AdvancedTCA Newsletter

What’s New in AdvancedTCA

• With the cooperation of CompactPCI and AdvancedTCA Systems Magazine and RTC Magazine, and the endorsement of PICMG, Conference Concepts is sponsoring the 1st Annual AdvancedTCA Summit - Europe. The Summit will be on September 18th and 19th at the Disney Newport Bay Convention Centre near Paris, France. The program will provide attendees with practical information about the AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA standards, the emerging open platforms for telecommunications equipment and other networking applications. The Summit theme is “Leading the Way to New Standards-Based Solutions”. Keynote speakers are Keate Despain of Intel, Frank Jouenee of Alcatel-Lucent, Anthony Ambrose of Radisys, and Paul Virgo of Motorola. Exhibits and open sessions are free to the public. For more information, see euroatcasummit.com.
• With the cooperation of CompactPCI and AdvancedTCA Systems Magazine and RTC Magazine, and the endorsement of PICMG, Conference Concepts is also sponsoring the 3rd annual AdvancedTCA Summit. The Summit will be on October 16-18 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California. The program will provide attendees with practical information about the AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA standards, the emerging open platforms for telecommunications equipment and other networking applications. The Summit theme is “Leading the Way to New Standards-Based Solutions”. Keynote speakers are Keate Despain of Intel, Brian Carr of Motorola, John Walrod of SAIC, and Magnus Karlson of SCOPE Alliance. Exhibits and opens sessions are free to the public. For more information, see advancedtcasummit.com.

Plus - 1. Market Watch, 2. Industry News 3. Navigating the Technology Minefield 4. Contributing Editors Perspectives 5. Features 6. Financial News 7. Newsletter Advertising Rates 8. Newsletter Archives

1. Market Watch Introducing Eric Heikkila, Contributing Editor/Market Research, Venture Development Eric Heikkila is a Lead Analyst in and Director of the Embedded Hardware & Systems practice at Venture Development Corporation (VDC), where he provides program management for multi-client studies on embedded hardware markets. He also supports proprietary research programs in the embedded hardware systems space, including market opportunity assessments, strategic partnership planning, end user analyses, due diligence, pricing programs, and emerging technology opportunity assessments. In the past Eric has authored VDC market analysis on merchant computer boards for embedded/real-time applications, embedded integrated computer systems, ATCA and MicroTCA, embedded COTS systems in military, aerospace, and defense applications, and multi-core processing in embedded applications. Eric holds a BS in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Economics from Bucknell University. We are pleased to present the inaugural feature article from Eric Heikkila. Platforms Are the Key to Understanding the AdvancedTCA/MicroTCA Markets VDC is please to have been selected as Lead Analyst for the AdvancedTCA Newsletter. Our first piece addresses the most important question facing every AdvancedTCA product supplier: Who is buying AdvancedTCA? We have been pursuing the answer for three years now, and our ongoing research into the emerging markets for AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA components, systems, and professional services is finally getting to the bottom of it. Here’s how we have proceeded, and what we have learned. See the full article. Introducing Venture Development Corporation, Sponsor/Lead Analyst Company for the ATCA Newsletter. Venture Development Corporation (VDC), in business since 1971, is a leading source of market research for embedded systems and many applications markets. The company provides market research, tactical reviews, strategic analysis, and consulting services to technology companies worldwide. For more information, see vdc-corp.com. VDC has developed the world’s most comprehensive body of research and analysis on the AdvancedTCA market, its drivers, and the opportunities that lie ahead. Most of the industry’s leading suppliers of boards and related hardware rely on VDC research to plan their products and overall businesses. Contact Eric Heikkila, Director of VDC’s Embedded Hardware Research, to learn more.

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2. Industry News

NetEffect announced the availability of the newest member of its NE020 Family of high performance Ethernet adapters – the 10Gb Ethernet adapter for the IBM BladeCenter H system. The dual-port NetEffect NE020BCH Mezzanine adapter enables IBM customers to meet the most challenging requirements for scale-up or scale-out environments while extending their existing investments in Ethernet standard hardware and software. The NE020 is also the first Ethernet adapter to support more than 10Gbps throughput with standard sockets-based applications while driving latency down to levels previously achieved only by costly proprietary solutions. NetEffect is a member of Blade.org, an organization chartered to promote the development and innovation of blade technology to help customers meet the growing demands on their IT infrastructures. For more information, visit blade.org.

