Design of a Switching System for 10GBASE-T Ethernet by

i ABSTRACT Ethernet switching is provided to interconnect multiple Ethernets for the exchange of Ethernet data frames. Most Ethernet switches require data buffering and Ethernet signal regeneration at the switch which incur the problems of substantial signal processing, power consumption, and transmission delay. To solve these problems, a cross bar architecture switching system for 10GBASE-T Ethernet is proposed in this thesis. The switching system is considered as the first step of implementing a multi-stage interconnection network to achieve Terabit or Petabit switching. By routing customized headers in capsulated Ethernet frames in an out-of-band control method, the proposed switching system would transmit the original Ethernet frames with little processing, thereby makes the system appear as a simple physical medium for different hosts. The switching system is designed and performed by using CMOS technology. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude and respect to my advisor and mentor Dr. Hui, for his continued support and invaluable guidance, during the course of the degree, without which this work would not have been possible. His trust in my capabilities and patience in helping me understand new concepts have been the motivating force for this work. to be on my Masters Committee and for their time and efforts in reviewing this work. I am indebted to my family for their unconditional love and support. Finally, I would like to thank all my friends who were also important in the successful realization of this thesis.