January 2002 

What's Up With Uptime?

BY CHRIS DONNER

High availability can mean many things, even to just one person, let alone to an entire industry. From full systems or platforms you can break things down to consider physical building blocks such as the backplane, motherboard, chipset, and DSP cards, as well as less tangible elements such as redundancy, hot swapability, and reliability of the power source. For the purposes of this overview, however, we will focus on the more tangible elements mentioned above -- mainly on full systems or physical components that contribute to making a system fault tolerant. That still leaves us with a multitude of industry participants and systems, and there isnt space to cover everything thats available -- for that you could request a product catalog from any of these companies, or check out their sites.

What Id like to do here is take a look at some of the newest entries from key companies in the HA space. This past year has seen processor speeds double and triple so that were reaching into the gig-plus range. It has seen Ethernet make its way into the very heart of CompactPCI through the CompactPCI Packet Switching Backplane specification (PICMG 2.16) and the concerted efforts of PICMG members such as Performance Technologies, Bustronic, Motorola Computer Group, and others.

Any way you look at it, there has been a lot of activity in the HA space during 2001, and the following provides an overview of what has been going on with specific companies and product lines in light of all of the changes.

AAEON -- www.aaeon.com
Released back in July of 2001, AAEONs Gene-5310 builds on its popular 4310 series, providing a low-power, subcompact board that runs in a fanless environment. The Gene-5310 provides 256KB of cached memory and a 66MHz front-side bus, and includes dual Intel 10/100Base-T Fast Ethernet controllers. The 5310, like its predecessor, is good for applications requiring a tight fit and limited or no climate control, such as a mobile deployment.

ADLINK -- www.adlinktechnology.com
ADLINK Technologys NuPRO-780DV SBC is designed to deliver the highest of performance processing power and to excel in the most arduous environments and applications. The NuPRO-780DV supports Intels embedded 815E chipset, up to 1.26GHz PIII, a 133/100MHz front side bus (FSB), PCI/ISA high drive bus, and an on-board MiniPCI socket for extending features and easy migration for upgrading. The NuPRO-780DV is equipped with dual Ethernet interface, one embedded in an 815E chipset and another powered by Intels 82559 chip. A Single Ethernet version for flexibility is also available with ADLINKs NuPRO-780LV.

ADLINKs 6U CompactPCI platform system the cPCIS-3120 is also worth looking at -- it was recently approved by NMS Communications Lab. The test was done by NMS Lab and was performed on the ADLINK 6U CompactPCI platform system cPCIS-3120 installed with an ADLINK cPCI-6780 CPU module and NMS AG4000C, CG6000C, and TX3220C boards. Such a platform would be useful for common applications including V/FoIP, voice portals, VoBroadband, SS7, CRM infrastructure, etc.

Advansor -- www.advansor.com
Advansor designs, manufactures, and integrates industrial computers, communication servers and open communication systems that are used by VARs, SIs, ISPs and OEMs for computer telephony, communications, and networking applications. Advansor serves up a variety of server platforms, from the ES1820-815EEA2L, a 1U VoIP server with an Intel Pentium 866 MHz processor and 128MB RAM, to the TS4850-210, a 4U CT server system with PIII 850MHz CPU, 256MB SDRAM, 20GB hard drive, 400W power supply, Windows 2000 5-user server, IIS pre-loaded. Theres also the TS5120R-310, a ready-to-run 5U system with PIII 850MHz CPU, 256MB SDRAM, IDE RAID5 3x20GB hard drive, 400W redundant power supply, Windows 2000 5-user server, IIS pre-loaded.

Advantech -- www.advantech.com
The IPC-6608 series is Advantechs latest 8-slot IPC chassis, specifically designed for mission-critical applications. The IPC-6608 features an 8-slot passive backplane and a wide selection of power supplies to meet different needs. The IPC-6608 series is ideal for system integrators or users who require a compact, rugged PC/AT compatible system. It supports 8-slot passive backplane, and a wide selection of power supplies includes PS-250X-DPS, a 250W ATX power for entry-level purposes. The PS-260-610E and the PS-300ATX-Z can reduce power usage, while the RPS-250-SDTB is a 250W AT hot-swappable redundant power supply for high reliability inquiry and non-stop mission critical environments.

Alliance Systems -- www.alliancesystems.com
Alliance Systems recently announced its comprehensive CompactPCI communication solution for carriers, large enterprises, and service providers: the C-Series 10000 and 15000. These series provide an advanced, high availability system capable of managing mission-critical applications.
For our purposes, we will focus on the C-15000, a high availability, NEBS-compliant CompactPCI solution. Designed to provide five nines availability, the C-15000 has built-in redundancy for active system components including system slot CPU boards, power supplies, cooling, and system alarms as well as reducing MTTR (Mean Time To Replace) for system components by optimizing the cPCI front-loading hot-swap standard to simplify replacement and minimize service time.