Ulticom® announced the latest version of its Signalware® signaling suite. Signalware 9 SP 5 contains platform enhancements, protocol additions, and open systems support to address a broad range of opportunities faced by communication systems and service providers. This release of Signalware offers a comprehensive set of new features designed to accelerate the development and deployment of personalized communication services to subscribers in converging network architectures. "Signalware 9 SP5 is an ideal fit for developers targeting the wireless enhanced services market with innovative payment, messaging, location, and mobility applications," said Osman Duman, senior vice president and CMO at Ulticom. "Specifically, support for the latest versions of 3G wireless protocols GSM MAP and CAP allow for the personalization of subscriber services as well as more robust call control and billing schemes tailored to individual subscriber segment needs." For more information, visit ulticom.com.

Elma Electronic, a global manufacturer of electronic packaging products, has produced a new brochure for its MicroTCA products. The MicroTCA brochure includes background information on MicroTCA, product details, technical briefs, and more. The products described in the brochure include Elma’s backp***s, enclosures, handles, panels, accessories, and cabinet enclosures. An overview of the company’s thermal and backp*** simulation for MicroTCA is included, as well as the cooling configuration of Elma’s liquid heat exchange cabinet solution. For more information on Elma’s MicroTCA products visit elma.com or call 510-656-3400.

Emerson Network Power’s (NYSE: EMR) Embedded Computing business announced the availability of MontaVista® Linux® Carrier Grade Edition (CGE) version 4.0 for Emerson’s Katana®Qp AdvancedTCA® blades and PmPPC7448 ProcessorPMC modules. MontaVista has incorporated support for the KatanaQp blades and PmPPC7448 modules as part of its standard CGE product. Emerson’s dedicated MontaVista team will provide support for the KatanaQp and PmPPC7448, including early access to the latest Carrier Grade Edition releases, bug fixes, security patches, upgrades, benchmarking and optimization. For more information on the full spectrum of enterprise-wide solutions from Emerson Network Power, visit emersonnetworkpower.com. For more information on the Embedded Computing business, visit emersonembeddedcomputing.com.

AFORE Solutions, leaders in the design and delivery of customized embedded software and hardware solutions for Nework Equipment Providers, unveiled its IntePort software at NXTcomm in Chicago, June 17-21. InterPort’s software solutions support Carrier Grade Ethernet, PBT, Any Service Any Port Pseudowire and Wireless Backhaul applications enabling the deployment of AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA Platforms within the metro and access networe infrastructure. For more information, visit aforesolutions.com.

NextHop Technologies®, the leader in Enterprise Mobility and Networking solutions, today announced NextHop CompleteMobility™, the world’s first secure, enterprise-class software solution available for integration into existing and future platforms. CompleteMobility enables a broad spectrum of OEM suppliers to integrate 802.11 Wi-Fi networking and access point control into existing systems without having to purchase dedicated Wi-Fi hardware equipment, enabling seamless management and improved security throughout the enterprise network at a much lower cost point. For more information, visit nexthop.com.

Real-Time Innovations (RTI), The Real-Time Middleware Experts, today announced the availability of RTI Recorder, a software solution for logging the high-throughput data, events and messages that drive the behavior of distributed real-time applications. Activity recorded by RTI Recorder can be used for future analysis and debugging, regulatory compliance, and replay for testing and simulation purposes. If you would like to schedule an interview with Real-Time Innovations (RTI), please contact Barbara Stewart at 480-488-6909 or by email at barbara@patterson.com.

AMD announced that Quad-Core AMD Opteron(TM) processors, code-named "Barcelona," are planned for shipment in both standard and low power versions at launch later this summer. This would be the first time AMD has made both standard and low power parts immediately available as part of a new processor launch. Additionally, AMD updated its projected timing on "Barcelona" availability and provided additional product details. AMD expects that the processors will begin shipping for revenue in August 2007, with systems from AMD platform partners beginning to ship in September 2007. Due to its enhanced architecture - it is the world’s first x86 CPU to integrate four processing cores on a single die of silicon - Quad-Core AMD Opteron(TM) processors can deliver significant performance and performance-per-watt enhancements over existing processor architectures yet are designed to be backwards compatible with existing AMD Opteron platforms. For more information, visit amd.com.

