14 DAY TRIAL // Performance Technologies is testing a Core 2 Duo-based processor module in the AdvancedMC (AMC - Advanced Mezzanine Card) form-factor. The AMC121 embeds PT's own NexusWare Carrier Grade Linux implementation, and aims packet processing and general computing apps, like wireless, softswitches, shipboard communications etc. NexusWare was registered with the Linux Foundation's Carrier Grade Linux 3.2 specification last year, in October and it has been maintained for seven years by Performance Technologies.
AMC121 is a processor module based on PICMG's AdvancedMC condition. These processor modules can be used on AdvancedTCA blades as daughterboards, or can be plugged directly into backplanes on MicroTCA systems.
This module is based on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor at 1.5GHz. It has a 667MHz FSB and can go up to a total memory of 2GB of 400MHz DDR2 RAM with ECC, and the embedded Intel 3100 Whitmore Lake offers northbridge and southbridge function within a single part.
The backplane interface of AMC121 can support both 8x PCI Express signals, and Ethernet signals. It also offers a couple of SATA interfaces for hard disk attachment. Dual gigabit Ethernet ports, a USB 2.0 host interface and a serial console port (using a RJ-45 interface) are included in the I/O front panel.
Performance Technologies has another AMC, this one based on AMD's Turion x86 processor, and one more on Freescale's 8641D PowerPC processor. All the network equipment is delivered pre-embedded with NexusWare, the Carrier Grade Linux implementation that's maintained in-house. NexusWare has a 2.6.20 Linux kernel, and is CGL 3.2-registered and CGL 4.0 ready. The x86-based AMCs are supported under Solaris and Windows, too.
The 25-year old company Perfomance Technologies will demonstrate the capabilities of its AMC modules this week in France, at the AdvancedTCA Summit Europe 2007. Another demonstration will take place in USA at the 2007 Military Communications Conference in Orlando, Florida on 29-31 October.