News

News Releases
2003

New Market Study Puts AdvancedTCA Market size in Telecom Infrastructure at $3.7 Billion and Growing by 2007
High-Speed Backplane Performance Testing at PICMG's 5th AdvancedTCA Interoperability Workshop Confirms Spec's Technical Strength
PICMG Ratifies New AdvancedTCA Fabric Specifications, for StarFabric and PCI Express Architecture
RapidIO™ Expanding to High-Speed Data Plane Applications, PICMG® 3.5 Spec Defines RapidIO on AdvancedTCA™
PICMG Members Demonstrate AdvancedTCA Product Prototypes Following Fourth Successful Interoperability Workshop
PICMG Holds Third AdvancedTCA Interoperability Workshop
PICMG Ratifies First AdvancedTCA Fabric Specifications, for Ethernet/Fibre Channel and InfiniBand
Second AdvancedTCA Interoperability Workshop Held By PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG)
PICMG Re-elects Officers for 2003
PICMG Adopts AdvancedTCA Specification

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay, Virtual, Inc., (781) 876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

NEW MARKET STUDY PUTS ADVANCEDTCA MARKET SIZE IN TELECOM INFRASTRUCTURE AT $3.7 BILLION AND GROWING BY 2007

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – Oct. 28, 2003 – A new market study of the adoption rates and patterns for AdvancedTCA® products in the telecommunications equipment market through 2007 points to a market size of $3.7 billion (U.S.) and still growing. The new AdvancedTCA series of specifications, released early this year by PICMG®, defines board and chassis building blocks aimed at the next generation of telecom infrastructure equipment.

The 21-page study from RHK Inc., sponsored by PICMG and Intel Corp., contains detailed forecasts to the year 2007, broken down by industry equipment segments, server and non-server blades, and blade types. The full report is available on PICMG’s AdvancedTCA website at www.advancedtca.org.

“This report confirms what most in the industry have been hearing over the last few months -- that AdvancedTCA is achieving rapid acceptance in this market from both suppliers and customers,” said Rob Davidson, Vice President, Marketing for PICMG. “Capital equipment expenditures in telecom exceeded $200 billion last year, so these are exciting times for the industry.”

“RHK's study involved a series of interviews with the product development organizations of a diverse set of telecom system vendors,” said Richard Caro, Managing Director, RHK Advisory Services. “We found that the acceptance of AdvancedTCA depends on a variety of factors, such as availability of a wide range of board types; price/volume curves; and the timing of product design cycles in differing market segments.”

The RHK study highlights some challenges for the industry in meeting the cost/volume expectations of customers. The emergence of common, standardized building blocks will lead to the higher end of the forecast, whereas fragmented volumes will lead to lower adoption rates. The study did not look at the adoption rates in other market segments.

“Although AdvancedTCA was designed from the ground up as an architecture for the telecommunications industry (TCA stands for Telecom Computing Architecture), experience has shown that successful industry standards can find large markets in other segments,” said Joe Pavlat, President of PICMG.

The AdvancedTCA specifications for next-generation telecommunications equipment are aimed at further expanding the market for off-the-shelf, modular platform solutions for carrier grade communications equipment. PICMG expects to see interest in AdvancedTCA in other industries, including critical enterprise applications and military communications.

Other specifications in the AdvancedTCA series cover the mapping of various high speed serial fabrics to the AdvancedTCA platform: PICMG 3.1 for Ethernet, PICMG 3.2 for InfiniBand®, PICMG 3.3 for StarFabric and PICMG 3.4 for PCI Express™ architecture. Additional specifications are in development.

Anyone with an interest in AdvancedTCA technology may subscribe to PICMG's AdvancedTCA reflector (or listserv) at no charge – instructions on joining the list are on the Web at http://www.picmg.org/v2internal/newinitiative.htm#Reflector. Companies manufacturing products that comply with AdvancedTCA specifications are invited to list them in PICMG's free online product directory, at http://www.picmg.org/picmg_cfmfiles/generalv4/search1.cfm?bus=AdvancedTCA.

About PICMG
Founded in 1994 as the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group, PICMG is a consortium of over 600 companies that collaboratively develops open specifications for high performance telecommunications and industrial computing applications. The members of the consortium have a long history of developing leading edge products for these industries. For more information on AdvancedTCA or to view a short form version of the 3.0 specification, visit http://www.advancedtca.org/.

For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at http://www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.

