Specifications under development


Series 2 - CompactPCI Specifications

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Series 3 - AdvancedTCA Specifications (AdvancedTCA™)

PICMG 3.1 R2.0 Ethernet/Fibre Channel for AdvancedTCA 

Project
Description
The purpose of the Working Group is to develop enumberated requirements that incorporate 1000BASE-KX, 10GBASE-KX4, 10GBASE-KR and 49GBASE-KR4 fabric options into Revision 2.0 of the PICMG 3.1 specifications. A key goal of this activity is to guarantee backward compatibility with existing 3.x blade mechanicals and connectors, and interoperability with BX/BX4 fabric options.
Interim Chairman  Dough Sandy (Motorola)

PICMG 3.8 R1.0 AdvancedTCA Rear Transition Module

Project
Description
The purpose of this document is to define a set of connectors for data and management on the RTM described in PICMG 3.0 R3.0. The management protocols are those defined in the IRTM specification. The intent is to define a power/system management connector that  can be used by other RTM dot specifications that detail other data connector versions such as coax, fiber optic, etc. This document also details power and cooling issues and specifies keying options for various signal levels.
Interim Chairman  

PICMG ATCA300 Specification

Project
Description

This is a subsidiary specification to the PICMG 3.0 specification and will define the standard approach for implementing ATCA based equipment which requires compliance with 400mm ANSI and ETSI equipment practices. 

It will define board depth adjustment, front transition module usage models, front access power entry modules, cable management and thermal requirements. It may optionally include usage definitions for shelf controller base fabric implementations.

 Chairman  Nail Robinson (Optovia)

PICMG ATCA Extensions for Applications outside the Telecom Central Office

Project
Description

The objective is to develop extensions to the AdvancedTCA architecture to make the platform more optimal for non-telecom applications including network data centers. 

Goals are:

  • Maintain forward and backward compatibility with existing ATCA products
  • Enhanced features for double-wide Boards
  • Enhancements to power (and cooling)
  • Scalable environmentals
  • Allowances for double-sided Shelves
  • Optional support for 10Gbps signaling on Base Interface provided that backwards compatibility can be maintained
  • Add an additional example backplane topology

Deliverables will be either extensions to base PICMG 3.0 specification or supplemental specification early 2010.

Interim Chairman

Other Specifications 

PICMG MTCA.2 Hardened Air Cooled MicroTCA

Project
Description
The intent is to create an air cooled module specification appropriate for telecom and military ruggedized applications based upon the MicroTCA.3 conduction cooled specification. The genesis of this specification is to include:
  • Commercial and Military Applications

  • Air cooled hardened form factors based upon the outline dimensions of the MicroTCA.3 module

  • Environmental requirements similar to VITA47 air cooled and telecom

  • Military Airborne, Shipboard, and Ground Mobile Equipment (general requirements; not program-specific)

  • Hardened - Telecom, Machine Industry (Rotating  machine mounted) and Transport Industry (Railway; truck; ship; aircraft mounted)

Interim Chairman Mark Leibowitz (BAE Systems)

PICMG MTCA.4 Enhancements for Rear I/O and Precision Timing

Project
Description
The purpose of this document is to define an AMC and a corresponding µRTM module set for rear I/O along with an appropriate µTCA shelf. The document also contains a section on precision timing that was driven by needs in the physics accelerator control and experiment data collection electronics.

 

PICMG Physics xTCA Software Architectures & Protocols

Project
Description
The intent is to define a common set of software architectures and supporting infrastructure that will facilitate inter-operability and portability of both hardware and software modules among the various applications developed for the Physics xTCA platform and that will minimize the development effort and time required to construct experiments and systems using that platform.

The working group shall strive for maximum compatibility with existing ATCA, µTCA and AMC specifications.

Interim Chair Stefan Simrock (DESY)

PICMG Interconnect Channel Characterization (SIC)

Project
Description
This specification will establish standard nomenclatura, data formats and algorithms that can be used to specify and characterize the interconnect channel that are the basis of other PICMG architectural specifications. 

Various PICMG architectural specifications have electrical chapters that address the interconnect channel and define basic electrical requirements in terms of attenuation crosstalk and skew. It is now recognized that a more rigorous approach is needed to provide critical information that will allow potential adopters to evaluate the capability of an architecture for signaling at data rates beyond 3 Gigabits per second.

Chairman (interim) Michael Munroe (Elma Bustronic)

 

PICMG HPM.2

Project
Description
Creation of HPM.2, the LAN-attached IPMC specification, to standardize LAN-attached xTCA management controllers. This effort addresses xTCA local FRU management controllers that have a connection to an in-shelf LAN (e.g. the Base Interface in an AdvancedTCA shelf) as a complement to the mandatory IPMB connection. The scope of HPM.2 will include support for serial over LAN facilities that allow remote access to multiple serial communication ports implemented on each LAN-attached FRU
Chairman (interim) Mark Overgaard (Pigeon Point Systems)

PICMG HPM.3

Project
Description

Creation of HPM.3, the DHCP-assigned Hardware Platform Management Parameters specification, to standardize the use of DHCP to assign management controller operational parameters, especially those related to IP addresses.

Chairman (interim) Mark Overgaard (Pigeon Point Systems)

PICMG HPM.4

Project
Description

Creation of HPM.4, the Authenticating IPMC specification, to standardize IPMCs that can serve as a hardware root of trust for their intelligent FRUs. This effort aims to ensure that, where the HPM.4 architecture is adopted, intelligent FRUs participating in an xTCA system (and potentially, applications running thereon) are authorized to do so. The scope of HPM.4 will include sufficient definition of a supporting infrastructure (including cryptographic aspects) for authenticating IPMCs so that a compatible xTCA ecosystem can be established, much as has occurred for HPM.1.

Chairman (interim) Mark Overgaard (Pigeon Point Systems)