Kontron OM6040: Open Modular MicroTCA Platform with Single-Star Backplane for PCI Express and Gigabit Ethernet

Small, packet switched backplane systems are the first choice for telecommunication applications in markets such as 3GSM, triple play, military, police, government and avionics. As well as telecommunications, image and video processing applications in the medical, industrial quality management and simulation sectors profit form the extremely fast serial communication protocols.

For entry-level systems and lab validation, the Kontron OM6040 open modular MicroTCA platform provides the most cost-effective and pre-validated solution that is perfectly equipped with either the Kontron AM4010 AdvancedMC processor module or with the optional Kontron AM4100. The Kontron AM4010 AdvancedMC processor module is available in an array of LV and ULV Intel® Core™ Duo and Intel® Core™2 Duo processor options that represent substantial processing power and maximum MIPS per Watt for both AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA redundant system designs. Based on the 1.5 GHz Dual Core Freescale PowerPC® MPC8641D, the optional Kontron AM4100 delivers up to 2.3 MIPS/MHz computing performance and maximum Ethernet bandwidth without breaking the power budgets of modular AdvancedTCA carriers or highly-integrated, redundant MicroTCA multi-processing systems. The AM4100 version also supports Serial Rapid I/O as alternative option to PCI Express.

The chassis of the open modular Kontron OM6040 MicroTCA platform is 3U high, 250 mm deep and 156 mm wide. It contains an AC power supply and fans with airflow from below the AdvancedMC slots. The open modular platform supports one slot for one full-size MCH (MicroTCA controller hub) and 4 slots for full-size AdvancedMCs. The single star-backplane connects GbE and PCIe to each of the 4 AdvancedMC slots. It can be used to connect multiple processor-AdvancedMCs over GbE as well as for I/O AdvancedMCs or VGA cards, which connect over PCIe. In addition, the backplane supports point-to-point connections for SAS or SATA HDD on AdvancedMC for two selected slots. The MCH supports a total of 6x GbE ports to AdvancedMCs plus 1 GbE port on the front for interconnection. The MCH also supports 4x PCIe lanes to each slot and provides all clocks including the PCIe spread spectrum clock. As alternative to PCI Express, the modular MCH is also available with Serial Rapid IO.

The compact Kontron OM6040 MicroTCA open modular platform enables the set-up of cost effective MicroTCA environments with AdvancedMCs e.g. for validation of system designs and technical feasibility. The single-star backplane supports multi-processor applications with up to four AdvancedMCs on a limited scale and without redundancy. For larger systems with up to 12 AdvancedMCs, Kontron also provides open modular platforms with dual-star backplanes and redundant MCHs.