3. Navigating the Technology Minefield, from Lance Leventhal, Technology Editor

THE ATHENS AFFAIR – A THRILLER YOU SHOULD READ

“The Athens Affair” sounds like one of those movies you can hardly wait to miss – featuring a stone-faced hero, some treacherous villains, a few beautiful women, and the inevitable car chase. But the actual article (in IEEE Spectrum) is more than that. It tells the true story of how persons unknown subverted a cellular phone network and tapped into the conversations of over 100 people, including the Greek Prime Minister and a US Embassy staff member. Imagine the news reports if this had happened in the United States and someone had tapped George Bush’s cell phone!

Quite a thriller indeed! The story involves a well-known major cellular services provider (Vodafone Greece), an equally well-known switch maker (Ericsson), and Greek government investigators and law enforcement personnel. It also explains how the subversion occurred, via the lawful intercept provision (demanded by law enforcement to allow “wiretaps” in modern phone systems) and a rootkit that altered system code while hiding its own tracks. The taps were apparently active for several months before they caused a problem that led to their detection. Yes, the plot even includes the apparent suicide of the Vodafone telecommunications engineer in charge of network planning, although he has never been linked formally to what happened. No, no one has ever been apprehended, no motive has been established, and no recordings of calls have been reported. The article’s authors put part of the blame on the lack of skilled technical responders in Greece, but one must wonder whether Americans or Western Europeans would have done better.

Are we aware of the security implications of the systems we build? The article makes it clear that the perpetrators had major (and not widely available) technical skills. While one would guess that they were insiders of some sort, that doesn’t tell us much in an era of contractors, outsourcers, open-source code, and a range of partners, legacy systems, and purchased software. And while telecom central offices aren’t open to casual visitors, their security is not at the level of military/defense organizations. Just as hackers continually exploit network vulnerabilities, so can skilled programmers exploit vulnerabilities in equipment software. After all, they have plenty of computing power, lots of time, and access to large amounts of information over the Internet. Is your company testing its equipment for security vulnerabilities? Surely you wouldn’t want to be an inadvertent villain in the next thriller at the neighborhood movie theater!

P.S. The article, “The Athens Affair”, by Vassilis Prevelakis and Diomidis Spinellis, appears in the July issue of IEEE Spectrum Magazine on pages 26 to 33. If you aren’t already an IEEE member, articles like this could persuade you to become one.

DATA, DATA EVERYWHERE AND NOT A DROP TO DRINK (UNLESS YOU FILTER IT)

One problem digital communications systems designers face when dealing with triple-play and quadruple-play networks is that video and audio signals require filtering. The same holds for sensor networks. But how do digital designers revive their dormant skills in filter design (you still have your undergraduate notes, don’t you?)? Well, much has changed in the analog world recently. Companies like QuickFilter Technologies ( Allen , TX , www.quickfiltertech.com) now build single chips with multiple analog input channels, anti-aliasing filters, an analog-to-digital converter, and a finite-impulse-response (FIR) filter for each channel. You may not even need a DSP chip (which is yet another complex subject). Quickfilter Technologies also offers an inexpensive development kit you can attach to a PC. It has filter-design and chip-configuration wizards so you can test filters with white noise. For audio signals, they offer the Audio-Mojo development tool that simplifies the development of audio filters and serves as a reference design for audio applications. Although you’re unlikely to become a filter design expert quickly, you may be able to handle tests and proofs-of-concept without requiring outside help. For more information, check the QuickFilter website (www.quickfiltertech.com). They even have articles by my old friend Jon Titus, who knows a lot more about such subjects than I do. Surely QuickFilter will provide even more elaborate development kits and tools in the future that will help designers solve an even wider range of problems.

4. Contributing Editors’ Perspectives

• Sven Freudenfeld, CP-TA
• Lars Larsson, Modt AB
• Ernie Bergstrom, Crystal Cube Consulting

CP-TA Test Tools Help Enable Interoperable Building Blocks, by Sven Freudenfeld, CP-TA

CP-TA,the Communications Platforms Trade Association, is working to enable vendors to speed up designs and increase interoperability. CP-TA’s initial focus is on addressing thermal, manageability, and data transport for AdvancedTCA. CP-TA has selected Degree Controls’ Chassis Scan and Blade Profiler as the official thermal test tools, and Polaris Networks’ ATCA-Tester as the official manageability test tool. The test tools align with the interoperability profile defined in CP-TA’s Interoperability Compliance Document (ICD) and Test Procedure Manual (TPM). See the full article.

