Get ready for 40G ATCA

Get Ready for 40G ATCAPaving the Way for the Next Generation of

Open Standard-based Computing Platforms

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- Executive Summary

- What is Driving Demand

- 40G Technologies Emerge

- ATCA Aligns

- Three Steps to 40G Heaven

- Catching the 40G Wave

- Additional Resources

- About Embedded Computing

Authored By: g Rob Pettigrew, Director of Marketingg Jeffrey Berk, Senior Marketing Managerg Michael Schaepers, Solutions Architectg Brian Carr, Strategic Marketing ManagerOctober 2010

Emerson Network Power - Embedded Computing | Get Ready for 40G ATCA 2 of 15

Consumer demand for bandwidth continues to grow unabated, and the resulting growth in IP traffic is creating extraordinary demands on the communications infrastructure.

In particular, the overwhelming popularity of 3G smart phones, and the subsequent delivery of high bandwidth applications, is putting extreme pressure on wireless carriers to deliver more bandwidth in their networks. On wireline connections there has been growing use of media-rich content such as video chat, YouTube and web cams. Added to this demand now are longer-duration connections such as movie streaming and IPTV. This in turn increases the demand for high bandwidth network infrastructure equipment coupled with mechanisms to police and charge intelligently for what is provided.

As a well established technology for communications infrastructure implementations, the open standard bladed AdvancedTCA® (ATCA®) architecture must evolve too, increasing the data processing performance per blade and the bandwidth of the blade’s data path into the system backbone. The technology for creating blades and systems that interact at 40Gbps instead of 10Gbps is just on the edge of entering the market, but there are steps that developers can take now to pave the way for quick and painless system upgrades once that technology arrives.

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Executive Summary


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One of the most dramatic changes in the recent technology landscape is the relatively sudden proliferation of smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone. Although many mobile handsets in the past have offered Internet access capability, the exceptional usability of the iPhone and its close competitors has created worldwide expectation of – and demand for – wireless data connectivity. Clearly this is an issue for most carriers with focus on voice services and traditionally flat charging models for their mobile data subscribers. A more service-oriented charging of subscribers and providers is going to give carriers the motivation they need to invest in profitable new high bandwidth networks. Identifying services, assigning bandwidth and quality according to the subscriber’s individual contract, and billing is a relatively new challenge for current and

future carrier’s network, and a very explicit focus of the next-generation LTE network. Technically this requires extensive processing performance to investigate and control data traffic on the fly. Commercially, this suggests new small network elements operating at high bandwidth performing such tasks.

In addition, interest in ambient intelligence has resulted in the creation of several wireless sensor and ID tag protocols that serve functions such as transported goods tracking, smart building power management, and wide-area environmental sensing networks. Even automobiles are embedding multiple wireless communications devices – an average of ten per vehicle in newer models – for such things as hands-free cell phones, real-time traffic and route displays, tire pressure sensors, and live road services such as OnStar. As a result, wireless nodes are growing rapidly. According to forecasts from the Wireless World Research Forum, as many as seven trillion wireless devices will be in operation by 2017; that’s an average of 1000 communicating endpoints for every person on the planet. Almost all of these wireless nodes ultimately feed into the IP network to provide data handling as well as remote network access and management, further increasing IP bandwidth demand.

What is Driving Demand? (Part 1)


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This growth in bandwidth is clearly visible in the evolution of wireless technology (See Figure 1). According to the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance, wireless technology has responded to increasing demand by moving from peak download performance of about half a Megabyte/second in 2004 to the 5-7Mbps range available with most HSPA networks today. Next-generation mobile networks, of which HSPA+ and LTE are just the beginning, are expected to increase that capability to more than 100Mbps in the coming decade.



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Source: Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance, 2007 Figure 1 - The trend in mobile networking clearly shows that services will require a major bandwidth increase in the next generations, making 40G ATCA technology essential for the network infrastructure.

