Communications

3U OpenVPX PCI Express and Ethernet hybrid switch offers applications up to ten times more bandwidth

26th May 2011
ES Admin
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Today Kontron announced the 3U OpenVPX PCI Express and Ethernet hybrid switch VX3905 which delivers extremely high transfer rates in centralized VPX and OpenVPX platforms. With up to 4 x 6 Gen1/Gen2 PCIe backplane ports for the data plane, it provides ten times the I/O bandwidth found in systems deploying today and paves the way for a new generation of high performance embedded computing (HPEC) applications. OEMs will benefit from flexible OpenVPX system designs, which enable application-specific configurations through centralized COTS backplanes. Owing to the open configurability of the Kontron VX3905, system developers can minimize development time and cost for specific system designs while enabling the re-use of these designs for other applications.
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The Kontron 3U OpenVPX PCI Express and Ethernet hybrid switch VX3905 is compliant with the OpenVPX VITA65 switch slot profile SLT3-SWH-6F6U-14.4 for highest compatibility in multi-board designs. It provides up to 24 PCI Express Gen 1/Gen 2 ports for up to 32 lanes which can be configured ( x8, x4, x2 and x1) depending on the required bandwidth. This offers OEMs a maximum data transfer rate of up to four gigabyte/s per port for serial interboard communication, an extended lifecycle of OpenVPX applications as well as enough headroom for future high-bandwidth designs. The switch can also be partitioned into multiple PCIe subsystem in order for the centralized backplane to host multiple root complexes each being able to control their own peripherals. This enables densely packed system designs in a single housing to reduce space, weight and TCO. Up to nine Gigabit Ethernet ports are available on the Kontron VX3905 for the control plane, enabling dedicated system management for high availability. An optional SATA disk carrier in accordance with the OpenVPX VITA65 SLT3-STO-2U-14.5.1 profile facilitates central data storage for OpenVPX systems without valuable payload slots having to be used, further simplifying the system design. In addition, the Kontron VX3905 can also be deployed in 6U systems as stipulated in the mechanical OpenVPX specifications. In combination with the Kontron 6U VPX dual processor board VX6060, OEMs can develop new computing platforms for data-intensive applications like radar, sonar and imaging with a SWaP-(Size Weight and Power)-optimized design based on standard COTS components.



For customers to capitalize on the Kontron VX3905's high bandwidth, while enjoying optimized time-to-market in centralized VPX/OpenVPX architectures, Kontron offers VXFabric, an efficient software solution for interboard communication. With Kontron VXFabric on Kontron 3U and 6U VPX processor boards, OEMs can use common Linux and TCP or UDP sockets. It decouples the application software from the low-level hardware management to simplify and accelerate application development. An additional benefit includes longer application life cycles as the software ensures migration to future standards such as 10G and 40G Ethernet on the backplane.



Complementing the Kontron 3U OpenVPX PCI Express and Ethernet hybrid switch VX3905 is a complete Kontron VPX ecosystem. With corresponding CPU boards, backplanes, XMC/PMC carrier boards and pre-configured evaluation systems, OEMs have immediate access to begin developing and deploying VPX/OpenVPX boards and systems.



The Kontron 3U OpenVPX PCI Express and Ethernet hybrid switch VX3905 is available now in an air-cooled (0°C to +55°C) and conduction-cooled version (-40°C to + 85°C).

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