Paul Boughton
Kontron today - after months of collaboration with telecom equipment manufacturers (TEMs) to migrate to 40G-ready ATCA platforms - officially announced the rollout of an updated program that features two new carrier-grade, 14-slot 10G and 40G ATCA platforms: the Kontron Open Modular Core OM9141-10G and Open Modular Core OM9141-40G. Both platforms are integrated with new sophisticated and faster bladed data transport, switching and system management hardware that TEMs can use as a starting point to build multiple new equipment configurations using CPU, NPU, DSP, storage and even specialized 3rd-party ATCA-based line cards that meet the requirements for 3G/4G, LTE, WIMAX, GPON and IPTV network elements.
Open Modular Core Platforms are the result of Kontron's long-standing expertise in driving specifications and developing standard-based hardware components and integrated platforms for the telecommunications market. Each integrated Kontron Open Modular Core platform includes redundant power entry modules, cooling infrastructure with hot swappable redundant fans and 10GbE or 40GbE switching capabilities based on the Kontron ATCA switch blades AT8910 and AT8940, each with platform synchronization interfaces. Also built-in is redundant Shelf Management with interoperability-tested Shelf Manager Cross Connects, as per PICMG specification, and optional systems management functionality based on the COM Express form factor which resides on the Kontron ATCA switch blades AT8910/AT8940 for centralized system management with a standards-based HPI implementation. A telco alarm panel provides telecom grade external system alarm notification.
The range of applications to build systems based on the Kontron 10G or 40G Open Modular Core Platforms includes, but is not limited to - 3G/4G and LTE Network Elements; GPON/EPON and Optical Transport Network Elements; QoS and Test Platform Network Elements; Service and Content Delivery platforms with Security and DPI functionality.
Equipment vendors in the Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) market may wish to consider adding Kontron's new high performance, dual packet processor (L2-L7) 40G ATCA blade AT8242 loaded with two OCTEON II MIPS64 32-core processors from Cavium Networks. Designed for complex networking functions, the OCTEON II processors combine over 85 L3-L7 application acceleration engines, virtualization features, 100Gbps of connectivity, and a new Real Time Power Optimizer that dynamically adjusts power depending upon the application-level processing requirement.
While 4G LTE networks require significant bandwidth and latency capabilities, they also cause a total re-think of the financial parameters of system-level CAPEX and OPEX. Demand for these new networks is rising and, in turn, is imposing shorter than usual time to market schedules for telecom and network equipment vendors. Being able to outsource a core platform, rather than developing it in-house, proves to be a most attractive option.
The advantages of the Kontron 10G and 40G ATCA platforms are clear when developers have the 'Freedom of Choice' to choose their hardware and software building blocks from an open standard ecosystem, and can realize new design projects - from inception to market rollout - anywhere between six and 18 months, depending on the application. Moreover, the ATCA specification was conceived to support all-IP networks and, in the case of LTE, meets, among others, the following requirements: ease of scalability and extensibility; intrinsic low latency packet switching; IPv6 support; 10GbE and 40GbE backplanes for network processing; IPsec protection of the control plane and the user plane; MPLS support; Sync. E and IEEE1588 support; and dedicated or shared protection for (1+1,1:1, M:N).
New, all-IP mobile wireless network infrastructures are dependent on new ways to achieve network synchronization, such as Synchronized Ethernet, and it is primarily important for content delivery platforms that provide not only voice but audio, HD video and real-time streaming content of MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services). For LTE and the IP-based packet switched EPC, there are two available synchronization options - IEEE 1588 (PTP) and Synchronous Ethernet, both of which are supported on Kontron 10G/40G Open Modular Core platforms. 1588 (Precision Time Protocol) describes an hierarchical master-slave architecture for clock distribution, while SyncE brings synchronization to specific Ethernet applications which otherwise would be asynchronous.
For more information, www.kontron.de
Open Modular Core Platforms are the result of Kontron's long-standing expertise in driving specifications and developing standard-based hardware components and integrated platforms for the telecommunications market. Each integrated Kontron Open Modular Core platform includes redundant power entry modules, cooling infrastructure with hot swappable redundant fans and 10GbE or 40GbE switching capabilities based on the Kontron ATCA switch blades AT8910 and AT8940, each with platform synchronization interfaces. Also built-in is redundant Shelf Management with interoperability-tested Shelf Manager Cross Connects, as per PICMG specification, and optional systems management functionality based on the COM Express form factor which resides on the Kontron ATCA switch blades AT8910/AT8940 for centralized system management with a standards-based HPI implementation. A telco alarm panel provides telecom grade external system alarm notification.
The range of applications to build systems based on the Kontron 10G or 40G Open Modular Core Platforms includes, but is not limited to - 3G/4G and LTE Network Elements; GPON/EPON and Optical Transport Network Elements; QoS and Test Platform Network Elements; Service and Content Delivery platforms with Security and DPI functionality.
Equipment vendors in the Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) market may wish to consider adding Kontron's new high performance, dual packet processor (L2-L7) 40G ATCA blade AT8242 loaded with two OCTEON II MIPS64 32-core processors from Cavium Networks. Designed for complex networking functions, the OCTEON II processors combine over 85 L3-L7 application acceleration engines, virtualization features, 100Gbps of connectivity, and a new Real Time Power Optimizer that dynamically adjusts power depending upon the application-level processing requirement.
While 4G LTE networks require significant bandwidth and latency capabilities, they also cause a total re-think of the financial parameters of system-level CAPEX and OPEX. Demand for these new networks is rising and, in turn, is imposing shorter than usual time to market schedules for telecom and network equipment vendors. Being able to outsource a core platform, rather than developing it in-house, proves to be a most attractive option.
The advantages of the Kontron 10G and 40G ATCA platforms are clear when developers have the 'Freedom of Choice' to choose their hardware and software building blocks from an open standard ecosystem, and can realize new design projects - from inception to market rollout - anywhere between six and 18 months, depending on the application. Moreover, the ATCA specification was conceived to support all-IP networks and, in the case of LTE, meets, among others, the following requirements: ease of scalability and extensibility; intrinsic low latency packet switching; IPv6 support; 10GbE and 40GbE backplanes for network processing; IPsec protection of the control plane and the user plane; MPLS support; Sync. E and IEEE1588 support; and dedicated or shared protection for (1+1,1:1, M:N).
New, all-IP mobile wireless network infrastructures are dependent on new ways to achieve network synchronization, such as Synchronized Ethernet, and it is primarily important for content delivery platforms that provide not only voice but audio, HD video and real-time streaming content of MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services). For LTE and the IP-based packet switched EPC, there are two available synchronization options - IEEE 1588 (PTP) and Synchronous Ethernet, both of which are supported on Kontron 10G/40G Open Modular Core platforms. 1588 (Precision Time Protocol) describes an hierarchical master-slave architecture for clock distribution, while SyncE brings synchronization to specific Ethernet applications which otherwise would be asynchronous.
For more information, www.kontron.de