Figure 1. The Evolution of Wireless Technology

2002-364 – 144 kbps

2003-464 – 384 kbps

2005-60.384 – 4 Mbps

2007-90.384 – 7 Mbps

Next Decade20+ > 100 Mbps

GSMGPRS/EDGE

3GInitial Introduction

WCDMA

3G+HSPDADownlink Enhanced

WCDMA

3G+HSPDA+HSUPADownlink/Uplink Enhanced

WCDMA+overall HSPA improvements

NGMNBroadband radio

IP based wideband Peer to Peer

Future Wireless Cellular

EnhancedMobile Services

MultimediaCellular

EnhancedMultimedia Mobile

OptimizedMultimedia Mobile

BroadbandMobile Communication

HSPA = HSDPA + HSUPAPlease note that these are peak data rate reference values in good ratio conditions

Towards one integrated

network

Optimized UMTS

NGMN

Enhanced UMTS

3G

GSM (GPRS/EDGE)


In addition to increasing numbers of IP connections (endpoints), there is growing pressure from existing applications for all networks to offer increased bandwidth and reduced latency. The advent of cloud computing with globally dispersed compute power and network-attached, high-capacity storage systems demands high speed with effective security, and IPTV or other applications distributing video projected to be a substantial driver of network bandwidth growth over the next five years (See Figure 2).

But at the same time, the current recession has exerted pressure to achieve all this while containing costs and increasing efficiency. Service providers are looking to optimize the use of their network, for example seeking to aggregate multiple media streams for distribution to reduce costs. For such applications, greater bandwidth allows a single chassis or even a single blade to combine both data and control planes to simplify scalability as the subscriber base grows. It also allows a smaller infrastructure to provide more compelling services, such as high-definition (HD) video, resulting in greater return on investment (ROI) for providers.



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Cisco forecasts video will account for 66 percent of global mobile data traffic by 2014.

3,600,000

1,800,000

Figure 2. 108% CAGR 2009-2014

Mobile VoIP

Mobile Gaming

Mobile P2P

Mobile Web/Data

Mobile Video

TB p

er M

on

th

201420132012201120102009

4%5%8%

17%

66%


As this bandwidth demand rises, many equipment providers face the requirement to develop new generations of equipment to process the packet traffic. This continual need to keep equipment evolving is a solid reason that companies adopt ATCA technology to take advantage of the competitive ecosystem, and technologies are now emerging that will enable a jump in ATCA system bandwidth – from 10G per blade to 40G – to become practical.

The core technology evolution required for this to be successful is an improved Ethernet switching infrastructure. It must have the switching capacity to support 40Gbps (or 4 x 10Gbps) from a switch hub to and from each node blade plus enough in reserve to offer some external uplink connections. For backwards compatibility, it should support existing 10G blades thus maintaining investment protection. And since the driving applications are typically flow oriented packet inspection, processing and/or forwarding, it would be highly advantageous if the switch were to offer some capability for pre-filtering and queue assignment of packets at ingress. Thankfully, the Ethernet switch device vendors have been actively pursuing this goal, as we shall see later in this paper.

Once in a system, the packet is routed to and dealt with by a processor board. Clearly, the processing ability of a node blade is also a driver for the improved Ethernet switching fabric, and in particular it must be capable of handling a range of packet types and sizes effectively. One of these enabling technologies is multi-core computing, which has supplanted speed increases as the driving force behind processor evolution.

Specialist packet processing devices are excellent for deep packet inspection and forwarding applications. They are already employing multi-core designs such as but bigger and better versions are on the way – some as many as 64 cores on a chip. The combination of multiple cores, sophisticated offload engines for security, compression and pattern matching, and high speed memory caches make for a potent processing solution, and together with integrated network interfaces enable them to offer multiple 10G I/O ports on a single chip.

