Prestera DX1500 Unifies IT/OT Networks

Marvell’s Prestera DX1500 Ethernet switch targets converged IT/OT industrial networks. TSN, MACSec, and redundant-network protocols promote safety and reliability.

Bryon Moyer

Marvell’s Prestera DX1500 Ethernet-switch family adds Time-Sensitive Networking, safety, and security to promote the convergence of industrial and computer networks. Its higher integration will enable systems with fewer components.

Sampling now with production scheduled for 1H23, the family features 8–54 Ethernet ports with data rates up to 10Gbps, including options for 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps multigigabit ports. It integrates host CPUs, and some versions have an integrated Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) PHY. The selected TSN features support timing synchronization, reliability, latency, and resource management.

Industrial settings typically employ proprietary networks to control the equipment; open protocols power their computer networks. As part of the Industry 4.0 initiative, the market is looking to unify these two domains while moving the former to open networks. Once freed from proprietary solutions, the cost of networking equipment should drop thanks to a broader range of competing components.

For systems requiring functional safety, the new Prestera chip supports Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) and Highly Available Seamless Redundancy (HSR) features for ensuring packet arrival in the event of network-node failures. MACSec capability protects traffic against unauthorized snooping and interference. Telemetry gives network managers visibility into network operation for monitoring and diagnosis when performance lags. By uniting the equipment and computing networks, Marvell makes the combined network visible and manageable from a single set of tools.