Product category:
CompactPCI Boards and Assemblies
News Release from: Emerson Network Power Embedded Computing
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 11 December 2001
Proposed mesh backplane to boost
CompactPCI speed
IBM, Interphase and SBE have joined Motorola Computer Group in proposing a protocol-independent mesh as an open industry standard to the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG).
IBM, Interphase and SBE have joined Motorola Computer Group in proposing a protocol-independent mesh as an open industry standard to the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) The CompactPCI Serial Mesh Backplane (CSMB) is a point-to-point serial interconnect that can scale to more than 700Gbit/s
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 16 Jan 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Based on the core PICMG 2.x specifications that have been adopted throughout the telecommunications, enterprise and industrial markets, the CSMB also provides parallel capability with the proposed PICMG 3.x standard.
The proposed standard will enable telecomms OEMs developing applications from the access point to the network core to build a high-speed packet environment that, for the first time, will have the ability to connect to multiple networks that use asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), frame relay and proprietary protocols associated with 3G wireless applications.
Other companies lending their support to the effort and intending to participate in the mesh fabric subcommittee include Altera, Artesyn Communications Products and Wind River Systems.
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Supporters of the proposed mesh fabric are working together to anticipate the industry's need for open technologies that can handle different types of traffic over different networks, particularly as the telecomms world moves toward an all-packet transport.
Current PICMG standards do not provide a solution for ATM, frame relay or other high-speed proprietary transports.
Just as the PICMG 2.16 specification - which was ratified in September - standardised an architecture that provides gigabit IP switching and routing in CompactPCI, the multiprotocol mesh fabric creates a 2.5Gbit standard for ATM-based and mixed protocol applications such as 3G wireless Node B basestations, radio network controllers and media gateways.
The proposed CSMB standard not only maintains maximum backwards compatibility with existing PICMG CompactPCI standards, it also leverages the work underway for standards governing network processing (Network Processing Forum CSIX-L1 Common Switch Interface Specification).
As it is a point-to-point mesh that does not rely on a fixed protocol switch/router, it is also capable of supporting other open serial interconnects such as RapidIO and Infiniband.
"Motorola is fully committed to open standards in moving telecom technology forward", said Jeff Rhodes, business manager, high availability systems, Motorola Computer Group.
"As evidenced by the groundswell of support the proposed mesh interconnect fabric is receiving from board suppliers to software developers to telecom OEMs, it's obvious that the benefits the serial mesh offers in speed, scalability and flexibility ranges across the entire telecom industry.
We all see that this proposed point-to-point serial interconnect makes sense for telecomms applications that will be built on the network's edge for the many years to come".
"The point-to-point mesh fabric with full connectivity among slots offers advanced flexibility, redundancy, and higher performance.
Backward compatibility to previous CompactPCI platforms, coupled with a migration path to future standards, is a potent combination.
These capabilities - delivered as an open standard - will serve telecom OEMs and end users well", said Dr Tom Bradicich, director, architecture and design, IBM eServer xSeries.
"This mesh fabric allows our customers to migrate traditional public switched telecomms network (PSTN) services to new services based on ATM and IP with a scalable open standards solution", said Greg Kalush, president and CEO, Interphase Corp.
"We intend to use this open architecture to build a high performance, low-latency, embedded ATM switch that will target the ATM access markets we serve.
Furthermore, Interphase is expanding our product offerings with new best of breed communications interfaces, high-performance network processor modules and integrated software subsystems that deliver 'gateways on a card' for these emerging access networks".
SBE developed the first intelligent CompactPCI carrier card, the HighWire HW400c/M, which incorporates the new PICMG 2.16 standard.
"The extension of the PICMG 2.x standards is important to our customers, especially those who are looking to extend their current investment in CompactPCI technology", said Mike Strang, vice president of technology for SBE.
"This proposed mesh fabric will not only extend the life of these technologies but enable us to provide a next-generation carrier card with the ability to connect to both IP and ATM networks over a single interconnect - an industry first".
The proposed CSMB fabric consists of a rich set of differential serial signals capable of speeds up to 1.25, 2.5 or even 3.125Gbit/s.
The various channels are arrayed in a 'mesh' configuration that gives each slot a full set of interconnects to every other slot, resulting in a distributed switch fabric architecture.
In this architecture, there is no fixed protocol switch/router, which results in significant advantages in cost, scalability and traffic management.
Multiple protocols can be supported without adding complexity, while costs are only incurred when new mesh elements, network services, or subscribers are added.
The CSMB fabric allows an open standard CompactPCI solution to play an expanded roll in high performance bearer applications, a segment of the market historically served by proprietary solutions.
The announcement of the CSMB standard is consistent with the first meeting of the PICMG 3.x working committee, which is chartered with developing the next generation platform for telecom and enterprise applications.
Investments made by telecomms companies in new technology can be leveraged in both the CSMB and PICMG 3.x marketplaces, as the two standards provide parallel capabilities.
Technology developed for the larger form factor currently called for in the PICMG 3.x specification can cross over to that detailed in the CSMB standard.
IBM, Interphase, SBE and Motorola are all members of the PICMG 3.x committee as well as co-sponsors of the CSMB effort.
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