Key features of the 15000 include:

• Dual redundant, hot swappable Pentium III processor system CPUs.
• Two 5.25 drive bays.
• Twelve 64-bit peripheral slots with H.110 telephony bus and rear-panel I/O.
• Support for IEEE 1101.11-style rear transition cards.
• Four AC or DC input 150W hot swappable power supplies for N+1 redundancy.
• Compliant with PICMG 2.0 (CompactPCI), 2.1 (Hot Swap), and 2.5 (Computer Telephony) specifications.
• Supports Windows NT/2000, and Linux.

APW -- www.apw.com
APW recently announced a new development system designed to support the PICMG 2.16 specification. This development platform offers OEMs and developers a plug-n-play system to facilitate development programs based on this new standard. The PICMG 2.16 Development Chassis comes equipped with the Performance Technologies IPnexus CPC4400 series of PICMG 2.16 compatible embedded Ethernet switches. Development System configurations offer either copper (CPC4406) or fiber (CPC4401) Ethernet switches and 5-port LIMs. The 9U chassis includes a 15-slot PICMG 2.16 compliant backplane with two standard fabric slots for redundant switch fabrics, 12 node slots, a node-enabled system slot and an H.110 busing and dual power supply.

Arista -- www.aristaipc.com
Arista Corporation announced the Power Racer 700 Series of CT servers featuring an excellent price/performance ratio and the flexible configuration for a 4U height, 14-slot 19 rackmount IPC system. Fully customized to the needs of each customer, they are built using the proven technologies, manufacturing and quality control systems and features usually reserved for industrial-grade computers. Designed for full PBX functionality, the Power Racer 700 series is expandable to meet peak volume demands of communications networks and small call centers to ensure optimum productivity. Available in a standard 14-slot passive backplane architecture with a variety of available ISA/PCI backplanes or optional low cost motherboard, these rugged systems are designed to meet the performance and reliability requirements for todays high-end server applications in the networking, telecommunications, and computer telephony industries.

Axiom Tech -- www.axiomtek.com
Just a few months ago, Axiom Technology announced the SBC8362VEA, a single board computer with video support, Ethernet, and audio. The SBC8362VEA is a 5.25 Embedded Board with a VIA Apollo Pro-133 chipset, which allows users to choose any Socket 370 type CPU that supports 100/133MHz FSB. One 168-pin DIMM socket allows up to a maximum of 512MB SDRAM. The ESS Solo-1 1938 32-bit PCI 2.1 Audio Drive controller is 32-bit Sound Blaster and Sound Blaster Pro compatible, and supports full-duplex operation for simultaneous recording and playback. Both the Realtek 8139 PCI Bus 10/100M Base-T Ethernet port and M-Systems DiskOnChip are built-in. Extension and I/O options are plentiful. One 16-bit PC/104 connector and one EISA slot for PCI/ISA make expansion possible. I/O options include one floppy port, one parallel port, four serial ports, one PS/2 keyboard and mouse port, two USB ports, 4DIO, one IDE port controls 2 channels and up to 4 devices, and one IrDA connector for wireless communication. The SBC8362VEA is used in many applications, including multimedia, instrumentation, and security.

Bustronic -- www.bustronic.com
Upon the ratification of PICMG 2.16, Bustronic announced their design of a Compact Packet Switching Backplane (cPSB) based on the draft specification. Bustronics cPSB backplane comes in 16-slots, with up to four 47-pin power supply connectors, and distributed power bugs for V I/O, GND, and +5V. Utilizing stripline design technology, the backplane has virtually zero crosstalk. With the new cPSB protocol the performance of the cPCI backplane is improved and it provides an ideal solution for 3G wireless, VoIP, and other applications. CPSB increases system performance by moving data traffic off the shared bus, and onto an embedded switched Ethernet network fabric (10/100/1000 Mbps) accessed via the J3 connector. Full hot swap support enables zero downtime.

