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AdvancedMC - Ultimate Computing Power in a Small Form Factor

For designers looking for the ultimate computing power in a small form factor, Advanced Mezzanine Cards (AMCs), a form factor defined by a PICMG standard, has already established itself on the market as a versatile and powerful embedded product. For use in both ATCA and MicroTCA Systems , AdvancedMC's offer serial interfaces and support different transport systems such as, PCIExpress, Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Serial Rapid I/0 and SAS (Serial Attached SCSI)/SATA (Serial ATA). AdvancedMC modules are the key for building MicroTCA platforms, to extend the value of AdvancedTCA platforms and to enable proprietary platforms with the necessary functionality.


Ranging in size from single (74mm x 183.5mm) to double (149mm x 183.5mm), AMCs are flexible, powerful and simple to integrate and therefore enable system vendors who use them in MicroTCA or AdvancedTCA platforms to adapt their solutions to applications demand very easy.

AMCs Offer:

• High Data Throughput via high speed serial interconnects
• High Manageability via IMPI concept and interoperability check
• High Serviceability through hot swap capability


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MicroTCA

AdvancedTCA

Kontron offers one of the broadest portfolios of AMCs in the market. Choosing from scalable AMC versions, you can configure your ATCA or MicroTCA () open modular platforms to your application needs.

AdvancedMCs
Processors
I/O
Mass Storage

AdvancedMC Technology Highlights

In order to ensure adaption to various applications, a corresponding mezzanine concept was developed through the AdvancedTCA standardization: Advanced Mezzanine Cards (AdvancedMC). The AMC specification defined by the PICMG committee adds important technical innovations to the PMC model PCI Mezzanine Card in order to achieve carrier grade “five nines” of availability at carrier level. AdvancedMCs are flexible, powerful and simple to integrate into ATCA and MicroTCA platforms.


As the smallest field-replaceable units Advanced Mezzanine Cards (AdvancedMC or AMC) offer extension of the granularity of the system architecture and are ideally suited to scaling, standardization, and customization due to the modular approach. They are found on AdvancedTCA boards, in independent MicroTCA systems and as modules on customer specific boards. As part of this eco-system Kontron offers a wide range of processor, networking, I/O and storage AMCs.

AdvancedMCs offer the following advantages

• Hot swappable, front loadable
• High real estate (20 percent more than PMC)
• High Power envelope (up to 60 W per bay)
• High speed serial interconnect based on LVDS
• Interoperability check by electronic keying

The AMC specification defines the base-level requirements for a wide-range of high-speed mezzanine cards optimized for, but not limited to, AdvancedTCA Carriers and PICMG Micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture systems. This base specification (AMC.0) defines the common elements for Modules and Carriers including mechanical, management, power, thermal, and the connector and signals that interconnect them. Subsidiary specifications (AMC.1/.2/.3/.49) defines the usage requirements for mapping specific interconnect protocols between AdvancedMC Modules and Carriers. Examples of interconnect protocols include PCI Express, Serial RapidIO, 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet.

By configuring highly diverse collections of AMCs in a MicroTCA Shelf or AdvancedTCA Platform, many different applications can be easily realized. The common elements defined by xTCA are capable of interconnecting these AMCs in many interesting ways - powering and managing them, all at high efficiency and low cost.

AdvancedMC measuring 2U (single) or 4U (double) in height by 3-6HP in width by 183.5 mm in depth, are a smaller form factor than even 3U or 6U well known from VME and CompactPCI cards. Compared with the very compact single AMCs, the bigger footprint of double AMCs give more room for features like IO, graphics or storage on the PCB and on the Front panel.