Frequently Asked Questions
about the White Rabbit Switch Hardware version 4
Technical
Can WR work with 10 Gbps?
This is not implemented and the WRS V3 cannot technically handle this as the ports are limited to 1 Gbps.
But essentially, there is no reason why WR could not be made to work on 10Gb, it just needs to be implemented (the protocols and standards used for 10Gb and 1Gb and there is no technical showstopper). There has not been a need to implement WR on 10Gb, so it was not done. Yet, more and more people ask for 10Gb, and we decided in 2019 that the new WR switch (v4) that we started developing would support 10Gb. (status March 2020)
Planning
Q: What are your plans with the WRS V4?
A: We are currently (March 2020) working on the hardware architecture of the new WR switch. We are expecting to ask the WR community for feedback within a few months. By the end of the year 2020, we might have PCB design ready, then first prototype of hardware.
Once we have the hardware in 2021, we can start working on HDL/SW which will be a substantial chunk of work. This may take several years because currently we do not have a real need (deadline) for the 10Gb new switch, thus we devote limited resources to this development. With the current pace, an optimistic estimate of date for having new WR switch that can speak 10Gb but can offer only 1Gb data bandwidth (internal forwarding of data between ports) would be in 2022 at the earliest.
The next step would be to improve the internals of the switch to support 10Gb data bandwidth on all ports. Yet:
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Before even the new switch is ready, you can potentially benefit from its development. For example, once we have a prototype of WR link over 10Gb, you could benefit from the code.
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We are open for collaboration and help in working on the new WR switch in order to boost and speed up the project.
2 March 2020