementation make the ET-71000 series appropriate for military programs that are upgrading networks to gigabit Ethernet, Goldman says. DDC provides databus technology for high-speed Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks, MIL-STD-1553 data bus boards/components, synchro/resolver technologies, and solid-state power controllers and motor drives. For more information contact the company online at www.ddc-web.com.