Where a lot of work is done per packet, or the content stream is processed in some way, specialist packet processing devices are often less effective and harder to program effectively. This is where a general purpose CPU can offer a better solution. Next-generation general-purpose or server-class processors, such as Intel® Xeon® processors, have six or more processor cores on a single CPU chip. A well-designed ATCA blade can support two of these multi-core CPU chips. The most recent architecture has enough processing power to generate more than 10G of I/O to other network elements and, since this typically increases according to Moore’s law (doubling every two years), it is clear that an expansion to the next level of Ethernet fabric is warranted.

40G Technologies Emerge


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As the technologies for implementing 40G Ethernet emerge, the ATCA specifications are expanding to keep pace and meet the challenge. Serial link standards for 10G Ethernet on the backplane – IEEE 802.3ap defining 10GBase-KR – were completed in May 2007. In June 2009, IEEE 802.3BA appeared, defining an Ethernet for a backplane that uses four 10GBase-KR lanes to achieve 40G (40GBase-KR4).

In both of these cases, the IEEE used ATCA as a specific use model. For the original ATCA standard, the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG®), had already defined fabric links to deliver 10Gbps to and from node boards using four 2.5Gbps serial lanes (10GBase-KX4) in PICMG 3.1 Option 9 for the ATCA backplane (see Figure 3). To move up to 40G (either as 4 x 10G links of a single 40G link) is architecturally similar: upgrade the backplane and link terminations to handle a higher 10Gbps bit rate.

ATCA Aligns (Part 1)


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Figure 3 - The four-lane 10G serial link structures already specified in PICMG 3.1 Option 9 can be ex-tended to 40G operation by upgrading the backplane then replacing the 10GBase-KX4 SERDES on node cards with the recently defined 40GBase-KR4 SERDES of IEEE 802.3BA to make four 10Gbps lanes.

Figure 3. Defined Serial Links at 10 Gbps

Hub Slot Node SlotBackplane

3.125 Gbps baud rate, 2.5 Gbps bit rate




10 Gbps MAC

10 Gbps

Link10GBase-KX4

SERDES10GBase-KX4

SERDES10 Gbps

MAC

10 Gbps

Link

Total Bandwidth12.5 Gbps baud rate = 10 Gbps bit rate


This similarity makes a standards upgrade easy to implement, and the process is already underway. The PICMG 3.1 R2 specification will incorporate this speed upgrade, along with node card requirements, connector improvements and necessary enhancements to shelf management and field replaceable unit (FRU) specifications to ensure backward and forward compatibility. It is scheduled for release by the end of 2010.

As standards work proceeds, an early constant was the design and testing of the backplane used to carry the signals. The requirements for signal integrity, crosstalk, and attenuation are clearly stated by the original IEEE work. This has meant that the special backplane required to support 40Gbps per link could be designed in advance of the ATCA standard being ratified. This has been very important because it has allowed some companies to lay groundwork for a very smooth transition to higher performance, as we shall see next.

These pending enhancements to the ATCA specification, as well as the higher-performing processor and hardware technologies that are emerging, mean that 40G ATCA is on the near horizon. Creating an ATCA system capable of handling such high speeds is not a trivial task. It requires careful board design to tight tolerances and the use of improved materials and design techniques in order to maintain precise impedance matching along signal lines. It also requires high precision board manufacturing with careful test and verification capabilities. The level of design and manufacturing expertise required is not common, but it is certainly available and it allows creation of new backplanes that meet the IEEE specifications and can therefore support both 40G blades as they become available alongside current 1G and 10G ATCA blades.

Equipment developers and their customers thus need to begin planning for the inevitable 40G adoption that will follow. But timing is everything in such a transition, and developers as well as customers will instinctively hold back to avoid the expense of upgrading too soon. The risk, however, is that acting too late allows competitors to leapfrog ahead in offering new features and functionality.

Right from the outset, it was clear that not all parts of the 40G platform would be ready at the same time. However, for most developers starting early and upgrading later, the ideal path to 40G was clear and the product focus followed.