Carlo Gavazzi Mupac -- www.gavazzi-mupac.com
Carlo Gavazzi Mupacs 545 Series CompactPCI enclosure is designed for industrial, datacom, telecom, and prototype applications. With multiple plug-in peripheral choices and variable output current, this horizontal load, rackmount or benchtop industrial chassis can be easily configured to meet customer needs. The 545 offers 5-8 usable 6U x 160mm front-accessible slots and 6U x 80mm rear-accessible transition slots, all in a package only 7 to 10.5 (4U to 6U) high, 17 wide, and 12 deep. Constructed of 0.09 lightweight 5052-H32 aluminum, the enclosure weighs approximately 13 lbs. without cards, and supports a variety of peripheral drives, allowing a combination of front-accessible and embedded devices. The subrack is compliant with IEEE 1101.10 and 1101.11. The chassis is designed to support hot swap and N+1 and is provided with a 175-watt, front-pluggable power supply with either AC or DC input. Supply output current is 175 watts with selectable configurations. The units backplane supports 64-bit PCI architecture and provides coding keys for selectable VI/O (+5.0 or +3.3 volts), offers four telephony busing options, and achieves the low-noise, high-speed transfer rates required by the CompactPCI specifications.

Continuous Computing -- www.ccpu.com
Continuous Computing Corporation (CCPU) launched its Hi-5 Voice-over-Packet family of products this year, including media gateways, media gateway controllers, signaling gateways, OAM&P, billing platforms, and enhanced IP media servers. The Hi-5 products are complete platforms that include the required hardware, software, and protocols to enable application developers to quickly and cost-effectively develop and deploy high-availability, telco-grade voice over packet applications. The Hi-5 architecture is a NEBS-compliant CompactPCI system that offers reliability and ease of use for application deployment by replacing the CompactPCI bus with network links. The Hi-5 architecture includes CCPUs High Availability modular middleware, UpSuite, which features IP file system replication at wire-line speeds and sub-second fail-over at the card level with no dropped calls or data. CCPUs Hi-5 system can include as many as 32 CPUs in a 12U form factor.

Crystal Group -- www.crystalpc.com
If you havent heard of Crystal Group, then you probably havent been working with HA systems for very long. A well known player in this space, Crystal has many HA platforms to handle applications from web servers to Internet telephony. Early in 2001, Crystal Group announced today the DarkSite remote management appliance for servers, a platform-independent management tool that monitors the health of servers and notifies users of potential problems-before they cause an application to fail. DarkSite allows the user to select which hardware and software systems are monitored and how users will be contacted.

DarkSite is actually an embedded computer system, complete with its own operating system and Crystals exclusive server management software application. It functions independently from the host system, using only an ISA or PCI slot for power -- so its at home in any brand of server. Sensors on the system can monitor temperature, fan rotation, and power in the host system. Additionally, DarkSite can keep an eye on the status of a servers resources. Installing a small OS Agent will allow DarkSite to monitor the host systems CPU, RAM, disk drives and network connections, and communication with DarkSite is easily done via embedded Ethernet and serial ports. DarkSite is web-enabled, allowing remote administration from any browser on the network or the Internet.

CSS Labs -- www.csslabs.com
CSS Labs has a selection of high availability platforms for mission-critical applications, including the MaxPro/Power Pro and ProRack systems. CSS Labs claims that the MaxPro/PowerPro Series Tower Servers are an easy-to-use, affordable line of servers providing superior performance, high availability, easy maintenance, and full manageability. An AT/ATX motherboard and your choice of Pentium III or Xeon processors deliver the advanced technology you need for todays business critical applications.

The MaxPros passive backplane technology allows easy upgrades by providing up to 20 expansion slots to support your card intensive applications. Passive backplane technology can also allow configuration of the backplane into multiple systems, each with its own single board computer and expansion slots. This modular architecture surpasses the use of motherboards in mission-critical environments by enabling two independent systems to run multiple, dedicated functions in a single chassis.

Cyclone Microsystems -- www.cyclone.com
Cyclone Microsystems SB-923 is a 64-bit PCI system board engineered for building powerful embedded and real-time systems. The Mini ATX form factor SB-923 features eight PCI slots that can accommodate 64-bit PCI I/O cards on two independent 64-bit PCI buses. The SB-923 allows real-time system developers to select and integrate off-the-shelf PCI boards on a cost-effective, pure real-time platform. In addition, the SB-923 speeds software development with Cyclones Breeze Development Environment and supports Wind Rivers real-time operating system. The eight PCI slots are provided on two independent PCI buses with a PCI-to-PCI bridge device.

For system designers interested in a complete packaged system, the SB-923 is also offered in a rack mounted chassis. The BX-923 is an SB-923 System Board mounted and tested in a rack mounted industrial PC enclosure. The enclosure includes the SB-923 System Board, a 100-watt power supply, eight PCI I/O card locations, mounting locations for 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch peripherals and reset and power switches. The BX-923 is UL listed and FCC certified.

