The recent growth in voice and data services has led to a convergence of data and voice networks, requiring multiple communications services from a single, tightly integrated platform. The ZNYX Networks ZX4920P Gigabit Ethernet switch is an integral building block to any PICMG 2.16 design, delivering Gigabit Ethernet service for up to 19 payload cards in a 6U CompactPCI form factor.

The ZX4920P was designed to provide advanced functionality to standard PICMG 2.16 platforms. The ZX4920P is PICMG 2.1 HotSwap compliant, allowing for the safe insertion/extraction of live boards. In addition, the ZX4920P is PICMG 2.9 IPMI compliant, providing important switch health information to the host IPMI controller for seamless integration into existing chassis management frameworks. A rear transition module (ZXRXG04) is available to route an additional four egress channels to the rear of the chassis.

OpenArchitect® switch management provides a complete Linux Networking Environment that helps facilitate application development. An embedded Linux kernel enables the "re-use" of custom networking applications written for OpenArchitect across multiple switching/routing devices for a cost-effective return on investment. Another benefit of the OpenArchitect Linux Networking environment is the vast amount of open source applications and utilities available.

Two ZX4920 switches can be used in a standard PICMG 2.16 chassis to implement a fully redundant dual-star network architecture. Each payload slot has two fabric connections, one to each switch. With the OpenArchitect High Availability (HA) software suite, the chassis can respond automatically and recover within 50 ms., while remaining transparent to applications running on payload boards.