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PICMG, CompactPCI and AdvancedTCA are registered trademarks of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers' Group. InfiniBand is a registered trademark of the InfiniBand Trade Association. PCI Express is a trademark of the PCI SIG. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay, Virtual, Inc., (781) 876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

HIGH-SPEED BACKPLANE PERFORMANCE TESTING
AT PICMG’S 5TH ADVANCEDTCA INTEROPERABILITY WORKSHOP
CONFIRMS SPEC’S TECHNICAL STRENGTH

WAKEFIELD, Mass., Sept. 8, 2003 – Comprehensive signal integrity testing to verify high speed backplane design highlighted PICMG®’s fifth successful AdvancedTCA™ (Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) interoperability workshop, held during the first week of September.

This event, hosted by Intel in its Parsippany, N.J. facility, expanded on prior workshops to include backplane signal integrity tests, with PICMG member Agilent Technologies providing test equipment and expertise to run multiple AdvancedTCA backplanes through a series of signal integrity tests at frequencies up to 5GHz

PICMG’s series of AdvancedTCA Interoperability Workshops have been testing the multi-vendor interoperability of new products designed to the AdvancedTCA base specification. These workshops have enabled companies to test everything from mechanical tolerances and slot cooling to shelf management and electronic keying.

In the AdvancedTCA workshop environment, specification details are tested, debated and resolved through a process of hands-on cooperative system testing by architects, engineers and designers from many OEMs in a protected and confidential environment. Participation is limited to those PICMG members with equipment to test. The workshops have been successful in identifying corrections and refinements that will be incorporated in the next revision of the specification.

This workshop attracted 19 participating companies, the largest so far and an increase from the 15 members who attended the Las Vegas AIW in May. Participants included Agilent Technologies; ASIS Ltd.; Bustronic Corporation; Carlo Gavazzi Mupac; Comtel Electronics GmbH; Diversified Technology; Elma Electronics; Force Computers; GNP; Intel Corporation; Motorola Computer Group; NMS Communications; Pentair Schroff; PetaStream; Pigeon Point Systems; RadiSys Corporation; Kaparel, a division of Rittal Corporation; Tracewell Systems Inc. and ZNYX Networks, Inc.

"After five workshops, we have uncovered no major issues with the AdvancedTCA specification, and we are confident that it is solid. PICMG continues to deal with the minor issues flushed out in these workshops, while our members continue to develop compliant products," said Joe Pavlat, PICMG's President. “All of us in the industry are indebted to the specification’s early adopters for their superb commitment in helping to prove out the AdvancedTCA spec.”

“The signal integrity testing facilitated by Agilent provided essential empirical data that confirmed the validity of our AdvancedTCA backplane simulation models. This gives us full confidence in the performance of AdvancedTCA,” said PICMG officer Michael Munroe.

“AdvancedTCA provides a high speed interconnect unmatched by any other standard,” said David Wright of Comtel. “The signal integrity testing carried out at AIW5 by participating companies, with the help of Agilent Technologies, verified the high performance expectations of this interconnect. The confidence level, already high, was raised further by these results.”

The AdvancedTCA specifications for next-generation telecommunications equipment are aimed at further expanding the market for off-the-shelf, modular platform solutions for carrier grade communications equipment. PICMG also expects to see interest in AdvancedTCA in other industries, such as data communications and military equipment.

Other specifications in the AdvancedTCA series cover the mapping of various high speed serial fabrics to the AdvancedTCA platform: PICMG 3.1 for Ethernet, PICMG 3.2 for InfiniBand, PICMG 3.3 for StarFabric and PICMG 3.4 for PCI Express™. Additional specifications are in development.

Anyone with an interest in AdvancedTCA technology may subscribe to PICMG's AdvancedTCA reflector (or listserv) at no charge – instructions on joining the list are on the Web at http://www.picmg.org/v2internal/newinitiative.htm#Reflector. Companies manufacturing products that comply with AdvancedTCA specifications, even non-members of PICMG, are invited to list them in PICMG's free online product directory, at www.picmg.org/picmg_cfmfiles/generalv4/search1.cfm?bus=AdvancedTCA.

For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at http://www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.

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PICMG and CompactPCI are registered trademarks of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers' Group. AdvancedTCA is a trademark of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers' Group. InfiniBand is a registered trademark of the InfiniBand Trade Association. PCI Express is a trademark of the PCI SIG. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay, Virtual, Inc., (781) 876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

PICMG RATIFIES NEW ADVANCEDTCA FABRIC SPECIFICATIONS, FOR STARFABRIC AND PCI EXPRESS ARCHITECTURE

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – Aug. 4, 2003 – The Executive membership of PICMG® has voted to adopt two additional fabric interconnect specifications in its AdvancedTCA™ family of specifications: PICMG 3.3 for StarFabric Interconnect and PICMG 3.4 for PCI Express™ architecture.