Dax Systems -- www.daxsystems.com
Dax Systems has a wide array of backplanes, single board computers, and rackmount systems for various uses, including telecom and industrial applications. Their DRM series of rackmount systems includes a range of designs from 2U to 5U and built upon both Sun and Intel motherboards, depending on your preferences or requirements. Dax also carries a range of SBCs to go with these systems, featuring a range of processor speeds and interfaces on board.

Diversified Technology -- www.dtims.com
Early this year, Diversified Technology introduced their embedded Pentium III SBC, the CPC8610. The CPC8610 features Intels Embedded Pentium III (BGA2) in a CompactPCI form factor and is based on Intels 440BX chipset. The system supports up to 256MB of memory, and dual Intel 82559 Ethernet controllers are integrated onboard, providing a fully auto-negotiating 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX connection. The CPC8610 also features National LM87 for monitoring of system critical variables like voltage, temperature, and CPU fan operation. A PCI EIDE controller on the CPC8610 gives excellent performance with all high speed IDE drives and also supports 32-bit access, LBA mode, and bootable CD-ROMs. The CPC8610 incorporates a single PMC Site for adding additional peripheral interfaces. Standard ISA bus peripherals like a PS/2 keyboard/mouse controller, real-time clock, floppy controller, RS-232 serial ports, ECP/EPP parallel port, and field upgradable Flash BIOS are also integrated onto the CPC8610.

Elma Electronic -- www.elma.com
Elmas Type 15 Compact PCI NEBS System , the Elma Configurator is a high availability platform designed for use with Suns SPARC engine CPUs. This is a 10U system that accommodates 8 cPCI boards (6U boards), 8 rear I/O boards, and 6 3.5 or 5.25 devices, in the front. The system has passed NEBS Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 testing as well as FCC-Class B, with Suns 6 dB margin requirement. The 300-watt power supply is removable from the front, and there are also a removable fan tray and filter, with three 80 CFM, 12V fans.

Force Computers -- www.forcecomputers.com
Forces open, scaleable High Availability Architecture (HA2) is a framework specification defining hardware and software system components for five nines and better highly available system solutions. The HA2 framework is independent of the System Architecture or Operating System and can be applied across Forces platforms.

Forces first development platform to leverage the companys open-standards-based High Availability Architecture (HA2) platform initiative is the Centellis CO 21000-12U Pentium III Processor/Linux/HA Middleware Configuration. Forces newest PICMG 2.16-compliant Centellis platform, the CO 21000-12U is a Compact Packet-Switching Backplane configuration with redundant Pentium III processor-based single board computers running the BlueCat Linux operating system. The CO 21000-12U is integrated with redundant Ethernet switches and GoAhead SelfReliant 7500 Service Availability middleware.

General Micro Systems -- www.general-micro-systems.com
General Micro Systems HA1069 Eagle is a CompactPCI High Availability System that they recently debuted, which is compliant with the PICMG 2.16 specification for a cPCI Packet Switching Backplane (cPSB). Additionally, the Eagle offers the industry a high availability cPSB system with 6-nines of reliability. With provisions for redundant system masters, redundant PICMG 2.16 switch fabric boards, and redundant power supplies and fans, the 21-slot chassis can be configured a number of ways, including the use of the H.110 telephony bus. The Eagle is designed for highly efficient Ethernet communication across the cPSB backplane, with or without use of the PCI bus. PICMG 2.16-compliant cPCI SBC nodes can be used with PICMG 2.16-compliant switches for high-availability telecommunications applications with the ease of Ethernet connectivity. The Eagle can also be configured to take advantage of the fail-over and load-sharing software currently being developed in the market, with user defined options including up to four 10/100Base-Tx Ethernet channels per SBC across the backplane.

GNP Computers -- www.gnp.com
GNP Computers recently unveiled an application-ready high availability (HA) telecommunications platform for VoIP applications. This new platform integrates a Sun Microsystems NEBS Level 3 telecom server -- the Netra ct, based on the Solaris 8 Operating Environment -- with GNPs Continuant Cluster Suite middleware, which is capable of delivering 99.999 percent uptime in telecom switching applications, providing load sharing, fault detection and recovery, and managing multiprocessor systems. This CompactPCI (cPCI) carrier-grade network server is based on Suns commercially available high-density rackable Netra ct servers, designed for telecommunications development. This platform is comprised of a Netra ct 800 and two Netra ct 400 servers running the Solaris 8 Operating Environment for high I/O density in a flexible, scalable and serviceable delivery platform that is crucial to Network Equipment Providers.

Hybricon -- www.hybricon.com
Hybricon Corporation has a new line of horizontal rackmount enclosures, the SRME Series, which provide 4-6 slots of CompactPCI, VME64x, or VME in a 2U, 4-slot and 3U, 6-slot chassis. These low-profile enclosures are very quiet and are stylishly finished in black powder coat paint with other colors available. The enclosures solve overheating problems with Hybricons patented air deflecting CoolSlot card guides which eliminate cooling dead spots on boards and provide more uniform airflow throughout the system.

