TNETX15VEPGE

The TNETX15VEPGE is Texas Instruments' VLAN-Engine Address-Lookup Device, a companion to the TNETX3150 and TNETX3150A ThunderSWITCH Ethernet switches. It is not a switch itself; instead it performs the address-lookup and VLAN function for the switch through a glueless interface, snooping addresses off the switch's DRAM bus and returning the match information the switch needs to forward frames. It supports an address table of up to 2K entries kept in standard external SRAM, and it is fabricated in 3.3V low-voltage technology with 5V-tolerant I/O. It ships in a 144-terminal plastic quad flatpack.

Key Features

• Address lookup for ThunderSWITCH - provides the external address-match function for the TNETX3150/3150A over a glueless interface.
• Up to 2K addresses - maintains a matching table of as many as 2048 addresses in off-the-shelf external SRAM.
• Automatic table management - address adds, deletes, and user-selectable aging run in hardware with no host intervention.
• VLAN and spanning tree - VLAN support across single or multiple ThunderSWITCH devices, plus spanning-tree and secure-address handling.
• No CPU needed - an EEPROM interface allows fully unmanaged autoconfiguration, with a DIO port and MDIO/MII management available when wanted.
• 3.3V with 5V tolerance - a 3.3V core plus 5V supply and 5V-tolerant I/O in a 144-terminal PGE quad flatpack.

Typical Applications

• Managed and unmanaged switches - adding address lookup and VLANs to ThunderSWITCH-based Ethernet switches.
• VLAN-capable network gear - segmenting traffic across one or several switch devices.
• Legacy switch maintenance - sustaining deployed ThunderSWITCH designs.

Unique Advantages

• Hardware table maintenance - automatic learning, deletion, and aging offload the address database entirely from software.
• Runs without a processor - EEPROM autoconfiguration lets it operate in fully unmanaged switch designs.
• Glueless switch pairing - the direct interface to the TNETX3150 avoids external logic between lookup engine and switch.
• Management hooks when needed - a DIO management port, MDIO/MII PHY management, interrupts, and JTAG are available for managed designs without being required.

Why Choose TNETX15VEPGE?

The TNETX15VEPGE is the address-lookup and VLAN engine that turns a TNETX3150 ThunderSWITCH into a complete, VLAN-capable Ethernet switch. Its 2K-address table in external SRAM, hardware-managed learning and aging, and CPU-free autoconfiguration make it efficient to design in, and it remains a necessary companion part for building and servicing ThunderSWITCH-based network equipment. By snooping addresses directly off the switch's DRAM bus and returning matches over the external address-match interface, it adds VLANs, spanning-tree, and secure-address support to a design without inserting latency into the forwarding path, and its 5V-tolerant I/O eases connection to mixed-voltage switch logic on the same board.

Contact us for pricing, availability, and lead time on the TNETX15VEPGE, and tell us your switch design so we can confirm the matching ThunderSWITCH devices.