The SCALANCE™ X family of industrial Ethernet switches from Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. has been expanded to include compact, high performance gigabit switches for high bandwidth and throughput applications.

Siemens SCALANCE X300 high performance gigabit switches help migrate fast Ethernet to Gigabit standards, providing the ability to integrate plant floor networks with enterprise networks via high speed backbone.

"The SCALANCE X300 family allows users to interconnect LANs on the automation cells to the enterprise networks via a gigabit (optical or copper) backbone where bandwidth demands are high," says Raj Rajani, Siemens Ethernet Infrastructure marketing manager.

In certain Ethernet based networks that use a multi-cast messaging scheme, IGMP snooping is required to prevent information flooding on the networks. To accommodate this requirement, the SCALANCE X300 switch offers three gigabit ports and delivers the superior management features of VLAN and IGMP snooping and query.

Redundant path communication is protected via redundant ring switching technology with switching times of less than 300 milliseconds, as well as by mesh architectures using spanning tree (STP) and rapid spanning tree (RSTP).

Additionally, PROFINET diagnostics and lost communication data may be obtained via web interface, e-mail, or simple network management (SNMP).

SCALANCE X Family

SCALANCE X industrial Ethernet switches are designed specifically for high-speed backbone architectures – including process control systems -- that must handle a large number of devices with extremely fast redundancy.

The switches support 100 Mbits per second and 1000 Mbits per second communication speeds via PROFINET, twisted copper wire or fiber optic cable.

Siemens' SCALANCE X family of switches offers reduced downtime through fast device replacement; lower cost of ownership due to easy configuration with built in web-based management, fast commissioning, complete diagnostics and the reliability of standard redundant point-to-point connections and power supply.

Each SCALANCE X switch features a robust, highly reliable structural integrity. A fanless construction and the ability to operate at temperatures between -20°C and +70°C with condensation help keep the network running longer with fewer failures and miscommunications.