M10i PICs Description

PICs provide the physical connection to various network media types. PICs receive incoming packets from the network and transmit outgoing packets to the network, performing framing and line-speed signaling for their media type as required. PICs also encapsulate outgoing packets received from the Compact Forwarding Engine Board (CFEB) or Enhanced CFEB (CFEB-E) before transmitting them. The controller ASIC on each PIC performs additional control functions specific to the PIC media type.

The router supports various PICs, including ATM, Channelized, Gigabit Ethernet, IP Services, and SONET/SDH interfaces. You can install PICs of different media types on the same router as long as the router supports those PICs.

PICs are inserted into a slot in Flexible PIC Concentrators (FPCs), FPC0 and FPC1, which are built in to the chassis. Up to eight PICs install into an M10i router, as shown in Figure 1. Four PIC slots are located in each Flexible PIC Concentrator (FPC). The PIC slots on the upper FPC are numbered from 0/0 (zero/zero) through 0/3, right to left. The PIC slots in the lower FPC are numbered from 1/0 (one/zero) through 1/3, right to left. The PIC slot numbers are located above FPC0, and below FPC1. The number of ports on a PIC depends on the type of PIC.

Blank PICs resemble other PICs but do not provide any physical connection or activity. When a slot is not occupied by a PIC, you must insert a blank PIC to fill the empty slot and ensure proper cooling of the system.

The M10i router has a maximum throughput of 3.2 Gbps full duplex for each FPC. Inserting a combination of PICs with an aggregate higher than the maximum throughput is supported, but constitutes oversubscription of the FPC.

Figure 1: M10i PIC Location

PICs are hot-removable and hot-insertable. A removed PIC no longer receives or transmits data, and removing or inserting a PIC briefly interrupts forwarding of traffic through the remaining PICs.

Most PICs supported on the M10i router have the following components.

• One or more cable connector ports—Accept a network media connector.
• LEDs—Indicate PIC and port status. Most PICs have an LED labeled STATUS on the PIC faceplate. Some PICs have additional LEDs, often one per port. The meaning of the LED states differs for various PICs. For more information, see the description for each PIC.
• Ejector lever—Controls the locking system that secures the PIC in the card cage.

Some PICs accept small form-factor pluggables (SFPs), which are fiber-optic transceivers that can be removed from the PIC. Various SFPs have different reach characteristics. You can mix them in a single PIC and change the combination dynamically. SFPs are hot-removable and hot-insertable, as described in M10i Field-Replaceable Units (FRUs). For information about PICs that use SFPs, see the “Cables and connectors” section for each PIC.