I-Bus/Phoenix -- www.ibus.com
I-Bus/Phoenix launched the C08xx line of CompactPCI enclosures, consisting of the C0814 and C0877 enclosures, which combine superior thermal design and the latest in PICMG electronics standards. The C0814 version features up to 14 hot-swap SBCs, 4 hot-swap, SCA SCSI hard drives and 4 200W hot-swap power supplies (configured as an N+1 power system) in an 8U optimally cooled enclosure. The C0877 version provides 2 independent 7-slot cluster systems in addition to the SCA SCSI hard drives and power supplies. The C08xx family of NEBS compliant enclosures also includes 3 individually hot-swappable blowers and a hot-swappable fan array in a redundant push-pull configuration, optional PICMG 2.9 IPMI compliant System Monitoring Controller, optional PICMG 2.16 compliant backplane and AC or DC single/dual input power supplies. The C0814 version is the first I-Bus/Phoenix (IBP) CompactPCI-based system to employ the patented Fail-Safe OptiCool technology. Fail-Safe Opticool incorporates a unique lower hot-swap fan array that takes advantage of the axial direction of the fans to most efficiently pressurize the air at the bottom of the chassis. The unique mixing tray can be tuned to mix the intake air, redirect the air upward, and distribute the air to where it is needed most, continuing to operate within specification even in the event of a single fan failure.

ICS Advent -- www.icsadvent.com
ICS Advent, recently acquired by Kontron (www.kontron.com) the premier provider of business-critical applied computing solutions, has introduced two high-performing Dual Pentium III ATX motherboard solutions. One is a low-profile board based on the ServerWorks LE chipset; the other is based on the stable Intel 440BX chipset. Both boards utilize proven technology that supports a variety of complex applications, such as computer and Internet telephony, Internet infrastructure, and telecom. The two new products support Intels Pentium III processors, providing excellent processing performance. In addition, they allow for greater density by integrating common requirements on board such as graphics, dual Ethernet, and optional dual SCSI interfaces. The low-profile Dual ServerWorks board, with features such as angled memory sockets and low-profile I/O, is designed for high-density applications using 1U and 2U servers. The dual BX motherboard is designed to have good performance while offering a stable platform not common with most motherboards. Based on the Intel 440BX chipset, this motherboard is planned to have years of stable product life rather than the 9-12 months of traditional motherboards.

ITOX -- www.itox.com
ITOX introduced the ITOX Twin Dragon server which features two full function, high speed Intel Pentium III servers in 1U of rack space. The Intel Pentium III/Celeron servers are based on the advanced Intel 815E chipset, each with three LANs and video controller on-board. The Twin Dragons motherboard and advanced filtered air system have been designed specifically for use in high-density 1U environments to provide long life and reliable operation. Each of the units two CS15 industrial motherboards provides an Intel architecture server including three 10/100 Ethernet controllers, two USB ports, two serial ports, a keyboard port, mouse port and video accelerator. Two 3.5 disk bays are provided so that each server can have its own hard drive. Support for compact flash memory is provided for diskless applications. The ITOX Twin Dragon is ideal for corporate networking and Internet web server applications where space is at a premium. It fits in standard 19 electronics racks and measures 1.75 and 17.5 deep. The short depth and unique mechanical design of the Twin Dragon, which eliminates all connectors and air vents from the back of the unit, allows them to be mounted on both the front and back of deeper racks. As a result, up to 168 servers can be mounted in a typical six foot high, 42 U rack.

Kaparel -- www.kaparel.com
Kaparel Corporation launched their PS4900 Series of Compact Packet Switching Backplanes (cPSB). The PS4900 cPSB Series of backplanes is a follow on from the original 21-slot PS4900 announced in September after ratification of the PICMG 2.16 standard. This series of backplanes supports Switched Ethernet, as defined by the PICMG 2.16 specification and provides a variety of off-the-shelf configurations. The Kaparel PS4900 Series of PICMG 2.16 Compact Packet Switching Backplanes provides a way to design telephony and high availability systems that combine CompactPCI with Ethernet for high-speed systems. This allows OEMs to build systems that are now more reliable, less expensive and faster to market, without waiting for the future switched fabrics.

Marathon Technologies -- www.marathontechnologies.com
Marathon Technologies has introduced the 10-Kilometer Endurance Long Distance SplitSite (LDSS) product, enabling a disaster-tolerant Windows environment. All Endurance products provide 99.999 percent fault tolerance by running two redundant systems in lockstep. The Endurance LDSS product allows the two systems to be separated up to 10 kilometers for complete disaster tolerance. If a disaster destroys one half of the system, the other half continues to operate with no failover, no impact on users, and no downtime.

