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T320 FPC Function

FPCs house the PICs that connect the T320 Core Router to network media. The main function of an FPC is to connect the PICs installed in it to the other router components. The Packet Forwarding Engine receives incoming packets from the PICs installed on the FPC and forwards them through the switch planes to the appropriate destination port. In a maximum configuration with eight FPC3s installed, the Packet Forwarding Engines can forward up to 385 million packets per second (Mpps) for all packet sizes. The maximum aggregate throughput rate for the router is 160 Gbps (full duplex).

FPCs are hot-removable and hot-insertable. When you remove or install an FPC, packet forwarding is not interrupted. When you install an FPC into a functioning router, the Routing Engine downloads the FPC software, the FPC runs its diagnostics, and the PICs housed on the FPC are enabled. Forwarding continues uninterrupted during this process.

T320 FPC Slots

Up to eight Flexible PIC Concentrators (FPCs) install vertically in the front of the T320 Core router (see Figure 1). The FPC slots are numbered left to right from FPC0 to FPC7. Each FPC has two connectors into which a PIC can be installed, allowing up to two PICs per FPC. An FPC can be installed into any FPC slot on the router, regardless of which PICs it contains. If a slot is not occupied by an FPC, an FPC blank panel must be installed to shield the empty slot and to allow cooling air to circulate properly through the router.

T320 FPC Components

Each FPC consists of the following components:

• FPC card carrier.
• One Packet Forwarding Engine—Each Packet Forwarding Engine consists of Layer 2/Layer 3 Packet Processing ASICs, Switch Interface ASICs, T Series Internet Processor ASICs, and a Memory Mezzanine Board (MMB) which includes the Queuing and Memory Interface ASICs.
• Processor Mezzanine Board (PMB), which includes a 300-MHz CPU, system controller, 256 MB of SDRAM, and two Fast Ethernet interfaces.
• Each FPC contains data memory that is managed by the Queuing and Memory Interface ASICs.
• Two LEDs, located on the craft interface above the FPC, that display the status of the FPC. For more information on the FPC LEDs, see T320 Craft Interface FPC LEDs.
• FPC online/offline button, located on the craft interface above the FPC (see Figure 2.

T320 FPC Edges

Regardless of whether you are holding an FPC vertically or horizontally, this documentation uses the same terms for all four edges of the FPC (see Figure 3):

• Faceplate—Edge of the FPC that has slots into which you insert the PICs
• Connector edge—Edge opposite the faceplate; this edge has the connectors that attach to the midplane
• Top edge—Edge at the top of the FPC when it is vertical
• Bottom edge—Edge at the bottom of the FPC when it is vertical

Identifying the T320 FPCs

Enhanced FPCs and Enhanced II FPCs are labeled. Check the label on the faceplate to identify the FPC. However, standard FPCs are not labeled. To determine the type of standard FPC, check the location of the installed PIC's online/offline button and how the PIC is secured to the FPC (Table 1).

Type 1 and Type 2 PICs installed in a standard FPC look similar, because both have two captive screws to secure the PIC to the FPC. Therefore, you must check the location of the PIC online/offline button.

• The PIC online/offline buttons are located on the Type 1 FPC above the PICs (see Figure 7). Type 1 PICs do not have an online/offline button on the PIC faceplate (Figure 4).
• The PIC online/offline buttons are located directly on the Type 2 PIC faceplates (see Figure 5), rather than on the Type 2 FPC faceplate.

Type 2 and Type 3 FPCs look similar, because both have the PIC online/offline buttons directly on the PIC faceplates. Therefore, you can distinguish between a Type 2 and Type 3 FPC by checking whether the installed PICs have a plastic ejector handle (Type 3) (see Figure 6), or a captive screw (Type 2) (see Figure 5), at the top of the PIC faceplate.

Figure 7 shows the standard FPCs supported by the T320 router. The enhanced FPCs look similar to the standard FPCs.

Figure 8 shows the Enhanced II FPCs supported by the T320 router.