Processor blade boasts ten Gigabit Ethernet ports

The KatanaQp is a new AdvancedTCA (ATCA) processor blade for telecomms infrastructure applications.

The KatanaQp is a new AdvancedTCA (ATCA) processor blade for telecomms infrastructure applications.

The new ATCA blade, equipped with a pair of PowerPC MPC7447A processors, features four PTMC expansion sites, redundant IPMI-based system management interfaces, and a high-speed PICMG 3.1-compliant ATCA interface with ten Gigabit Ethernet channels.

"ATCA is the consummate open architecture telecom platform, and the KatanaQp is the ultimate configurable ATCA telecom blade", said Todd Wynia, Vice President of Marketing at Artesyn Communication Products.

"KatanaQp's PTMC expansion sites give telecom OEMs, who want to get started with ATCA today, instant access to a wealth of third party PTMC modules".

"This off-the-shelf expansion capability makes it easy to configure the KatanaQp for a wide variety of control and packet processing applications, including WAN access, SS7/Sigtran signalling, media gateways, traffic processing, wireless basestations and soft switches".

The KatanaQp features a pair of MPC7447A processors (up to 1.4GHz), which can be used for either distributed or symmetric multiprocessing (SMP).

Both processors are equipped with an Altivec vector processing unit, 32Kbyte of on-die L1 instruction/data cache, 512Kbyte of on-die L2 cache, and cache coherency mechanisms for symmetric multiprocessing.

A Marvell GT64460 Discovery III system controller gives the processors high-speed access to up to 2Gbyte of DDR SDRAM memory and 64Mbyte of Flash memory.

The Marvel controller also provides a local PCIbus, which enables it to exchange control information with the PTMC complex.

The KatanaQp's four PTMC mezzanine expansion sites provide industry standard 32bit PCI-X control and CTbus (computer telephony bus) data interfaces to external modules.

The CTbus and PCI-X interfaces are also used on card to link the four sites, enabling them to exchange control information and TDM data directly.

This close coupling between sites makes Katana ideal for building integrated systems that combine network access (LAN or WAN) with packet, protocol, and media processing functionality (ie DSP farm) on the same blade.

The KatanaQp provides a high-speed PICMG 3.1-compliant ATCA fabric interface that features high-speed control and data plane connections.

The control plane, using two Gigabit Ethernet channels originating from the Marvell Discovery system controller, connects directly to the ATCA Base Fabric.

The data plane, managed by a 24-port Ethernet switch, combines eight Gigabit Ethernet channels from the PTMC sites (two per site) with one Gigabit Ethernet channel from the Discovery system controller.

The switch, in turn, uses eight Gigabit Ethernet ports to connect to the ATCA High Speed Fabric.

The KatanaQp also features a PICMG 3.0 Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI version 1.5 with ATCA extensions).

This interface, which incorporates dual I2C-based Intelligent Platform Management Buses (IPMB), enhances system management by making it easy for shelf management controllers to monitor, control and exchange management with the KatanaQp.

Artesyn offers a variety of PTMC modules that make it easy to customise Katana for specific telecomms applications.

Artesyn's Pm3Gv PTMC WAN interface module, for example, provides eight E1/T1 ports that enable the KatanaQp to be used as an SS7 signalling blade, signalling gateway, or soft switch.

Artesyn also offers a family of PowerPC-based processor modules (PmPPC) with multiple Ethernet channels that enable OEMs to add auxiliary processing for dedicated functions like Sonet mapping, packet traffic and protocol processing.

Katana's PTMC sites can also be used to add custom and third party modules.

By adding a cryptography module, for example, OEMs can use the KatanaQp to provide secure access for applications such as VPNs, WLAN and SOHO gateways.

With a LAN module, the KatanaQp can handle IP input and output in a signalling gateway or soft switch.

And with a fibre channel or OC-3 module, the KatanaQp can be used as a media gateway or ATM end point.

The KatanaQp complies with all major safety, EMC and environmental standards, including IEC60950/EN60950, UL60950, CSA C22.2, Global IEC - CB Scheme Report IEC60950), NEBS Telecordia GR-63, and GR1089 Level 3, FCC Part 15 (USA and Canada), and ETSI EN300386-V1.3.1.

Software support for the KatanaQp includes a Linux reference port with built-in support for symmetric multiprocessing (SMP).

Artesyn will also add support for carrier grade Linux planned in the near future.

The KatanaQp, equipped with a single MPC7447A processor and a four-channel Gigabit Ethernet fabric interface, sells in OEM quantities for $1995.

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