Belden Announces GarrettCom Softswitch Family to Support Smart Grid Applications

Belden, a provider of signal transmission solutions for mission-critical applications, announced the launch of a new softswitch range from GarrettCom (News - Alert), designed for data-intensive power utility applications like smart grid technologies.

The new Magnum 10KG Managed Switches family from GarrettCom brand is IEC (News - Alert) 61850-compatible and offers up to  eight Gb ports to support data-intensive Smart Grid applications.

These substation-hardened managed switches feature “industry-leading sub-10-nanosecond timing precision for utility applications on all Gb ports, dual hot-swappable power supplies in a 1U or 1.5U rack-mount switch, and up to 16 additional ports which can be configured to meet the needs of each installation,” according to a press release from Belden.

The substation-hardened enclosure utilizes patent-pending advanced thermal design techniques that allow the switches to run cooler and more efficiently. Additionally the softswitch family features an enhanced version of the field-proven Magnum MNS 6K software that has built-in security features including VLANs, SSL/SSH, Radius, and TACACS+ as well as support of 1588 v2 timing protocols.

"Smart Grid applications dramatically increase data volume, and the Magnum(TM) 10KG high availability switches are designed to handle the traffic," said Lee House, GarrettCom general manager, in a statement. "Our configuration flexibility means that our customers can order the port combinations they need at off-the-shelf, rather than custom prices and address these high bandwidth requirements."

Magnum 10KG switches provide the bandwidth, precision and hardening required for optimization of smart grid initiatives in substation environments today.

The dual hot-swappable power supplies in a 1U rack-mount switch offers the highest level of reliability available in substation-hardened switches today. Power supplies are available with multiple voltage options including 90-250V AC-DC, 125VDC, 48VDC, 24VDC, and universal AC.

Magnum 10KG softswitch provides unmatched time synchronization based on the IEEE (News - Alert) 1588v2 protocol to provide the sub-microsecond timing accuracy required in substation applications, and higher configuration options with up to 24 ports, including up to eight Gb ports. Magnum 10KG configurations provide 10 slots for combinations of port types and support up to 16 100Mb fiber and copper ports, and up to eight one-GB ports.

Belden recently announced that the wholly-owned subsidiary GarrettCom is now a Belden associated product brand. Belden acquired Fremont, California-based GarrettCom, a provider of industrial networking solutions for specialty and stressed applications, in December 2010.

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