The Advantages of AdvancedTCA * The Telecom Industry s Open Standard for Equipment Manufacturers

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1 The Advantages of AdvancedTCA * The Telecom Industry s Open Standard for Equipment Manufacturers Intel in Communications

2 The Advantages of AdvancedTCA* Contents Executive Summary 2 Trends Driving AdvancedTCA* Adoption 2 AdvancedTCA: Strategic Advantages for TEMs 3 AdvancedTCA Technical Highlights 5 Conclusion 7 Where to Learn More 8 Executive Summary Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (AdvancedTCA*), the new specification from the PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturing Group (PICMG*), has been adopted with the participation of more than 100 companies. It provides the telecom industry with an open, standards-based hardware platform that enables Telecom Equipment Manufacturers (TEMs) to shift their technical resources from the development of proprietary hardware to the more rapid development of new generations of applications and services. Because AdvancedTCA represents a truly open industry standard with broad industry support, it provides TEMs with a broad choice of interoperable, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software building blocks from third-party vendors. For TEMs, the benefits of AdvancedTCA include: Materials cost savings Improved time-to-market Reduced development costs Other blade architectures are currently being offered in the telecommunications marketplace, but unlike AdvancedTCA, these alternatives may not be based on open industry standards. Some of these architectures include proprietary designs initially developed for the enterprise server market segment and repurposed for telecommunications. AdvancedTCA is designed from the ground up for telecom. Purpose of This Paper This paper provides an overview of the strategic benefits of AdvancedTCA architecture for TEMs highlighted in Table 1, on the next page. Reviewing this paper will also enable TEMs to compare the technical features and benefits of AdvancedTCA with other architectural frameworks. Trends Driving AdvancedTCA* Adoption As Service Providers seek cost-effective ways to flexibly meet the demand for converged services including Push-to-Talk and Video on Demand, they are moving to a next-generation network based on standardized scalable platforms. The recent emergence of the next-generation multi-service network makes it imperative for TEMs to provide more flexible solutions for their customers. Analysts expect the AdvancedTCA market segment to reach $20 billion (US) by Source: Crystal Cube Consulting/Metz International Ltd. These trends are driving the shift to AdvancedTCA: The industry is moving to standards-based platforms with standardized carrier-grade operating systems and middleware interfaces. To reduce development costs and time-to-market, TEMs are deploying common platforms for converged computing and communications applications. The use of AdvancedTCA platforms enables TEMs to shift away from hardware development and refocus their efforts on providing service provider customers with value-added software and services. 2

3 The Advantages of AdvancedTCA* White Paper Early adoption [for AdvancedTCA] is proceeding well If COTS suppliers can meet and beat the price points required to trigger a second wave of adoption, it could be well on its way to changing the way the telecom equipment industry works. Source: RHK, Inc., October 2003 The new platform was created to achieve a short-term development period (1/3 of current systems), and drastically reduce development costs by utilizing open software/hardware. Source: NEC press announcement AdvancedTCA: Strategic Advantages for TEMs Open Standards Enable More Choices To achieve flexibility needed to support new services, the telecom industry requires a truly open industry-wide solutions architectural framework. In addition to AdvancedTCA, other blade architectures are currently available to telecom equipment vendors. Unlike AdvancedTCA, some of these architectures are not based on industry standards and can feature proprietary closed designs with their origins in enterprise servers. These other architectures may claim to benefit from open standards, but may limit choices of available vendors for system components. Because of this, they are not able to realize the key benefits of supply chain competition and innovation enabled by a truly open systems model. Up to a 40 percent reduction in overall product development costs A time-to-market advantage of 3 to 5 months for hardware upgrades A time-to-market advantage of 3 to 9 months for developing new blades A time-to-market advantage of 12 to 18 months for development of new carrier-edge systems A simpler cost structure A high level of flexibility with product design A more predictable product development cycle A comprehensive suite of development tools Source: Yankee Group, February 2003 AdvancedTCA provides widest available choice