AT&T Co’s AT&T Microelectronics unit in Allentown, Pennsylvania has announced a two-chip smart Ethernet hub implementation, which it claims combines powerful network management facilities with the design simplicity of a basic hub. The company says that the SMC Smart Hub Controller and METRX Multiple Ethernet Transmitter integrate functions traditionally performed by seven chips on just two; indeed, AT&T is claiming board space savings of up to 70%. The chip set supports 12 twisted-pair ports and two attachment unit interface ports for 10Base-5 and 10Base-2. As well as basic repeater functions, the hub controller chip has a dedicated microprocessor interface for access to status and configuration registers, while a dedicated full media access control port interfaces to standard local network controllers. Each twisted pair port contains an on-chip receiver with smart squelch and receive logic, including link integrity test and automatic polarity reversal detection and correction options. Additional light-emitting diode, parallel expansion and network management ports are claimed to simplify board design, and reduce software development. The METRX accepts data from the hub, creates the pre-equalisation control, and routes the data to one or more of the 12 twisted pair driver ports. It can also function as 12 fully-independent twisted pair or AUI local network transmitters. The chip set is claimed to support up to 16 cascaded repeaters, and include an AT&T-patented, user-configurable hardware network security capability, restricting data access to authorised stations only. AT&T says that it is to ease development by providing a personal computer hub time-to-market design kit and evaluation board. The kit includes application notes for use with Novell HMI Hub Management Interface, IEEE Hub Management, FIFO size determination and parallel expansion, as well as software drivers for Novell Hub Management Interface, and Smart Hub network statistics.