Is AdvancedTCA a Failure?, by Lars Johan Larsson, Modt AB

A major trade publication recently published an article claiming that AdvancedTCA is a failure and that customers are abandoning the technology. That is obviously very bad news coming just a few weeks before the first European AdvancedTCA/MicroTCA Summit. But there is a great deal of countering evidence. Why does the Summit have a sold-out exhibition floor and waiting lists for both exhibitors and presenters? Wouldn’t the vendors have seen the failure coming? How about the users? The Summit has companies like Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, and Ericsson describing their experience with AdvancedTCA, presenting real applications and predicting a bright future for the technology. See the full article.

Analyzing the Switch Fabric Market, by Ernie Bergstrom, Crystal Cube Computing

Several standards have gained at least some acceptance as embedded switch fabric architectures in a fast-changing market. The major players are RapidIO, Ethernet (GigE and 10 GigE), and InfiniBand. PCI Express deserves honorable mention, but finds its main uses on the desktop. Currently there is a definite increase in competition in the communications sector among Ethernet, PCI Express, and Serial RapidIO. The last of these, although the least known, has strong support from suppliers such as Freescale Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, and Tundra Semiconductor. RapidIO technology is gaining traction as an interface for PowerPCs and digital signal processors, especially as a way to link DSP farms found in wireless basestations, triple play networks, and video applications. See the full article.

AdvancedTCA Newsletter

5. Features

• Alan Percy, AudioCodes
• Monica Chauhan, Solidcore Systems
  
• Mark Potter, Hendon Semiconductors
  
• Jason Nutt, Anue Systems
  
• Interview With Rod Hodgman, Convergence, by Lance Leventhal, Technology Editor

Can AdvancedTCA Blades Compete with Commercial Blade Servers?, by Alan Percy, AudioCodes

IT managers and telecommunication solutions architects have recognized the advantages of blade form-factor servers. They are smaller, lower power, more flexible, more modular, and cheaper than traditional form factors. As a result, many vendors now produce their own blade servers. Unfortunately, they have created proprietary and often incompatible form factors that have caused buyer confusion and vendor lock-in. Meanwhile, the AdvancedTCA (ATCA) architecture, as defined by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG), has finally moved from the drawing board to real products with strong interest by leading telecommunication equipment manufacturers. See the full article.

Using Software Change Control in Embedded Systems, by Monica Chauhan, Solidcore Systems

Embedded systems have become more reliant on commoditized hardware running commercial or open operating systems such as Embedded Linux. Although this provides greater flexibility for software selection, faster time to market, and mid-cycle adoption of new technologies, it has also made systems vulnerable to unauthorized changes by customers, intermediaries, and end users. The result is often non-compliant systems in the field. Customers want higher-level platforms involving both hardware and software, but manufacturers need to control the software parts of these platforms to avoid complex, time-consuming servicing issues. See the full article.

AdvancedTCA and the Intelligent Platform Management Bus (IPMB), by Mark Potter, Hendon Semiconductors

Communications within an AdvancedTCA system occur over a 2-way Intelligent Platform Management Bus (IPMB) based on the I2C bus. The I2C bus is a low cost reliable communications method often used for equipment control and monitoring. It allows AdvancedTCA systems to monitor components continuously, thus providing a warning system that avoids downtime and increases reliability and availability.

The I2C bus can handle a wide variety of semiconductor devices, such as IO expanders, temperature sensors, A/D and D/A converters, LED controllers, memory ICs, and power monitoring devices. Because IPMB is based on I2C, it has similar capabilities, offering a way to control and monitor a system at a highly detailed level. See the full article.

Testing IPTV for Quality of Experience, by Jason Nutt, Anue Systems

Telcos expect IPTV to provide large revenue streams, replacing income lost to new competitors and increased use of wireless and VoIP connections. However, a major challenge is that IPTV must meet customer expectations immediately. No one will pay for an IPTV connection that does not provide at least the same quality reception as existing television service. Customers will not accept promises of improved service later or problems being solved ‘real soon now’.