ATCA Aligns (Part 2)


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A fully fledged 40G platform consists of three elements:

• An enclosure with a backplane capable of supporting 10G-KR signals AND sufficient airflow for higher power boards

• A 40Gbps hub switch, capable of terminating 40G links to all the node slots

• Packet processing and other payload blades capable of handling that traffic

There are three steps to making the best use of 40G ATCA.

Step 1: Get the basics right first

The enclosure, with its backplane and cooling environment, needs to be the initial focus. This is the only part of the system that cannot later be upgraded without a full fork-lift upgrade. Deploying early with a 40G-ready platform is the key to later success. Early field installations in a 40G-ready platform with good cooling performance can easily be upgraded later by replacing the hub switches and adding new 40G payload as capacity requires.

Emerson’s Centellis™ 4440 platform features class-leading cooling performance, and has been tested and validated against the IEEE 10G-KR specifications. It was the first 40G-ready platform core in the world, and by July 2010, it will have been shipping for over 18 months.

The heart of the Centellis 4440 is the ATCA shelf, which includes levels of redundancy that can tolerate any single failure without degrading service to the payload. The shelf features a 40G “KR-Ready” backplane that has been engineered and tested to support 40Gbps communication across the PICMG 3.1 fabric interface in anticipation of the pending R2 extensions.

Three Steps to (40G) Heaven … Step 1: Get the basics right first (Part 1)


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- Step 1 - Part 1:Get the basics right first


- Step 2:Upgrade the switchinginfrastructure to be ready

- Step 3:Expand the paltform with 40Gpayload options as required




The Centellis 4440 Platform Core from Emerson Network Power is 40G-ready, with backplanes designed and tested to support the higher speed links and a thermal design that can accommodate as much as 350 Watts per blade.


A key feature of the Centellis 4440 is its thermal design. The shelf provides cooling that conforms to the CP-TA B.4 thermal profile, the highest level currently defined. This cooling ability dovetails with the shelf’s power distribution to allow blade power levels up to 350 Watts per board in data center environments.

Even though it has the ability to handle 40G links, the shelf design is fully compatible with existing 1G and 10G blades. This compatibility makes the shelf suitable for system designs targeting immediate and near-term installations while making those designs ready for 40G as it becomes available. With the Centellis 4440, all that a system speed upgrade will involve is blade replacement with 40Gbps versions. The chassis, cabling and system installation would remain intact and integration and verification efforts would effectively be “re-used.” The result is a reduction in the cost, complexity, and risk of system enhancement.

Network equipment providers must, of course, be able to address a wide range of customer needs with their ATCA designs. System size and capacity needs to match the initial deployment requirement to help minimize capital investment during the economic recovery. At the same time, systems should be scalable to readily handle capacity growth as the customer base increases and as service offerings evolve. Emerson’s revolutionary Centellis 2000™ meets the need.

When introduced, the Centellis 2000 was the only small (two-slot) ATCA platform to offer front-to-rear cooling, and it is believed this is still the case. In a two-slot configuration, the fabric interfaces of the two node cards are connected directly together. This platform was upgraded to a 40Gbps-ready backplane in late 2009.

So the platform cores are ready and stable … what next?

Step 1: Get the basics right first (Part 2)


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The next step is to upgrade the switching core of the platform. This should retain backwards compatibility so that existing processing elements will work, but it brings another dimension by supporting higher capacity processing elements that can then be added as both availability or customer demand dictates. This step would ideally be taken with existing processing elements first in order to validate operation and ensure a smooth upgrade path.

Emerson’s recently launched ATCA-F140 40G switch hub will become available to early customers in Q4 2010. It supports both existing 1/10G payload and next generation 40G payload. This allows the switch hub upgrade to be integrated and tested with existing system payload ahead of the need for 40G payload.

The ATCA-F140 is based on the latest generation of Broadcom’s Ethernet switching infrastructure, offering 40G links to 12 payload slots and a further 160G of external connectivity. Sophisticated packet filtering and queuing functions are built into

the switch, ready to be used to improve packet flow into and out of a system, while Layer 2 and 3 routing functions ensure efficient connectivity to other equipment.