of competitive third-party vendors for reusable components and subsystems. This in turn helps TEMs balance cost, performance, feature sets and scalability for each customer application. The openness and flexibility of AdvancedTCA explain why dozens of vendors have already incorporated AdvancedTCA into their product roadmaps, with many more under development. Source: RHK, Inc., October 2003 By purchasing AdvancedTCA packet-processing blades, a TEM specializing in carrier-edge solutions can realize the following benefits: Up to an 85 percent reduction in hardware engineering labor costs Table 1. AdvancedTCA*: Benefits for TEMs AdvancedTCA* Advantages Open and interoperable telecom industry standard Built from the ground up for communications Broad ecosystem support Designed for reusability with multiple chassis sizes and configurations for access, edge and server market segments Benefits Modular platform standard reduces cost and time-to-market while promoting reusability of COTS building blocks AdvancedTCA is designed to address the specific requirements of telecom equipment manufacturers AdvancedTCA provides TEMs with competitive advantages of a broad choice of vendors and COTS components Standardized platform enables flexible development of multiple network elements 3

4 The Advantages of AdvancedTCA* Open Standard More than 100 TEMs and other companies within the PICMG helped to develop the AdvancedTCA specification. In addition to providing specifications for highly scalable and manageable blades and system-level building blocks, AdvancedTCA also supports multi-vendor telecom industry initiatives for Modular Communications Platforms. These include: Advanced Switching (AS) for the PCI Express* architecture from the AS SIG 10G Ethernet from the IEEE 802.3ab SIG Carrier-grade operating systems from the Open Source Development Labs High availability middleware from the Service Availability* Forum (SA Forum) Unlike some competing architectures, the AdvancedTCA specification is a publicly available, royalty-free specification. The short form of the specification is freely available at The full specification is free to members or available for a nominal copy fee. The design guide, developed with input by over 40 companies, is currently available at This guide helps developers better understand the architecture and optimize their efforts by understanding AdvancedTCA architecture components, background and methodologies. The Reusability Advantage The PICMG organization has launched a new effort called the Classification Working Group. Participating companies are creating a classification table that enables TEMs to use AdvancedTCA building blocks in multiple network elements while allowing them to maintain and enhance product differentiation. Figure 1 graphically represents the AdvancedTCA building blocks that can be re-configured based on requirements. AdvancedTCA supports multiple backplane configurations and more than two dozen chassis configurations ranging from five to 14 slots. The provision for reusable building blocks, including blades and mezzanine cards, enables designers to implement standard reconfigurable shelves in a variety of different form factors and configurations. Each network element utilizes the same chassis form factor, no matter what vendor provides the platform. In addition, the blades within each network element may perform the same function in other network elements. For example, a control and signaling shelf in a Radio Node Controller (RNC) uses the same hardware as the Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN). Siemens mobile is deploying AdvancedTCA platforms for its Next Generation Telecom Architecture: The new standardsbased networks will meet our customers requirements with respect to performance, reliability and availability, while at the same time helping to reduce operating costs. Christoph Caselitz, President of Networks, Siemens Mobile, February 2004 Figure 1. Reconfigurable AdvancedTCA* building blocks can be used to design multiple network elements Redundant CMMs Chassis Management Module (CMM) Compute Network Processing and I/O Fabric Switch Backplane Options for Advanced Switching, Ethernet, InfiniBand,* S-RapidIO,* and StarFabric* Standard OSs: Carrier-grade Linux,* Carrier-grade Windows* Standard APIs through SA Forum Fits Standard 19-inch or 600 mm Rack Rear Connectivity through Rear Transition Module (RTM) Full Mesh Topology Fabric Redundant Backplane 200 Watts/Blade Cooling Capacity Storage Digital Signal Processor Radio/Wireless Controller/ Receiver Redundant -48V Power Feeds 4

