STAR-Ultra PCIe Single-Lane Router
The STAR-Ultra PCIe Single-Lane Router is a SpaceFibre Single-Lane routing switch, with eight SpaceFibre ports. It can be used as a stand-alone routing switch with eight SpaceFibre interfaces, or as a network interface card, with an embedded routing switch, supporting packet transfer between a host PC at data rates in excess of 10 Gbit/s in both directions simultaneously.
The STAR-Ultra PCIe Single-Lane Router is controlled by a host PC, connected by an eight-lane Gen 3 PCIe interface providing two internal routing switch ports and an internal configuration port, and it has eight single-lane SpaceFibre interfaces, each of which can operate at a data signalling rate of up to 6.25 Gbit/s.
At the heart of the STAR-Ultra PCIe Single-Lane Router is a non-blocking SpaceFibre routing switch with a total of twelve ports, supporting up to 64 virtual networks.
Port 0 is the configuration port which is used for configuration, control and monitoring of the SpaceFibre routing switch.
Ports 1 to 8 are the eight SpaceFibre ports, each with eight virtual channels. The SpaceFibre ports are connected to a pair of QSFP+ connectors; ports 1 to 4 to the upper QSFP+ connector (QSFP1) and ports 5 to 8 to the lower QSFP+ connector (QSFP2). Each SpaceFibre link in a QSFP+ connector can be separated out using a QSFP+ to four SFP+ cable assembly. STAR-Dundee provides a range of adaptors for SFP+, including SFP+ to four SMP connectors and SFP+ to SpFi-TypeC (eSATA). QSFP+ fibre optic transceivers together with MPO to four LC fibre optic cable assemblies can also be used to break out individual SpaceFibre fibre optic links. Please contact us for more information.
Ports 9 and 10 are internal ports, each with eight virtual channels which are connected to a multi-channel host interface. This multiplexes the many individual streams of data over a PCIe Gen3 x8 lane interface which provides the interface to the host PC. Data rates well in excess of 10 Gbit/s to and from the host PC can be achieved on a typical PC.
Port 11 is a control channel interface which allows the host PC to configure, control and monitor the SpaceFibre routing switch over the PCIe bus.
Graphical software is provided to easily configure, control and monitor the routing switch. To transmit and receive SpaceFibre traffic to the SpaceFibre ports from the host PC, our STAR-System software stack is used. This provides high-speed drivers, applications, APIs, examples and comprehensive documentation.
A similar product, named the STAR-Ultra PCIe Interface, providing a SpaceFibre interface rather than a routing switch, is also available. A comparison of the functionality provided by the two products is shown below.
| Product | STAR-Ultra PCIe Interface | STAR-Ultra PCIe Single-Lane Router |
|---|---|---|
| Interface or Routing Switch | Interface | Routing Switch |
| Number of Ports | 2 | 8 |
| Lanes per Port | Up to 4 | 1 |
| Virtual Channels per Port | 8 | 8 |
| Lane Data Signalling Rate | 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.875, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.125, 3.75, 5, 6, 6.25, 7.5 Gbit/s | 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.875, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.125, 3.75, 4, 5, 6, 6.25 Gbit/s |
| Link Analysis | On port 1 | No |
| Software Channels | 16 | 18 |
Product Features
Eight SpaceFibre single-lane interfaces
- SpaceFibre lane data signalling rate is configurable (1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.875, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.125, 3.75, 4, 5, 6 and 6.25 Gbit/s)
- Each SpaceFibre interface has eight virtual channels
- QSFP+ connectors (multiple adaptors and cable assemblies available on request)
Twelve-port SpaceFibre routing switch
- Fully non-blocking switch matrix with deterministic switching latency
- Up to 64 virtual networks
- RMAP configuration port supporting both host and remote configuration
Transmit and receive SpaceFibre traffic
- Eight-lane Gen 3 PCIe interface to host PC allows software to transmit and receive SpaceFibre packets at high-speed (in excess of 10 Gbit/s on a typical PC)
- Transmit and receive broadcasts from host PC
Contains 2 x QSFP+ connectors, each carrying 4 x SpaceFibre ports, and 1 x eight-lane Gen 3 PCIe interface on a 16-lane connector
Software and accessories included:
- Windows drivers (Windows 11 and 10)
- Linux drivers (6.x, 5.x, 4.x and 3.x kernels)
- STAR-Ultra Controller and Statistics software
- STAR-System: Includes GUI applications and C, C++ and Python APIs with examples, for transmitting and receiving packets and broadcasts
- User manuals
- 1 year’s technical support and maintenance
Technical Specs
- Part Number
165
- Size
Half-length, low profile PCIe board with x16 connector. Both low-profile and full-height brackets provided.
174 x 68.9 x 32.5 mm
- Power
Supplied via PCIe connector
- SpaceFibre Ports
Compliant to ECSS-E-ST-50-11C
Number of SpaceFibre Ports: 8
Number of Virtual Channels per port: 8
Single-lane configuration
Configurable lane data signalling rate: 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.875, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.125, 3.75, 4, 5, 6 and 6.25 Gbit/s
Connectors: Two QSFP+
- EMC
The STAR-Ultra PCIe Single-Lane Router board is sold as a component for inclusion in a computer unit. EMC certification is the responsibility of the user.