CHATSWORTH, Calif. --MRV Communications, Inc. has introduced its Fiber Driver EM316GSW-XY, a Gigabit/Fast Ethernet multi-function media converter, as the latest addition to the company’s XY family of next-generation optical media converters.
The EM316GSW-XY combines two 10/100/1000 Ethernet copper ports and two 100/1000 SFP Ethernet ports with four modes of operation to serve as a dual media converter, redundant converter, signal repeater or a four-port multi-media 100/1000 Ethernet switch. The device may act as a dual independent copper-to-fiber converter. It operates in standalone unmanaged mode, or can also be used in a 16-slot Fiber Driver chassis supporting up to 30 converters. In the redundant converter mode, the module can provide a self-healing copper-to-fiber connection for mission critical networks. With its built-in signal repeating capability, the device also acts as a two-port fiber and copper network distance extender.
Finally, in switch mode, the system acts as a mixed-media Ethernet switch, allowing layer-two switching of Fast/Gigabit Ethernet traffic to or from a fiber-based linear or ring network. Utilizing MRV’s layer one automatic protection switching (MAPS) protocol, the EM316GSW-XY can also achieve fault tolerance in ring topologies to ensure continued operations demanded in high availability networks.
“Typically, managing network cabling change and evolution has meant single function devices that can’t evolve with network change,” says Noam Lotan, chief executive officer of MRV Communications. “With the versatility of the EM316GSW-XY media converter, enterprises can utilize the module’s four modes of operations to meet a variety of functions and reduce replacement inventory requirements, resulting in significant overall savings.”
The EM316GSW-XY also supports link fault pass-through with link integration notification (LIN) to ensure correct propagation of link faults by disabling both ends of a failed link. This allows devices dependent upon link state to accurately respond to network conditions. Additionally, the module is IEEE 802.3u compliant.
The EM316GSW-XY module is available now from MRV sales representatives worldwide.
The company says its Fiber Driver XY family of media converters offers multiple functions combined with a flexible multi-rate small form-factor pluggable (SFP) design. The devices feature built-in media conversion, signal repeating and lambda conversion with optional wave division multiplexing (WDM) technology available via SFP interfaces. MRV launched this line of media converters in 2005 with the EM316SW-XY and most recently announced the EM316T1E1-XY, which supports T1/E1/J1 networks.