5 The Advantages of AdvancedTCA* White Paper AdvancedTCA Technical Highlights Backplane Flexibility Backplane topology determines how blades are connected within the backplane. AdvancedTCA provides more fabric interface options, providing the flexibility to integrate a variety of network elements with AdvancedTCA. AdvancedTCA also provides flexibility by supporting both a Base and Fabric interface into the backplane. This enables TEMs to scale their designs to new user and usage requirements by providing higher bandwidth per port using industry standard interfaces. AdvancedTCA supports a variety of topologies: Star topology enables simple, cost-effective designs. In telecom infrastructure, mesh topology provides maximum bandwidth, routing flexibility and reliability. A third variation, dual-star topology, includes two star interfaces used to provide system redundancy, or to handle different traffic types or work load. Dual-dual star topology supports four switch boards in a chassis and enables more bandwidth between boards. The AdvancedTCA subsidiary specifications for Fibre Channel, 4x InfiniBand architecture 2x Fibre Channel In addition, AdvancedTCA provides a chassis-level management based on the industry-standard Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI), which can be implemented in either radial or bussed topology using the Intelligent Platform Management Bus (IPMB). Update port interconnects provide a special purpose interface consisting of 10x differential pairs. This channel provides inter-blade communication for applications including failover and clustering. This capability, which is not found in other architectures, extends the applications that AdvancedTCA can support. Inter-board bandwidth is the heart of any platform: the higher the bandwidth, the better the performance of the system. Advanced TCA provides for very high bandwidth between blades: Base interface bandwidth of 1 Gbps per port provides ample headroom for future control-plane applications. AdvancedTCA enables a wide range of configuration options, including systems that support payloads of 2 Gbps, 4 Gbps, 8 Gbps and 10 Gbps per port to accommodate the bandwidth requirements of next-generation interfaces. InfiniBand and PCI-Express/Advanced Switching are also available through PICMG. Table 2. AdvancedTCA* technical benefits at a glance Fabric Flexibility Technical Highlights Benefits As the demand for wireless and wire line services continues to grow, the telecom industry is aware of the need to avoid becoming locked-in by proprietary or partially open blade-based frameworks that can restrict the available choice. AdvancedTCA provides scalability and headroom for next-generation network elements with support for multiple fabrics and interfaces. The interface for data traffic provides designers with a wide range of choices for specific applications, including Advanced Switching (AS) for the PCI Express architecture. This multipoint peer-to-peer switched interface technology enables standardization of proprietary backplane fabrics through encapsulation of any communications protocol, with extended features for QoS and high availability. 10 Gbps/port Designed for bandwidth intensive telecom applications Switch fabric flexibility Supports multiple networks Scalable high density: up to 48 Processing capacity and servers/96 processors per frame enhanced real estate efficiency 200 watts/slot thermal Accommodates high capabilities processing densities Supports multiple Provides wide choice of processor architectures processor vendors and development environments, including the performance and programmability of Intel network processors Industry-standard I/O modules Simplifies platform expansion AdvancedTCA supports industry-standard full-duplex interfaces including: 10G Ethernet using XAUI 4x1 Gbps ports using 1000BASE-BX 2x 1Gbps ports using 1000BASE-BX and 2x 2 Gbps Fibre Channel 4x PCI Express/Advanced Switching IPMI-based power management Front and rear cabling NEBS Level 3 compliance TDM clocking Improves reliability Easier installation and serviceability Provides maximum operability for critical network equipment Supports legacy network elements 5

6 The Advantages of AdvancedTCA* Maximizing Platform Density Because it determines the redundancy that can be economically provided within a given unit of floor space, density is vitally important in core network elements. Density is determined by the number of blades per chassis and the number of chassis per frame, in addition to thermal, power and cooling considerations. AdvancedTCA can support 14 blades and two switches per full size chassis, with a relatively large form factor that allows superior heat dissipation, supports a large number of plug-in cards and allows rear and front I/O without cables that can block air flow as shown in Figure 2. The PICMG 3.09 specification leaves the definition of the Rear Transition Module (RTM) to designers. The new 10U chassis, available today from numerous vendors, achieves a milestone in platform density. This configuration can accommodate up to 24 processors in a dual-star backplane configuration with two switches in a standard 19-inch rack with up to four chassis per frame. This highly dense configuration enables up to 96 processors per frame within the AdvancedTCA specification of 200 watts or less per blade. Even if