AdvancedTCA (for Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) is the first open industry specification for carrier grade equipment incorporating high speed switched fabric technology, capable of switching and processing 2.5 terabits per second in a single shelf. The two new documents join two previously adopted AdvancedTCA fabric interconnect specifications, PICMG 3.1 Ethernet/Fibre Channel and PICMG 3.2 InfiniBand®

The fabric interconnect specifications build upon the PICMG 3.0 Base Interconnect Specification, which defines the overall system architecture including mechanicals, power, thermals, system management, a base ethernet interconnect and the extended fabric physical interconnects; they are not intended to stand alone or to be used separately from the base specification. The fabric interconnect specifications define the electrical characteristics and pin mappings for a variety of fabric technologies, to offer system developers and users flexible choice of high speed interconnects for various applications from high speed routers to storage systems. The electronic keying features of the AdvancedTCA base specification allow interoperability of different fabric solutions in the same shelf or chassis.

"The AdvancedTCA subsidiary fabric specifications are reaching completion in record time," said Dick Somes of Force Computers, Inc., PICMG's Technology Officer. "Our members' enthusiasm and commitment to these efforts shows the AdvancedTCA community's desire to make this new technology available, to supply the telecommunications industry with a large selection of interchangeable modules on common platforms."

The PICMG 3.3 specification defines the electrical environment for StarFabric as a fabric interface for AdvancedTCA system applications.

“StarFabric balances the benefits of flexibility and the need to be compatible with existing transport protocols, driver, O/S and hardware infrastructure so that adopters can maintain existing investments while solving next-generation challenges,” said Stephen Christo, StarGen, editor for the 3.3 technical subcommittee.

The PICMG 3.4 specification defines the electrical environment for PCI Express architecture as a fabric interface for AdvancedTCA™ system applications. The specification defines a high-speed, low latency point-to-point connectivity among node, fabric (switch hub) and full mesh boards for PCI Express interconnects. The PICMG 3.4 specification accommodates subsystem components that conform to the PCI Express Base specification that was released last year, the Advanced Switching specification now under development, and mixed systems that have a combination of Base and Advanced Switching nodes.

“PCI Express will bring the same benefits of high performance at lower cost to the communications industry that PCI did for the computer industry,” said Wayne Perrier, PLX Technology, editor and chair of the 3.4 technical subcommittee. “Further enhancements in the form of the Advanced Switching specification, now under development, can be expected.”

Both PICMG 3.3 and 3.4 reference the Advanced Switching Specification now being developed. Based on the PCI Express architecture, Advanced Switching is targeted at enabling additional communications capabilities, including a globally flat addressable fabric used to enable large, multi-stage switching topologies, message passing, multicast and broadcast capabilities, as well as congestion management and transport reliability.

Copies of the specification have been distributed to all PICMG members in good standing. Non-members can purchase copies of all released PICMG specifications from the PICMG Web site, www.picmg.org. A short-form version of the AdvancedTCA core specification is available at www.advancedtca.org.

Companies manufacturing products that comply with AdvancedTCA specifications, whether members of PICMG or not, are invited to list them in PICMG's free online product directory, at http://www.picmg.org/picmg_cfmfiles/generalv4/search1.cfm?bus=AdvancedTCA.

For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at http://www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.


RapidIO media contact: Kathy Truesdell (PR@rapidio.org) 512-301-0615	PICMG media contact: Judith Vanderkay (jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com) 781-876-6208

RapidIO™ Expanding to High-Speed Data Plane Applications,
PICMG® 3.5 Spec Defines RapidIO on AdvancedTCA™

Austin, Texas. (June 16, 2003) – In an important roadmap extension of the RapidIO interconnect architecture, the RapidIO Trade Association today announced plans to expand its application focus to fully cover data plane applications for telecommunications networks. The planned extensions will enable lower-cost standards-based products such as multiprotocol switches, 10 gigabit Ethernet switches, edge routers, SAN switches, DSLAMs and IP service switches. The resulting specifications will foster the replacement of current proprietary data fabrics with an open-standard technology, reducing development costs and accelerating time to market, through the adoption of off-the-shelf components. The extensions, expected to be finalized in early 2004, will retain compatibility with existing RapidIO switch and endpoint products based on the layered RapidIO architecture.