Motorola Computer Group -- www.motorola.com/computer
Motorola Computer Group, recently unveiled plans for the Multi-Service Packet Transport Platform or MXP. The MXP, which adheres to open industry standards regulated by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG), is an embedded applications platform that helps provide the industrys fastest throughput (more than 700Gbps) with the flexibility and scalability needed to deliver multiple services that can connect to different networks -- Internet Protocol (IP) and ATM. The carrier-grade, high availability MXP simplifies the options and reduces the risk for telecom OEMs developing next-gen applications such as SS7 gateways, media/VoIP gateways, media gateway controllers, edge routers, softswitches, and access gateways, because they can develop on a single platform that is designed to be scaled up or down for performance and throughput depending on the application and number of users. Access to these options for speed and bandwidth are necessary for applications built at the edge of the network involving information that both manages and moves data (control and bearer plane traffic).

The MXPs control architecture supports up to 18 distributed processors or 8 distributed storage elements. The MXP employs a mesh switch fabric to augment the 2.16 environment. Using this fabric, a high-speed data environment can be created that scales to more than 700Gbps (17 x 18 x 2.5Gbps).

NEC Computers -- www.neccomp.com/
NEC Computers added to its series of continuously available, fault tolerant servers with the NEC ft Disk Expansion Unit (ft DEU), the NEC Express5800/320La (2-way) and Express5800/320Lr, the NEC Express5800/320La 1-way fault tolerant server. The introduction of the ft DEU lets NEC Computers provide external storage capacity for the Intel-based Windows 2000, Intel fault tolerant server platform. The NEC Express5800/320La (2-way) and Express5800/320Lr (8U, 2-way) are 2-way fault tolerant servers available in pedestal and rackmount formats. The NEC Express5800/320La 1-way fault tolerant server was introduced in September. And the NEC ft DEU, rackmounted hard-disk storage unit adds an additional potential capacity of 468 GB to NEC Computers fault tolerant servers. The built-to-order servers run on the Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server operating system and are bundled with high availability server management software. The addition of the two-way servers and storage system further enhances the flexibility of NEC Computers fault tolerant product line in mission-critical applications.

Performance Technologies -- www.pt.com
Performance Technologies announced the first in a line of gigabit Ethernet products compliant with a new industry standard designed to extend the life of PCI-based systems by moving traffic from a shared bus architecture to an embedded Ethernet backplane. Performance Technologies IPnexus CPC5400 is a Layer3 Gigabit Ethernet switch built around this innovative architecture, which was developed by Performance Technologies in late 2000 and ratified as standard 2.16 by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) in September 2001. Developers of highly available wireless, IP telephony and broadband access systems are continually seeking increased system bandwidth, performance, and reliability, and the combination of the IPnexus CPC5400 and PICMG 2.16 deliver dramatic improvements in these areas. System developers are capable of realizing performance increases of up to 16 times that of current PCI architectures. Coupled with comprehensive switching and high availability features, the CPC5400 raises embedded design performance to a new level. Features of the CPC5400 include eight gigabit Ethernet ports, wire-speed Layer2/Layer3 switching and a number of high availability features for carrier-grade operation.

RadiSys -- www.radisys.com
RadiSys updated its 4U ATX enterprise server. The 7581 rackmount server has been upgraded to incorporate the RadiSys Endura GL815E long-life motherboard and to deliver high processing power and unprecedented flexibility in a standard ATX form factor. It supports enterprise OEM customers who develop advanced telecom applications such as unified messaging systems, ACD equipment, and IP-based PBX systems. The Endura family of motherboards was developed by RadiSys to meet the needs of system designers who use motherboards in embedded systems and telecommunication applications and face challenges such as short life-cycles and the high cost of ownership that come with using commercial motherboards.

The 7581 enterprise server is based on RadiSys GL815E long-life motherboard, offers 866MHz processor speed and 256MB SDRAM. It features 10/100 BaseT Ethernet ports; I/O ports for USB, parallel, serial, mouse and keyboard; five drivebays for mass storage devices such as floppy, hard drive, and CD-ROM; and a video controller. Other features include 330W power supply, front serviceable fan filter, and front panel accessible power and reset switches along with LED indicators for power and hard disk drive activity.

