- The IRC Switch is for use with NovaCor and/or GTWIF based simulators which are otherwise limited to six IRC connections per rack. If a simulator of greater than seven chassis/racks is in operation and the IRC Switch is not installed, not all chassis/racks will have direct communication with one another.
- The IRC Switch provides several benefits over GTWIF and previous generation IRC connected systems:
+ Greater connectivity: Without the IRC Switch, each rack can directly communicate with up to 6 other chassis/racks. The IRC Switch provides full interconnection between all racks on systems up to 60 chassis/racks.
+ Greater flexibility: Without the IRC Switch, on systems greater than 7 chassis/racks care must be taken to ensure proper rack connections. The user has to know which chassis and/or racks are connected together while building their case. With the IRC Switch, each chassis/rack can communicate directly with all the other chassis and/or racks in the system, simplifying case building.
+ Simplified wiring: Instead of up to 6 connections per chassis/rack to other chassis and/or racks, the IRC Switch requires only one fiber connection per chassis/rack to it, allowing for easy setup of larger systems. For example, in a 30 chassis/rack system, 30×6 = 180 connections were required to 30 different locations. With the IRC Switch, only 30 connections are required and they are all routed to one location.
- 12 to 60 communication ports (1 to 5 cards)
- Each port communicates at 2GBd using 62.5/125 µm multi-mode fiber
- Fully bi-directional interconnect between all chassis and/or PB5/GPC racks in a simulation
- Broadcast capability allows a rack to transmit a packet to all potential receiving chassis
- Housed in a mid-size cubicle together with the Global Bus Hub