“This extension has intriguing system-level and chip-level implications,” states Eric Mantion, senior analyst for the market research firm In-Stat/MDR. “It will enable new system configurations between blade servers, network and storage systems, as well as new enterprise telecom applications. It also lets designers ‘massively cluster’ many chips or cores within a system, since RapidIO is also a chip-to-chip interconnect.”

In a separate effort, the PICMG® 3.5 subcommittee is being re-organized to map the full range of RapidIO protocols onto the AdvancedTCA™ platform architecture rather than limiting its attention to data plane oriented protocols alone. A PICMG 2.18 subcommittee, tasked with mapping RapidIO onto the CompactPCI® platform, was also recently approved.

"Extending RapidIO to an even broader range of data plane applications while carrying forward RapidIO's best-in-class control plane features creates a very compelling unified open interconnect architecture," says Dave Wickliff, RapidIO steering committee representative from Lucent Technologies. "Leveraging RapidIO standards onto AdvancedTCA via PICMG 3.5 will extend this open interconnect into the important box-level telecommunications platform. RapidIO provides an interconnect architecture that can homogenously span a complete platform: backplane, boards, mezzanines, and devices."

Richard Somes, PICMG Technical Officer, adds: “With the change in charter for the PICMG 3.5 subcommittee, RapidIO becomes a valuable High Speed Fabric option for the AdvancedTCA platform. The cooperative effort between PICMG and the RapidIO Trade Association adds to the considerable momentum behind the AdvancedTCA family of specifications for next generation carrier grade equipment.”

The RapidIO data plane extension leverages efforts completed earlier by the RapidIO Trade Association, as well as work contributed by the Advanced Fabric Interface (AFI) working group.

“There was significant synergy between the goals of the Advanced Fabric Interface working group, and the vision for RapidIO, “ says Chuck Hill, system architect with the Motorola Computer Group in Tempe, Arizona, who spearheaded the AFI effort. “An open standard with data plane features is essential to increased penetration of commercial off-the-shelf systems into certain telecom applications.”

“This extension benefits current as well as future RapidIO users as it will impact all future data plane applications,” says Sam Fuller, president of the RapidIO Trade Association. “We have strong interest from current and prospective members on this initiative. It’s also further evidence of RapidIO momentum. It’s an internationally certified standard and products based on RapidIO are available today. Designers around the world are using RapidIO’s design software, silicon, simulation, verification, and testing tools to create high-performance embedded systems.”

The RapidIO interconnect architectures are open standards available for review and downloading from the RapidIO Trade Association’s website, www.rapidio.org. Also available at the website is information on system-enablement tools including RapidIO vendor product lists, synthesizable Verilog cores, analog physical layer cores, logic and protocol analyzers, operating system support, bus functional models, and hardware interoperability platforms.

About PICMG:
Founded in 1994 as the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group, PICMG is a consortium of over 600 companies that collaboratively develops open specifications for high performance telecommunications and industrial computing applications. The members of the consortium have a long history of developing leading edge products for these industries. The AdvancedTCA (Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) specifications for next-generation telecommunications equipment are aimed at further expanding the market for off-the-shelf, modular solutions for carrier grade communications equipment, a move that was begun by the highly successful CompactPCI? specifications (PICMG 2.x series).For more information about PICMG and AdvancedTCA, visit http://picmg.org.

About the RapidIO Trade Association:
The RapidIO Trade Association was formed in June 2000 to drive the adoption of open-standard, high-performance interconnect architectures needed for high-performance networking, communications and embedded systems. With more than 50 members worldwide, this non-profit organization is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Membership provides early access to the specifications, the ability to propose changes to the RapidIO standards, and the opportunity to actively participate in the adoption process. A complete list of member companies, as well as education and design tools, are available at the association’s website www.RapidIO.org.

# # #
RapidIO and the RapidIO logo are trademarks and service marks of the RapidIO Trade Association. PICMG and CompactPCI are registered trademarks and AdvancedTCA is a trademark of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers' Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay, Virtual, Inc., (781) 876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

PICMG MEMBERS DEMONSTRATE ADVANCEDTCA PRODUCT PROTOTYPES FOLLOWING FOURTH SUCCESSFUL INTEROPERABILITY WORKSHOP

WAKEFIELD, Mass., June 11, 2003 -- PICMG® concluded its fourth successful AdvancedTCA™ (Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) interoperability workshop in Las Vegas, May 19-22, with a demonstration for an audience of members and invited guests of a wide range of products based on the AdvancedTCA specification. The series of workshops is aimed at testing multi-vendor interoperability of products compliant with the PICMG 3.0 AdvancedTCA base specification.