SBS Technologies -- www.sbs.com
SBS Technologies announced the CP3-Quad100TX, a full hot-swap capable, 64-bit/66 MHz 10/100 Ethernet card for 3U CompactPCI computing applications with zero tolerance for system downtime. The high density CP3-Quad100TX provides four independent, high-performance 10BaseT/100BaseTX Ethernet interfaces. CP3-Quad100TXs 64-bit/66 MHz PCI interface supports 66 MHz host systems with no degradation of backplane performance. The single slot installation and compact design of the CP3-Quad100TX is well-suited for small, rack-mounted systems. The CP3-Quad100TX supports combined data rates of up to 800 Mbps full duplex and 400 Mbps half-duplex.

Sun Microsystems -- www.sun.com
Building on the proven methodology of its successful Cluster Platform 220/1000, Sun Microsystems announced its next-gen, entry-level Cluster Platform 280/3. The fourth offering to be added to the family of SunTone Cluster Platforms, the latest solution continues Suns efforts to improve total cost of ownership (TCO) for its customers. Powered by redundant UltraSPARC III chip-based Sun Fire 280R servers and highly scalable, mirrored Sun StorEdge T3 arrays, the pre-integrated and tested Cluster Platform 280/3 is designed to provide high availability with Sun Cluster 3.0s failover protection and load balancing technologies while decreasing complexity via a single, integrateable stack. Suns integrateable platform provides a building-block approach to customer solutions. As a result, delivery is accelerated and customer deployment times have been cut by up to 80 percent, which ultimately equates to better customer TCO.

Suns Cluster Platform 280/3 provides up-front savings with a pre-architected and engineered infrastructure designed to address high availability needs and eliminate the time-consuming and potentially complex evaluation and design process. The platform is designed and tested to meet the SunTone Programs best practices for quality delivery of Web-enabled services.

Siliconrax-Sliger -- www.siliconrax-sliger.com
Siliconrax-Sliger and PIKA Technologies have been working closely together to bring powerful and innovative communications solutions for next-gen CT applications since the companies entered a partnership in March 2000. The integration of PIKAs open communication server platform and Siliconrax-Sligers fault-tolerant rackmount server system will provide most reliable and cost-effective CT platforms supporting Windows NT and Linux operating systems for mission critical CT applications. VARs, OEMs, system integrators, traditional telephone service providers, and telephone/Internet service providers, implementing PBX, IVR, VoIP, fax, call center management and audio logging applications will appreciate the versatility, cost effectiveness and proven reliability of the partnerships solutions.

The low-end CT server configuration starts at Pentium II 350MHz SBC, one 10/100 base-T Ethernet PCI and one Daytona 3D SIS 4MB PCI. Siliconrax-Sliger uses the SR-CX476H 4U rackmount enclosure with 5 exposed horizontal drive bays. The CT server supports up to 512MB PC 100 ECC SDRAM and a 300-Watts PS2 power supply. And, it accommodates one 14-slot PCI/ISA backplane, 6.4GB IDE HDD, 40x IDE CD-ROM and 1.44MB 3.5 FDD. The product supports Windows NT Server 4.0.

Technoland -- www.technoland.com
Technoland has released an Intel 845 Pentium 4 PICMG SBC, the TL-SBC 8000. Featuring Intels 845 chipset and Pentium 4 processor, the TL-SBC 8000 is powered by the Intel Pentium 4 CPU with up to 2 GHz clock speed. Designed for the highest level of computing performance yet available on SBCs, the board also features a 400 MHz front side bus speed, ATA-100 IDE data transfers, 512K cache on CPU, and up to 3 GB SDRAM support. The TL-SBC 8000 comes with ATI Mobility M6 VGA controller to offer 4X AGP 8MB/16MB embedded DDR RAM for TMDS, LVDS, CRT, and TV-out displays support. Also onboard features are 10/100Base TX ICH2 Ethernet controller with an optional dual Ethernet solution and ICH2 audio with optional AC97 and external connector. The TL-SBC 8000 is developed especially for rugged and demanding applications with an ideal blend of reliable performance, compact computing, and long product life. Its unique CPU cooling heat sink design, which takes only two ISA slots, makes the board ideal for meeting 1U chassis requirements. Target markets include industrial automation, image processing, multimedia, and telecommunications.

Tracewell Systems -- www.tracewellsystems.com
Tracewell Systems has announced a new variant of its patented T-Frame test and development system that provides the unparalleled board access, convenience, and diagnostics of the original T-Frame, with the high performance of a CompactPCI Packet Switching Backplane (cPCI/PSB). The T-Frame concept features an open-frame design and a comprehensive set of chassis management and monitoring functions, enabling developers to access and monitor installed boards, without performance-robbing extender cards. Existing cPCI, VME, and VME64x T-Frames have proven to be ideal development tools for designers, manufacturers, and system integrators who need to reduce time to market for telecom/datacom, COTS, data acquisition, and related systems. The new T-Frame for cPCI/PS combines these same advantages with the latest switch fabric architecture, enabling the same rapid development of high-speed, scalable, Embedded System Area Network (ESAN) based systems.

