Wave Issue 0353 03/04/04 Article 4-01

*** Broadcom introduces BCM4780
(March 1)

Broadcom Corporation announced the availability of a new network storage
processor chip BCM4780 enabling network attached storage (NAS) devices.

Entry-level storage products based on the Broadcom BCM4780 NASoC
controller require no CD installation process.

Adding a Broadcom-enabled NAS unit to an existing Ethernet-based home
network will allow users to share files; gain "always-on" access to
data, regardless of whether or not other computers on the network are
active; and add additional storage to the network without hard disk
drive replacement on any of the attached desktop or notebook PCs.

BCM4780-based NAS systems’ setup procedure requires no user
configuration or knowledge of IP addresses. An auto-discovery feature
automatically adds the NAS device to the attached clients upon
connection to the network.

BCM4780-based storage products will offer security and configuration
modes, and features, such as RAID 0, 1 and 10 functionality with support
for up to four hard disk drives in a single system. The RAID software
engine can create multiple RAID partitions across two disk drives
including drives that are attached to the built-in USB ports of the
BCM4780. Each disk drive can be made "hot-swappable," allowing the user
to replace or upgrade drives, with built-in features for online repair
capability.

Data on the drives can be encrypted, selectively or in total, with real-
time encryption powered by a hardware AES
(Advanced Encryption System) engine integrated into the processor.

The BCM4780 features a MIPS32 CPU core on a 10/100Base-T Ethernet
connection. Support for Network File System (NFS) and Common Internet
File System (CIFS) are built into the BCM4780, supporting computers
running Windows as well as MacOS and Linux operating systems.

Standard features built into the system design include automatic network
discovery, support for streaming multiple HDTV- quality streams, and a
RAID implementation that configures the device for automatic data
mirroring.

The BCM4780 processor and BCM94780 reference design are currently
sampling to Broadcom's early access partners. The BCM4780 is priced at
under $20 in quantities of 1 million units per year or more.

www.broadcom.com