This latest interoperability event included three full days of extensive testing, building on the work of prior events. While AdvancedTCA system management and electronic keying were the focus of the tests, participants demonstrated dual star and full mesh backplanes, high speed network processors and general purpose processors, PMC and ProcessorPMC carriers, fabric switches, and fault management and failover. Bearer traffic over the main data fabric using both Ethernet and InfiniBand® protocols was also demonstrated.

The AdvancedTCA workshops provide an environment where specification issues can be discovered, explored, and interpreted through hands-on testing of systems built from multiple vendors' products. Participation is limited to those PICMG members with actual equipment to test. The workshops have been successful in identifying clarifying wording that will be incorporated in the next revision of the specification; however, no major inconsistencies or omissions have been found in the current version.

Fifteen PICMG member companies participated in the workshop and demonstrations, including Asis, Carlo Gavazzi Mupac , Diversified Technology, Elma Electronics, Inc., Force Computers , GNP, Intel®, Motorola Computer Group, NMS Communications, Schroff, Pigeon Point Systems, RadiSys, Rittal/Kaparel, Tracewell Systems Inc. and ZNYX Networks, Inc. Invited guests for the demo included representatives of telecom equipment manufacturers from around the globe.

"AdvancedTCA has the most sophisticated system management ever defined by PICMG, and we have successfully tested its functionality in these workshops," said Joe Pavlat of Cypress Point Research, PICMG's President. "The breadth and complexity of the equipment demonstrated in Las Vegas was especially impressive considering the specification was completed just five months ago. We are very close to critical mass of AdvancedTCA product suppliers, and the stage is now set for rapid adoption into next-generation telecom equipment."

The Las Vegas event also included a four-hour AdvancedTCA tutorial, which was attended by approximately 80 people. Lead presenter at the tutorial was Bell Labs Fellow Chuck Byers of Lucent Technology. The tutorial presentation is available to the public at www.advancedtca.org.

"The great turnout at the tutorial demonstrates the increasing level of interest in AdvancedTCA from potential users of the technology worldwide," said Byers. "The interoperability test sessions and demos provide ample evidence of the great progress we have made in implementing the specification over the past five months since it has been ratified. We saw lab demos of data being carried, video being transported, and phones ringing, all supported by AdvancedTCA equipment. I am optimistic that we will see field deployment of the technology soon."

The AdvancedTCA specifications for next-generation telecommunications equipment are aimed at further expanding the market for off-the-shelf, modular solutions for carrier grade communications equipment, a move that was begun by the highly successful CompactPCI? specifications (PICMG 2.x series). PICMG also expects to see interest in AdvancedTCA in other industries, such as data communications and military equipment.

Other specifications in the series cover the mapping of various high speed serial fabrics to the AdvancedTCA platform: PICMG 3.1 for Ethernet, PICMG 3.2 for InfiniBand, PICMG 3.3 for StarFabric and PICMG 3.4 for PCI Express™. Additional specifications are in development.

Anyone with an interest in AdvancedTCA technology may subscribe to PICMG's AdvancedTCA reflector (or listserv) at no charge – instructions on joining the list are on the Web at http://www.picmg.org/v2internal/newinitiative.htm#Reflector. Companies manufacturing products that comply with AdvancedTCA specifications, even non-members of PICMG, are invited to list them in PICMG's free online product directory, at http://www.picmg.org/picmg_cfmfiles/generalv4/search1.cfm?bus=AdvancedTCA.

For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at http://www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay, Virtual, Inc., (781) 876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

PICMG HOLDS THIRD ADVANCEDTCA INTEROPERABILITY WORKSHOP

WAKEFIELD, Mass., April 15, 2003 -- The PICMG? specification group has completed the third in its series of AdvancedTCA? (Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) interoperability workshops, aimed at proving out the technologies in the PICMG 3.0 AdvancedTCA base specification.

The March 25-27 event at Schroff’s facility in Warwick, R.I. included equipment from 11 companies, including chassis, backplanes, CPU boards, switch boards and management controllers, and participants came from Canada, France, Germany, Poland and Russia, as well as from the U.S.

This latest AdvancedTCA interoperability workshop built on the success of the prior two events, which tested electromechanical and basic system management aspects of the specification. This workshop extended the system management interoperability testing into detailed management functionality on each of the Field Replaceable Units (FRUs) in a system such as temperature, power capabilities, LED control and management communications capabilities.

