CompactPCI: Infrastructure Platform Evolution

CompactPCI led the evolution of reliable communications platforms for many years and became the de facto telecom platform standard with countless successful deployments and a wide array of components available from a variety of vendors. One of the greatest strengths of CompactPCI has been its adaptability; as deficiencies in the architecture have been identified, equipment vendors working in conjunction with PICMG have been successful in correcting them.

One example of CompactPCI's adaptability involves the PCI bus itself. While CompactPCI architecture was born from the PCI bus, as the reliability of CompactPCI systems improved, the PCI bus slowly became the Achilles heel of the architecture since there was always the possibility that any malfunctioning card might take down the PCI bus and, in turn, the entire system.

Recognizing this weakness, in early 2000 Continuous Computing released the first Hi-5 Network Bus Architecture CompactPCI platform. This platform replaced the PCI bus with redundant Ethernet connectivity to each card in the chassis, as shown in the figure below. The platform was designed for the purpose of improving reliability and performance while maintaining the benefits of the CompactPCI form factor.

Hi-5 Network Bus Architecture

Since the introduction of the first Hi-5 platform, the telecom industry has embraced redundant Ethernet connectivity within the chassis through efforts of the PICMG 2.16 working group. Further improving this architectural evolution, the working group took the next logical step by replacing external Ethernet cabling between cards with an embedded, dual-star Ethernet topology routed on the CompactPCI midplane itself. With standard pinouts defined for support of this more reliable and higher performance architecture, both platform and board providers rushed to introduce an assortment of PICMG 2.16-compliant technology solutions. A cursory look at the current CompactPCI market demonstrates the success of this innovation first pioneered by Continuous Computing.

It is in this vein of innovation that Continuous Computing has solved another issue in relation to CompactPCI architecture. To appreciate this issue, let us first define two requirements for achieving maximum reliability in platform architecture:

1. No Single Point of Failure
   Redundancy must be provided in every aspect of the architecture; No single point in the system should be able to cause failure.
2. Fault Isolation
   Potential failures must be isolated to prevent them from spreading and resulting in larger system failures.

While most platform providers offer 2N or N+1 redundant power supply configurations, the power from these supplies is distributed across a shared power bus to all cards in the system. This shared bus represents a single point of failure, and there is no possibility of isolating this fault because the power bus distributes power to all of the cards in the system. As a result, a failure of the power bus leads to a failure of the entire system.

Recognizing the inherent power deficiencies in the current generation of CompactPCI platforms, Continuous Computing once again introduced an innovation to the CompactPCI architecture with Flex21, a third-generation CompactPCI platform first introduced in 2003. As with the company's initial Hi-5 platform introduced in 2000, Flex21 improves reliability and performance while maintaining the benefits of the CompactPCI form factor, thus protecting telecom equipment manufacturers' investment in CompactPCI equipment.

With these challenges overcome, highly available, fully manageable, and easily serviceable intelligent CompactPCI-based platforms are a reliable and real option for TEMs today. By outsourcing platform development, TEMs can substantially decrease the time-to-market requirements of their product development while also realizing higher profit margins. Furthermore, TEMs also gain the ability to target the rapidly expanding and evolving market for converged and wireless network applications in a focused, efficient, and targeted manner.

About Continuous Computing

Continuous Computing provides integrated systems and services that enable telecom equipment manufacturers to rapidly deploy Next Generation Networks (NGN). Over 150 customers worldwide benefit from the company's unique blend of customized professional services, Trillium protocol software, AdvancedTCA and CompactPCI systems, and BladeCenter hardware. Continuous Computing helps customers reduce platform lifecycle costs, optimize data delivery, and accelerate deployments of NGN, 3G/4G Wireless, and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) infrastructure. The company is ISO-9001 and CMMI certified and based in San Diego with development centers in China and India. For more information, visit www.ccpu.com.

Continuous Computing, the Continuous Computing logo, Create | Deploy | Converge, FlexTCA, Flex21, FlexChassis, FlexCompute, FlexCore, FlexDSP, FlexPacket, FlexStore, FlexSwitch, FlexTCA, Network Service-Ready Platform, Quick!Start, TAPA, Trillium, Trillium+plus, and the Trillium logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Continuous Computing Corporation. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.