A successful IP video rollout must deliver a high Quality of Experience immediately while compensating for shortcomings in IP networks. To launch IPTV successfully, the carrier must know how the service will perform on realistic networks that suffer from delay, jitter, packet loss and reorder, and bit errors. See the full article.

AdvancedTCA User Interview with Rod Hodgman, VP Marketing, Covergence, a maker of session border controllers for the access edge.

Conducted by Lance Leventhal, Technology Editor

1. Why did you choose to go with AdvancedTCA?
We ported Eclipse, our access-edge session border control solution, to the AdvancedTCA platform to ensure our customers could leverage standards (IMS and AdvancedTCA) and to help minimize the cost and complexity of next-generation networks (NGN).

Over the last decade, the telecom industry has been moving away from proprietary hardware and software solutions. The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) defines the components and standard interfaces for the software elements of NGN, whereas the AdvancedTCA initiative defines the standards and interfaces necessary for a common hardware platform for NGN solutions. See the full interview.

6. Financial News

• Vicor
  
• Actel
  
• Motorola

Vicor reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2007 ended March 31, 2007.

Revenues for the quarter decreased to $46,981,000 compared to $47,872,000 for the corresponding period a year ago. Net income for Q1 was $2,402,000, or $.06 per diluted share compared to net income of $3,076,000, or $.07 per diluted share, in Q1 2006.

Gross margin decreased to 43.1% in Q1 2007 from 44.1% in Q1 2006 and increased on a sequential basis from 41.0% in Q4 2006. The book-to-bill ratio for Q1 2007 was 1.00:1 as compared to 0.94:1 in Q4 2006. Backlog at the end of Q1 2007 was $36.6 million as compared to $36.4 million at the end of 2006. Commenting on the first quarter, Vicor’s CEO Patrizio Vinciarelli noted: "Demand for bricks improved from Q4 levels and we achieved record bookings and shipments of V-I Chips. Margins improved due to better capacity utilization."

Actel announced net revenues for the first quarter of 2007, which ended April 1, 2007. No additional financial results for the first quarter will be available until after completion of the ongoing review of the Company’s historical stock option practices and related accounting. Net revenues for the first quarter of 2007 were $48.6 million, up 5 percent from the first quarter of 2006 and up one percent from the fourth quarter of 2006. The Company believes that second quarter revenues will be flat sequentially, plus or minus two percent.

Motorola has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire privately held Leapstone Systems, Inc. Leapstone is a leading communications software developer that provides a unified platform for rapidly creating, managing and delivering converged video, voice and data service bundles across multiple networks and devices. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Leapstone flagship Communications Convergence Engine (CCE) product suite is a real-time service delivery platform that enables fixed and mobile network operators to expand and evolve their service offerings through its powerful Service Broker and Content Manager software products. Leapstone has a proven commercial track record of success and counts some of the world’s leading service providers as its customers, including AT&T and Verizon.

7. NEW! Looking for Partners, by Lance Leventhal

I’ve been watching so many eHarmony ads lately that I’ve decided our newsletter needs a “Looking for Partners” section. Okay, so maybe finding a good VAR, solution provider, or distributor isn’t quite as romantic as finding a new significant other cross-correlated to you over 29 dimensions, but it can be profitable (and many of us have been married so long that eHarmony seems like a visitor from another p***t). So we are hereby offering to run one “Looking for Partners” ad for free each year. For more, consult with our King of Matchmaking (and Advertising Sales Manager) Rudy Gentry at rudy@atcanewsletter.com.

Looking for Distributors
F9 Systems (Marshfield, MA) is looking for distribution partners for its AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA thermal, power, and signal integrity test products. They include the ThermalBlade, SignalBlade, BenchBlade, and TestBlade. They are used to test performance, compliance with standards, and range of operation. For more information, contact Kathy Breda, President, at (781) 248-9155 or kbreda@f9systems.com

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Contact: Rudy Gentry, rudy@atcanewsletter.com

9. Newsletter Archive

Back issues of this Newsletter are archived in PDF format. See: www.atcanewsletter.com, then click on Archived Newsletters, then click on desired issue.

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