T-Frames open-frame chassis is a rugged yet easily portable product that stands up to the rigors of todays telecom, industrial and military applications. Comprehensive monitoring covers all backplane voltages, current, and exhaust air temperature. In addition, the front panel interface displays fan speed and voltage control, including +5 and +3.3 volt margining. Single or dual 350 watt plug-in power supplies are available, allowing hot swap power simulation, N+1, or high power 700 watt operation. Power supplies may be installed either in front or rear card cages, further improving accessibility. High-pressure cooling fans are adjustable to full or half speed and automatically turn-off when not in use to reduce noise. The IEEE 1101.10/11 compliant cardcage is constructed of rigid steel using a high-strength design that eliminates the flex common in conventional extruded rail construction. This rear I/O cardcage is adjustable for a wide range of board depths. To make the developers job even easier, the T-Frame has a tilt base, removable side access covers, recessed carrying handles and an internal 3.5 peripheral bay.

Trenton -- www.trentonprocessors.com
Trentons SLE is designed to handle your tough applications and demanding memory requirements. With dual Intel Pentium III processors you have the power you need, and with SDRAM memory you have a cost-effective proven solution. With dual Ethernet, Ultra3 SCSI, a 133MHz FSB, and a 64-bit/66MHz PCI Local Bus on-board, Trentons SLE provides you with a solution that can handle todays requirements as well as help you build for the future. The SLE is built around dual Intel Pentium III microprocessors (FC-PGA) at 600EBMHz-1.26GHz, a ServerWorks ServerSet III LE chipset that supports higher Front Side Bus bandwidth at 133MHz, with full support for ECC on the memory bus. It also supports single-bit error correction, with multiple-bit error detection.

The dual Pentium III processor-based design allows the operating system to assign tasks on demand to the next available processor. SMP uses applications which are divided into threads which can run concurrently on any available processor. The processors support either a 256 K or 512 K L2 integrated on-die Advanced Transfer Cache. The cache is a 256-bit wide, 8-way set associative cache running at full processor core frequency. The SDRAM interface consists of two dual in-line memory module (DIMM) sockets and supports auto detection of memory up to 2GB of Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) memory. Additional features include on-board primary and secondary PCI bus interfaces, two USB 1.0 ports, two floppy drives, two high-speed serial ports, dual PCI Ethernet interfaces, and Ultra3 SCSI interface, and an Intel 69030 VGA video interface with 4 MB of on-chip memory.

VMIC -- www.vmic.com
VMIC introduced the VMICPCI-7716, a single-slot Pentium III FC-PGA processor-based CompactPCI SBC with processor speeds up to 1 GHz. The VMICPCI-7716 accepts 144-pin SODIMM SDRAM modules for a maximum memory capacity of 1 GB. The on-board DRAM is dual ported to the CompactPCI bus. A C&T 69030 graphics adapter supports high-resolution graphics and multimedia-quality video with 4 MB memory SVGA and LVDS digital video via a J4 rear panel I/O. The VMICPCI-7716 supports two Ethernet LANs with the Intel 82559ER PCI Ethernet controller, and 10BaseT and 100BaseTX options are supported via a J5 rear I/O connection.

Ziatech -- www.ziatech.com
Ziatech, an Intel company, introduced the ZT 5087, a 4U, 7-slot CompactPCI system designed for highly dense, high-powered carrier-grade applications. The system provides application designers with a low-cost, pre-configured, ready-to-run, CompactPCI computer. The ZT 5087 utilizes a uniquely designed 4U, 19, rack-mountable enclosure that accommodates seven 6U CompactPCI boards, transversely mounted in a CompactPCI backplane. The system supports the H.110 computer telephony bus and industry standard rear I/O. Up to three modular AC or DC 200-watt power supplies power the system and optimal cooling is provided through an innovative side-to-rear ventilation system, providing superior thermal characteristics.

The ZT 5087 benefits from Ziatechs extensive selection of CPU boards, from low-power module to dual processor solutions based on the Intel Pentium III processor, which provides the system with a flexible range of performance. The system is configured to support one System Master single board computer and up to six Peripheral Master CompactPCI computers. An eighth slot is available for a media board that houses a CD-ROM drive and optional 12 GB hard drive. The system also comes standard with a Slimline floppy disk drive. The ZT 5087 system can be ordered with Linux or Windows 2000 and also supports VxWorks.

[ Return To The January 2002 Table Of Contents ]