Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES) has released the XChange6300 Embedded Services Router (ESR), designed to be the most rugged solution in the industry for Cisco IOS-XE networking and communications.Â
The XChange6300 ESR is a conduction-cooled XMC/PMC router card that can plug into existing sockets or be used in standalone applications. X-ES has refined and improved on its earlier XPedite5205 ESR to roll out a refreshed design for maximum longevity, along with an XChange6300 development platform and ruggedized, deployable, packaged router systems.
The XChange6300 utilizes Cisco’s industry-leading Mobile Ready Net technology, which provides highly secure data, voice, and video communications to stationary and mobile network nodes across wired and wireless links. Cisco’s networking capabilities can be combined with UHF, VHF, Wi-Fi, and other radio platforms to create Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) without requiring a connection to central infrastructure for military and emergency response.
The XChange6300 extends the Cisco enterprise infrastructure beyond the reach of traditional fixed-network infrastructure, making it ideal for military and aerospace, homeland security, and public safety applications, to name a few.
The XChange6300 differentiates itself from other embedded services routers through advanced ruggedization support:
- Leaded solder assembly is supported, which has been shown to be an effective method for mitigating tin whiskers that can cause catastrophic electronic system failures.
- The XChange6300 is subjected to the same rigorous testing and qualification standards that X-ES customers have come to expect on all its products, ensuring persistent mission-critical routing functionality in even the harshest environments.
- For customers with long product runways, X-ES’ Configuration Management Control provides notifications and impact assessments whenever X-ES’ proactive obsolescence monitoring process identifies a component that is about to be discontinued.
- X-ES engineers can offer configuration options to support unique project requirements, such as parylene conformal coating for added protection.
The XChange6300 adheres to proven, industry-standard building blocks in its design, which allows it to pair with any and all of X-ES’ current line of 40 Gigabit, 10 Gigabit, and Gigabit Ethernet embedded switches. This integration enables superior performance and compatibility while minimizing or even completely eliminating the need for time- and cost-intensive customization.Â
The new ESR uses a next-generation bare-metal design to minimize Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP). Software-implemented solutions on other routers often require power-intensive virtual environments that consume power and require larger form factor solutions. By contrast, the XChange6300’s design draws the lowest possible power, enabling a mezzanine implementation. When paired with one of X-ES’ embedded switches, the XChange6300 can be installed onto custom sky-lined heatframes to further reduce SWaP.
The XChange6300 ESR is also available for use with the XPand6240 Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) rugged system based on the Intel Xeon D-1700 series (formerly Ice Lake-D) of processors. With a compact design, the XPand6240 maximizes processing and networking performance while providing a SWaP-optimized alternative to traditionally larger slot-based systems; it is an actual Small Form Factor (SFF) system based on COTS 3U VPX modules.Â
To meet the needs of demanding mobile and embedded networking applications, the XChange6300 ESR provides the following features:
- Onboard hardware encryption to off-load encryption processing
- Radio Aware Routing (RAR) with support for the latest Dynamic Link Exchange Protocol (DLEP)
- IPv6 support
- Integrated threat control with Cisco IOS-XE firewalls and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)
- Quality of Service (QoS)
Because the XChange6300 ESR uses the same Cisco IOS-XE operating system that IT staffs in the military, energy, public safety, and other industries are already trained on, these organizations can expand their network to personnel, equipment, facilities, and vehicles at the edge of the network – from warfighters on the battlefield, to mines and drilling platforms, to natural disaster mobile command centers – without any additional training.Â