Product | A-Switch

If you have to integrate embedded systems in an AFDX network or a safe, deterministic switched Ethernet network and you are looking for a suitable AFDX switch, Embvue's A-Switch IP offers considerable advantages that you should be aware of before making your decision.

Existing AFDX switches are based upon hardware that is expensive and inflexible, but A-Switch is a licensable software implementation of an (ARINC 664 Part 7) AFDX network switch that has been written from-scratch by Embvue in accordance with the underlying Airbus AFDX patents and RTCA/DO-178B Level A. Embvue is fully licensed by Airbus to sell A-Switch to customers world-wide for use in ADFX applications.

If you are looking to deploy an AFDX or other safe, deterministic switched Ethernet network, or if you have an existing system that you need to integrate with such a network, or if you need to implement such a network in a harsh operating environment, A-Switch is the product for you.

Even outside of the aerospace and defense markets where AFDX and AFDX-like implementations are becoming the norm, there is a growing demand for safe, deterministic switched Ethernet networking. A-Switch's heritage and adaptability make it ideally suited for these applications also.

A-Switch is a software-only product that can be hosted on virtually any hardware and/or operating system platform. As such it offers customers the usual advantages over hardware solutions, namely:

It allows customers to market their own product rather than buy it from a competitor
Embvue works with A-Switch customers to help them develop their own AFDX or safe, deterministic switched Ethernet switches based upon A-Switch technology. This means that they no longer have to rely on using their competitors' proprietary and expensive products if they do not have their own AFDX switch solution. In the event that a customer wants Embvue to work with a third party to develop a turnkey product, this is also possible.

It is cheaper to deploy and to maintain
As a software product, A-Switch is immune to obsolescence issues and can be ported over to replacement hardware quickly should the need arise. Also, customers can avail themselves of readily available COTS processor solutions upon which to host A-Switch so they are not tied to a single, potentially expensive, supplier.

It is portable
A-Switch has been written to be portable with a well-defined and adaptable hardware/operating system interface layer. It has already been ported to multiple COTS hardware and RTOS platforms and Embvue can readily port it to others if required. This means that customers can avoid being tied to a specific hardware or RTOS supplier if they chose to.

It is flexible
As a software product, A-Switch can be customized to account for project-specific or customer-specific requirements much more readily than a hardware implementation can. This gives customers the ability to more easily create discriminators for their products and the ability to deliver a solution that is truly adapted for a particular project application.

It is scalable
A-Switch is modular and can be delivered with only the modules that a customer actually requires.

It is future-proof
Additional features can be added downstream as the customer's requirements change or as their product gets applied to other projects that have different needs. As AFDX evolves and support for additional features such as security and increased network bandwidth arise, A-Switch will be adapted and Embvue will market upgrades that account for the general market trends.

It is deployable in harsh environments
AFDX is being used in more and more places, including some that may require the switch to operate in harsh environments. This presents a problem for customers using a hardware network solution because the ASIC must be certified for use in such environments. A-Switch, since it can be re-hosted readily, provides an excellent solution, allowing customers to host the AFDX switch on suitable, existing, available processors that have already received the necessary certification.

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