SERDES technology for gigabit I/O communications in storage area networking
K. Iniewski, R. Badalone, M. A. LaPointe, Marek J. Syrzycki · 2004
The paper reviews SERDES technology for storage area networking. A concept of a data switch is introduced to illustrate important role played by switching and backplane SERDES IC’s. Selected state-of-the-art devices: 10 Gb/s line side SERDES and backplane drivers are discussed in detail. Particular emphasis is placed on challenges associated with design of high-speed mixed-signal circuitry. 1. Fiber Channel for Data Storage Fibre Channel (FC) is a gigabit networking technology originally designed for high-speed local area networking. It is a serial, full-duplex, asynchronous communication protocol operating at the rates of 1 and 2 Gb/s. Next generation devices operating at 4 and 10 Gb/s are starting