chassis/frame is not required by the application, the additional rack space afforded by the 10U solution enables high density with one, two or three chassis while leaving room in a frame for other necessities like external storage or cabling. The flexibility of the 10U architecture is highly desirable with many service providers and for many applications. Scalability TEMs can easily add blades to a chassis to accommodate more traffic and to support new services, and the multi-protocol flexibility of AdvancedTCA enables it to be used across multiple networks. For example, a network element could be initially deployed to meet existing requirements in a small-size, low-cost 4-slot AdvancedTCA shelf. In order to serve more subscribers the chassis could be upgraded to a 14-slot or 16-slot shelf with re-use of the same AdvancedTCA blades and shelf management module employed in the original 4-slot system. Processing Performance for Converged Applications AdvancedTCA supports both advanced I/O and compute capabilities, which enables it to support converged computing and communications applications based on high-performance fully programmable Intel network processors based on Intel Internet Exchange Architecture (Intel IXA). The architecture is ideal for a range of converged applications including IP soft-switches, VoIP routers, and second-generation and third-generation base station controllers. By supporting a broad spectrum of network elements, AdvancedTCA can help equipment manufacturers minimize the time and cost of development. Figure 2. The front and rear I/O capability of AdvancedTCA* eliminate cabling obstructions and permit superior bottom-to-top airflow characteristics 600 mm including 90 mm for cabe bend front and 70 mm back Airflow Side View Backplane Mezzanines AdvancedTCA blades are designed for easy upgradeability with new processor, memory, I/O and management processor modules based on industry-standard mezzanines. Form factors include PCI Mezzanine Card (PMC) and emerging Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) modules. Advantages of AMC include IPMI command support for manageability, a larger thermal envelope compared to PMC and hot-swap capability. AdvancedTCA carriers support both mezzanine types with up to four PMC slots and eight AMC hot-swappable slots. Manageability The industry-standard Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI v1.5) provides the basis for management on AdvancedTCA. This detailed definition in an open standard provides interoperability that enables chassis and blowers, compute blades, switches and management solutions from multiple vendors to work together seamlessly. These solutions are not only based on standards, but are also thoroughly tested for interoperability at AdvancedTCA Interoperability Workshops (AIW) held twice per year. The AdvancedTCA specification has been hardened for telecom use through the inclusion of capabilities including redundancy, failover and synchronization of critical management information between AdvancedTCA chassis management modules. 6

7 The Advantages of AdvancedTCA* White Paper Reliability One of the primary goals of the AdvancedTCA specification is to ensure very low Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) and high Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF). Some proprietary architectures require active components in the backplane, which can lead to expensive repairs in the field. In AdvancedTCA architecture, there are no active components on the backplane. In addition all components can be hot-swapped in the field, and the architecture provides redundancy at all levels. To enable power management, the AdvancedTCA specification requires descriptions of chassis input power, voltages feeds and other variables to be stored in a standard format in a hot-swappable shelf field replaceable unit (FRU) device to reduce the likelihood of data loss due to backplane failure. The AdvancedTCA specification allows for redundant Shelf FRU, so that failure of a single device will not propagate to the entire chassis. Serviceability AdvancedTCA has been designed to allow all critical components such as fans, switch fabric modules, management modules and FRUs to be front-serviceable. Most ATCA chassis vendors have implemented front-serviceable fan units in recognition of this common industry practice. AdvancedTCA chassis are designed with modular, redundant/hot-swappable fan trays that eliminate fans as a single point of failure within the chassis. AdvancedTCA provides two mechanisms that help prevent blades, boards, and other chassis-level components from being accidentally plugged into the wrong slots or misaligned with their connectors. The first protection is known as electronic keying (E-keying). E-Keying compares chassis configuration data which is stored in a Chassis Data Module (CDM) shelf FRU device, together with data from a board s IPMI controller. As the board is inserted into a shelf, its IPMI controller