TX Matrix Switch Interface Boards (TX-SIBs) Description

The TX-SIBs create the switch fabric for the TX Matrix router, providing up to a total of 3 billion packets per second (Gpps) of forwarding (see Figure 1). Five TX-SIBs are installed vertically in the front of the TX Matrix router. The TX-SIBs are referred to as TX-SIB-0 through TX-SIB-4 (left to right).

One of the five TX-SIBs—usually TX-SIB-0—acts as a backup to the remaining four TX-SIBs. If a TX-SIB or T640-SIB fails, the backup data switching plane becomes active and traffic forwarding continues without any degradation. When the failed component is replaced, the data switching plane in which it resides becomes the new backup. If the failed component is not replaced, and a TX-SIB or T640-SIB in an active data switching plane fails, only that component is taken offline.

TX-SIBs are hot-removable and hot-insertable.

Each TX-SIB consists of the following components:

• Switch fabric ASICs.
• A high-speed fiber-optic link to each T640 router in the routing matrix (a total of four links labeled LCC0 through LCC3). The four links represent one data switching plane across four T640 routers.
• Two status LEDs located to the right of each fiber-optic array adapter on the TX-SIB faceplate. TX-SIB LEDs describes the functions of these LEDs.
• An ONLINE/OFFLINE button next to each fiber-optic array adapter that brings the corresponding interface and T640-SIB online and offline.

Figure 1: TX-SIB