VMetro Goes VXS

Feb. 8, 2006

VXS is becoming a critical cog in the VME realm. VMetro is answering the call for more and faster systems with products like its Phoenix series. While many others concentrate on single board computers. VMetro has created a collection of switch cards and d

William G. Wong

VXS is becoming a critical cog in the VME realm. VMetro is answering the call for more and faster systems with products like its Phoenix series, while many others concentrate on single board computers. VMetro has created a collection of switch cards and data-acquisition cards. The Phoenix M6000 (see Fig. 1) is a PowerPC-based VXS I/O Controller with a dual 4-Gbit/s Fibre Channel interface, an FPGA, and two XMC sites with x8 PCI Express interfaces. It also has an AMCC 440SP PowerPC processor, 512 Mbytes of memory, and a 320-MByte/s 2eSST VME interface. The FPGA sits between the board and the VXS backplane, and allows implementation of all standard switch-fabric interfaces.

The Phoenix CSW1 (see Fig. 2) is a zero-latency VXS switch card with fiber-optic front panel I/O. It has 56 1x VXS backplane data links. Each link can operate at speeds up to 3.2 GHz. It also has up to 12 front panel transceiver channels and a short XMC site. Unlike other fabric switches for protocols like Serial RapidIO, the CSW1 is a circuit switch that supports point-to-point high-speed serial protocols such as Aurora. It allows a system to be built using a standard VXS backplane.

The Vanguard Express XMC module (see Fig. 3) is actually a protocol and link analyzer. It’s designed to plug in between a PCI Express XMC module and an XMC site. It contains protocol and link analysis support along with a 256-Mbyte trace buffer. The monitoring system connects to the XMC module using an Ethernet or USB connection. The system can handle split transactions and the monitoring software provides a range of traffic views. A PMC version is also available.

VMetro was showing off its SanBric (see Fig. 4), a removable rugged storage device with a protective shock isolation frame. It has room for six disks for a potential capacity of 1.8 Tbytes. It is designed to tolerate high shock, vibration, altitude, and temperature conditions. It’s suitable for operations up to 72,000 feet. The SanBric has two Fibre Channel interfaces that operate at 385-Mbytes/s, sufficient for use as Vortex recorders. It can work with a range of power supplies, including 110-V AC 400 Hz and 24 and 48 V DC.

VMETRO was also showing off its PMC/XMC modules with the SFM Quad Serial FPDP support. The SFM handles up to four simultaneous serial FPDP (VITA 17.1-2003) channels. The PMC module has a 133-MHz PCI-X interface, while the XMC version has a PCI Express interface.

William G. Wong | Senior Content Director - Electronic Design and Microwaves & RF

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