Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture: Difference between revisions

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{{technical|date=August 2013}}

'''Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture'''<ref>PICMG. "Reference". PICMG 3.0 Revision 2.0 AdvancedTCA Base Specification. http://www.picmg.org</ref> ('''ATCA''' or '''AdvancedTCA''') is the largest specification effort in the history of the [[PICMG|PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group]] (PICMG)]], with more than 100 companies participating. Known as AdvancedTCA, the official specification designation PICMG 3.''x'' (see below) was ratified by the PICMG organization in December 2002.<ref>Pavlat, Joe. "AdvancedTCA turns 10". CompactPCI and AdvancedTCA Systems Vol. 15, Issue 5. OpenSystems Media: 2011. http://advancedtca-systems.com/advancedtca-turns-10/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604151015/http://advancedtca-systems.com/advancedtca-turns-10/ |date=2011-06-04 }}</ref> AdvancedTCA is targeted primarily to requirements for the next generation of "[[carrier grade]]" communications equipment, but has recently expanded its reach into more ruggedized applications geared toward the milmilitary/aeroaerospace industries as well.<ref>McDevitt, Joe. "PICMG to Expand Market and Applications for AdvancedTCA". PICMG - Resources. [http://www.picmg.org/v2internal/resourcepage2.cfm?id=2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523160054/http://www.picmg.org/v2internal/resourcepage2.cfm?id=2 |date=2010-05-23 }}</ref> This series of specifications incorporates the latest trends in high speed interconnect technologies, next-generation processors, and improved [[Reliability, availability and serviceability (computer hardware)|Reliability, Availability and Serviceability]] (RAS).

== Mechanical specifications ==

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The shelf supports RTMs (Rear Transition Modules). RTMs plug into the back of the shelf in slot locations that match the front boards. The RTM and the front board are interconnected through a Zone-3 connector. The Zone-3 connector is not defined by the AdvancedTCA specification.

Each shelf slot is 30.48&nbsp;mm wide. This allows for 14-board chassis to be installed in a [[Rack_unit | 19-inch rack-mountable system]] and 16 boards in an [[23-inch_rack | ETSI]] rack-mountable system]]. A typical 14-slot system is 12U12 or 13U13 [[rack unit]]s high. The large AdvancedTCA shelves are targeted to the [[telecommunication]] market so the airflow goes in the front of the shelf, across the boards from bottom to top, and out the rear of the shelf. Smaller shelves that are used in enterprise applications typically have horizontal air flow.

The small-medium AdvancedTCA shelves are targeted to the telecommunication market; for the lab research operation, some shelves have an open cover in order to make testing easier.

== Backplane architecture ==

The AdvancedTCA backplane provides point-to-point connections between the boards and does not use a data bus. The backplane definition is divided into three sections; Zone-1, Zone-2, and Zone-3. The connectors in Zone-1 provide redundant −48&nbsp;VDC power and Shelf Management signals to the boards. The connectors in Zone-2 provide the connections to the Base Interface and Fabric Interface. All Fabric connections use point-to-point 100 Ω differential signals. Zone-2 is called "Fabric Agnostic" which means that any Fabric that can use 100 Ω differential signals can be used with an AdvancedTCA backplane.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bolaria|first1=Jag|title=Understanding backplane, chip-to-chip tech (EETimes) |url=http://www.eetimes.com/industrychallenges/interconnect/showArticledocument.jhtmlasp?articleIDdoc_id=558004391266762|website=EETimes|accessdate=9 August 2017|date=2004-12-20}}</ref>

The connectors in Zone-3 are user defined and are usually used to connect a front board to a Rear Transition Module. The Zone-3 area can also hold a special backplane to interconnect boards with signals that are not defined in the AdvancedTCA specification.

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The Fabric is commonly [[SerDes]] Gigabit Ethernet, but can also be [[Fibre Channel]], [[XAUI]] 10-Gigabit [[Ethernet]], [[InfiniBand]], [[PCI Express]], or Serial [[RapidIO]]. Any Fabric that can use the point-to-point 100 Ω differential signals can be used with an AdvancedTCA backplane.

The [[PICMG]] 3.1 [[Ethernet]]/[[Fibre Channel]] specification has been revised to include [[IEEE]] 40GBASE[[100 Gigabit Ethernet|100GBASE-KR4]] signaling to the existing IEEE [[100 Gigabit Ethernet|40GBASE-KR4]], [[10 Gigabit Ethernet|10GBASE-KX4]], IEEE[[10 Gigabit Ethernet|10GBASE-KR]], and [[XAUI]] signaling. Switch boards using the 40GBASE-KR4 signaling were successfully tested in four different manufacturer's shelves at a recent ATCA Interoperability Workshop.

== Blades (boards)==

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AdvancedTCA blades can be Processors, Switches, AMC carriers, etc. A typical shelf will contain one or more switch blades and several processor blades.

When they are first inserted into the shelf the onboard IPMC is powered from the redundant -48V−48&nbsp;V on the backplane. The IPMC sends an [[Intelligent Platform Management Interface|IPMI]] event message to the Shelf Manager to let it know that it has been installed. The Shelf Manager reads information from the blade and determines if there is enough power available. If there is, the Shelf Manager sends a command to the IPMC to power-up the payload part of the blade. The Shelf Manager also determines what fabric ports are supported by the blade. It then looks at the fabric interconnect information for the backplane to find out what fabric ports are on the other end of the fabric connections. If the fabric ports on both ends of the backplane wires match then it sends an IPMI command to both blades to enable the matching ports.

Once the blade is powered-up and connected to the fabrics the Shelf Manager listens for event messages from the sensors on the blade. If a temperature sensor reports that it is too warm then the Shelf Manager will increase the speed of the fans.

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== External links ==

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110622211233/http://www.advancedtca.org/ Official AdvancedTCA Site]

*[http://www.picmg.org Official PICMG Site]

*[http://www.coreipm.com coreIPM Project: Free & Open Source Software for ATCA Platform Management] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818110857/http://www.coreipm.com/ |date=2020-08-18 }}

*[http://advancedtca-systems.com/ AdvancedTCA Systems Magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060205100829/http://advancedtca-systems.com/ |date=2006-02-05 }}

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[[Category:Computer networking]]

[[Category:Computer buses]]

[[Category:Telecommunications equipment]]