In common with its predecessor, the ATCA-F140 offers an optional auxiliary CPU complex with local storage that can be used directly for customer applications. A typical use for this would be system management.

Step 2: Upgrade the switching infrastructure to be ready


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ATCA-F140 40G ATCA Switch Blade


Step 3: Expand the platform with 40G payload options as required


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ATCA-9305 Many-core ATCA Processor Blade

Packet processing applications are the prime adopters of 40G ATCA systems, so packet processing blades based on specialist CPUs like those from Cavium Networks are the obvious first target use, with the recently announced OCTEON II devices easily capable of handling this sort of traffic. However, for many programs, we still expect there to be a mix of 10G and 40G blades, especially when 10G blades are already available and deployed, or when the customer only wants to add 10Gbps capacity and won’t pay for more.

10Gbps packet processing blades are commonly available. An example is Emerson’s ATCA-9305, featuring dual Cavium OCTEON+ CN5860 for a total of 32 cores. OCTEON II based 40G packet processing blades are expected in 2011.

General purpose CPU blades for the most part cannot make use of the additional fabric capacity yet, but we expect this situation to change in the next generation of x86 processors. Hence a migration to 40G for these products will follow a short

while later than for the packet processing blades.


The ability of the Centellis Platform Cores to handle 40G when it arrives makes them ideal for today’s designs and installations. Bandwidth demand is growing both in the needs of individual endpoint nodes and in the number of nodes installed, with the proliferation of wireless nodes a significant factor in that growth. This demand growth, in turn, is increasing the requirement on throughput per network element. Cost and space constraints, meanwhile, call for network elements to decrease in their physical size and price per packet handled. This reduction can only be achieved by increasing

the processor performance and I/O bandwidth that individual blades can offer.

The inevitable conclusion is that ATCA systems must move from 1G and 10G operation to the next logical step: 40G. Technology is already moving that way. Next-generation multi-core processors will have the I/O and computing capacity to handle the needed data traffic. So will switching and packet processing silicon, with the result that 40G blades may only be a year away from wider availability.

It is time now to begin building the application infrastructure that will handle 40G. With the Centellis 4440 and Centellis 2000 Platform Cores, the shelf and backplane that will support future 40G links without compromising existing system compatibility are already available. The next link in the chain, the 40G switch will be available soon and processing blades will follow shortly thereafter. Network equipment providers can deliver to their service provider customers today systems that will allow quick and simple speed upgrades through simple blade replacement. With the infrastructure in place and waiting, and a chance to upgrade in easy stages, the move to 40G can take place with minimal effort and cost so that providers can efficiently catch and ride the coming 40G wave.

Catching the 40G Wave


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Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson (NYSE:EMR), is the global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity™. The company is the trusted source for adaptive and ultra-reliable solutions that enable and protect its customers’ business-critical technology infrastructures.

Through its Embedded Computing business, Emerson Network Power enables original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and systems integrators to develop better products quickly, cost-effectively and with less risk.

The Embedded Computing business of Emerson Network Power is a recognized leading provider of products and services based on open standards such as AdvancedTCA®, MicroTCA®, AdvancedMCTM, CompactPCI®, COM Express®, Processor PMC and VMEbus. Our broad product portfolio, ranging from communications servers, application-ready platforms, blades and modules to enabling software and professional services, enables OEMs to focus on staying ahead of the competition.

Manufacturers of equipment for telecommunications, defense, aerospace, medical and industrial automation markets can trust Emerson’s proven track record of business stability and technology innovation. Working with Emerson helps them shift more of their development efforts to the deployment of new, value-add features and services that create competitive advantage and build market share.

Emerson’s commitment to open, standards-based solutions goes back over 25 years and our deep understanding of the embedded computing needs of OEMs provide the foundation for the market to look to us for leadership and innovation.

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