BCM5324MIPB

Overview

The BCM5324M is a single-chip L2+ managed switch integrating twenty-four 10/100 Fast Ethernet transceivers and two Gigabit media access controllers. It utilizes a non-blocking switch fabric with 3 Mb of shared packet buffer and control memory. The device supports up to 8K MAC addresses, 4K VLAN entries, and 256 multicast addresses. It features four Class of Service (CoS) priority queues per port for traffic management. Connectivity includes GMII/RGMII/TBI interfaces for the Gigabit ports and an MII interface for management. The chip operates on embedded 2.5V and 1.2V regulators with typical power consumption of 3.5W.

Feature Summary

• Integrates twenty-four full-duplex 10/100 PHYs with Advanced Cable Diagnostics for fault detection and length measurement.
• Supports Layer 2+ features including 802.1Q VLAN, IGMP snooping, Spanning Tree protocols, and 802.1X authentication.
• Provides flexible QoS via four CoS queues per port based on MAC address, VLAN priority, or IP header fields.
• Includes hardware support for SNMP and RMON monitoring with over 70 MIB counters for per-port statistics.

Applications

• WebSmart managed switches for Small and Medium Business (SMB) environments
• Multitenant/Multidweller Unit (MDU/MTU) network infrastructure
• Industrial Ethernet switches requiring integrated diagnostics and low power

Procurement Notes

Verify the specific package variant against the datasheet before ordering. Confirm that the design accommodates the 400-pin PBGA footprint and thermal requirements. Ensure the host system provides the necessary SPI or MDC/MDIO interface for configuration. Check compatibility with the required IEEE standards for your target deployment.

Selection Notes

Select this component when high integration is required to replace multi-chip solutions. It is suitable for designs needing extensive L2+ management features without external PHYs. Consider the 3.5W power budget and 400-pin BGA complexity during PCB layout. Compare against the BCM5322M if Gigabit uplinks are not needed.

Part Context

This device belongs to Broadcom's ROBOSwitch family, designed for high-density Ethernet switching. It represents a seventh-generation architecture optimized for cost-effective managed switch implementations. The chip consolidates functions typically found in three or four separate components into a single 0.13 μm CMOS die.

Replacement Considerations

The BCM5322M serves as a direct alternative for applications not requiring Gigabit uplink ports, offering 24 FE ports with MII interfaces instead. Other family members like the BCM5321M and BCM5320M provide fewer Fast Ethernet ports while retaining similar management capabilities.