powers-up, identifies the board and determines whether or not to power-up the board. In addition, AdvancedTCA specifies four mechanical alignment pins to ensure that boards are plugged in consistently eliminating the possibility of pin misalignment. Middleware Flexibility Management middleware provides services that aid in monitoring and managing the system components for maximum service availability. AdvancedTCA supports industry standard interfaces, including the SA Forum Hardware Platform Interface (HPI) which enables integration with a variety of COTS middleware solutions. TEMs can use HPI with their own high-availability middleware to reduce development and test time for hardware modifications and upgrades. TDM Support While the transition to IP-based networks is well under way, a large proportion of the installed base of telecom infrastructure equipment continues to depend on Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) inter-chassis synchronization clocking, and this requirement needs to be addressed by next-generation communications architectures. AdvancedTCA provides the flexibility to support both legacy and next-generation network elements. TDM synchronization clocks are fully supported within the ATCA specification and vendors can implement them in a modular fashion. AdvancedTCA requires three synchronization clock signal pairs on all backplanes with redundancy, but their use is optional for the vendor. Conclusion The AdvancedTCA was built from the ground up for modular carrier-grade infrastructure with input from more than 100 companies. This multi-vendor standard, which is publicly available at no charge, maximizes the choices available to TEMs. AdvancedTCA enables TEMs to develop multiple network elements built on a standard platform. It supports plug and play smart I/O blades from multiple vendors, with carriergrade operating systems running on server blades in the same chassis as I/O, all connected through standards-based switch fabrics and managed as a set of distributed elements. AdvancedTCA was designed from the outset to meet the needs of a constantly evolving communications infrastructure, including a standard bladed form factor, backplane, mechanical features, power requirements, thermal characteristics and management system. One of the key advantages of AdvancedTCA is extreme flexibility it provides for chassis implementations designed to meet the environmental and cost requirements of multiple network elements. Advantages of the AdvancedTCA specification include: Reducing development time for the rapid deployment of new services Promoting innovation and flexibility by providing TEMs and service providers with the freedom to choose best in class modular building COTS building blocks The cost benefits of a dynamic and competitive multi-vendor environment AdvancedTCA enables TEMs and service providers to choose from a growing list of products from more than three dozen vendors, including chassis, server blades, I/O blades, packet processing blades, switch fabric blades, storage, management modules, 7

8 The Advantages of AdvancedTCA* power supplies and a growing industry of standardized software modules. With the competitive advantages that only a truly open industry standard can provide, AdvancedTCA helps TEMs provide the right choice of solutions at the right time. Where to Learn More Intel and more than 50 communications companies are drafting the Modular Communications Platform Design Guide, containing a set of preferred implementation guidelines for building-block interoperability on the base AdvancedTCA specification. To obtain the guide visit More information on AdvancedTCA is available at AdvancedTCA is the foundation of Modular Communications Platforms. For more details, see the white paper in the November 14, 2003 edition of Intel Technology Journal. volume07issue04/ Additional information on AdvancedTCA specifications is available directly from PICMG. INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH INTEL PRODUCTS. NO LICENSE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IS GRANTED BY THIS DOCUMENT. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN INTEL S TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE FOR SUCH PRODUCTS, INTEL ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER, AND INTEL DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY, RELATING TO SALE AND/OR USE OF INTEL PRODUCTS INCLUDING LIABILITY OR WARRANTIES RELATING TO FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR INFRINGEMENT OF ANY PATENT, COPYRIGHT OR OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT. Intel products are not intended for use in medical, life saving, or life sustaining applications. Intel may make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time, without notice. *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Copyright 2004 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Printed in USA. 0604/OCG/CM/XX/PDF Please Recycle EN