100-Mbps Ethernet Controllers Feature Integrated Security Engines

Two low-cost IEEE 802.3-compliant, 100-Mbps Ethernet interface controllers feature integrated security engines to enable fast and secure embedded connectivity. The ENC624J600 controllers combine a 10/100Base-TX physical interface (PHY) and a media access controller (MAC) with a hardware cryptographic security engine. They can connect to any PIC microcontroller via an industry-standard serial peripheral interface (SPI) or a flexible parallel interface. In addition, each device has a unique, factory-preprogrammed MAC address and 24 kbytes of configurable SRAM for packet transmit/receive buffering and data storage. The ENC624J600 controllers integrate hardware cryptographic security engines that perform RSA, Diffie-Hellman, MD5, and SHA-1 algorithm computations in support of cryptographic protocols such as SSL/TLS, SSH, and various VPNs. These integrated hardware features enable secure data transmissions with reduced code size, faster connection establishment and throughput, and reduced firmware development efforts. Designers using the company’s Explorer 16 development board or PIC18 Explorer board can purchase a $49.99 Fast 100 Mbps Ethernet PICtail Plus daughter board. This daughter board contains an ENC624J600 and an RJ-45 jack to enable development of embedded Ethernet applications. Both ENC624J600 Ethernet controllers are available now for general sampling and volume production, with prices starting at $2.49 each in 10,000-unit quantities. The ENC424J600 comes in 44-pin QFN and TQFP package options. The ENC624J600 is offered in a 64-pin TQFP package. MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC., Chandler, AZ. (480) 792-7200.