The workshop also tested key features in the “electronic keying” (e-keying) parts of the specification. This advanced feature prevents the boards in the system from enabling their interfaces and key features until the shelf manager has determined that they are compatible with the other components in the system. Some participants also tested the Ethernet base interface and passed packets between different vendors’ boards.

"This workshop and the others before it are showing the robustness of the specifications," said Rob Davidson of Intel, PICMG's Vice President for Marketing. “Their results should build confidence among customers on the interoperability of AdvancedTCA products.”

This series of workshops testing different parts of the AdvancedTCA spec has been building to the next event, taking place in May in Las Vegas, which will test complete system interoperability. Unlike previous events, the May event will include demonstrations of interoperating AdvancedTCA equipment and an AdvancedTCA tutorial for PICMG members.

Participants in the March Workshop included Carlo Gavazzi Mupac, Comtel Electronics GmbH, Elma Electronics, Inc., Force Computers, Inc., Intel Corp, Motorola Computer Group, NMS Communications, Schroff, Pigeon Point Systems, Rittal/Kaparel and Tracewell Systems Inc. – all Executive or Associate members of PICMG and participants in the PICMG 3.0 technical subcommittee. Schroff hosted the event at the company’s Warwick facility and contributed the necessary facilities, power, and test equipment.

PICMG also expects to see interest in AdvancedTCA from other industries, such as data communications and military equipment manufacturers. Additional specifications in the series cover the mapping of various high speed serial fabrics to the AdvancedTCA platform: PICMG 3.1 for Ethernet, PICMG 3.2 for InfiniBand?, PICMG 3.3 for StarFabric and PICMG 3.4 for PCI Express™.

Anyone with an interest in AdvancedTCA technology may subscribe to PICMG's AdvancedTCA reflector (or listserv) at no charge – instructions on joining the list are on the Web at http://www.picmg.org/v2internal/newinitiative.htm#Reflector. Companies manufacturing products that comply with AdvancedTCA specifications, even non-members of PICMG, are invited to list them in PICMG's free online product directory, at http://www.picmg.org/picmg_cfmfiles/generalv4/search1.cfm?bus=AdvancedTCA.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay, Virtual, Inc., (781) 876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

PICMG RATIFIES FIRST ADVANCEDTCA FABRIC SPECIFICATIONS, FOR ETHERNET/FIBRE CHANNEL AND INFINIBAND

New ECN Augments PICMG 2.15 PTMC Connector Specification

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – March 3, 2003 – The Executive membership of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG®) has voted to adopt the first two Fabric specifications in its new AdvancedTCA™ family of specifications, PICMG 3.1 Ethernet/Fibre Channel and PICMG 3.2 InfiniBand®.

AdvancedTCA (for Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) is the first open industry specification for carrier grade equipment incorporating high speed switched fabric technology, capable of switching and processing 2.5 terabits per second in a single shelf. The two new documents are the first to be completed of several AdvancedTCA fabric-specific specifications underway within the PICMG organization.

The new specifications build upon the PICMG 3.0 Base Specification, and they are not intended to stand alone or to be used separately from the base specification. The various fabric specifications will offer system developers and users flexible choice of high speed interconnects for various applications from high speed routers to storage systems. The electronic keying features of the AdvancedTCA base specification allow interoperability of different fabric solutions in the same shelf or chassis.

"These first AdvancedTCA subsidiary specifications were developed in parallel with the PICMG 3.0 base specification and by many of the same people," said Dick Somes of Force Computers, Inc., PICMG's Technology Officer. "They demonstrate the commitment of the AdvancedTCA community to the creation and early availability of common platforms with a large selection of interchangeable modules, to meet the needs of the telecommunications industry for many years to come."

PICMG 3.1 maps the signalling protocols defined for Ethernet by IEEE 802.3-2003 and the Fibre Channel FC-PI specifications onto the Fabric Interface defined by PICMG 3.0. The Ethernet definitions support up to 10GbE connections. Both Ethernet and Fibre Channel links may exist on a single PICMG 3.0 channel depending on the data rates supported.

PICMG 3.2 InfiniBand maps the signalling protocols from the InfiniBand Specifications onto the Fabric Interface defined by PICMG 3.0. The 3.2 specification provides guidelines for the use of 1X, 4X and 12X InfiniBand links and for the use of InfiniBand in-band management. It also provides recommendations for utilizing advanced InfiniBand features that increase performance and interoperability.

At the same meeting, PICMG Executive members also voted to adopt an Engineering Change Notice (ECN) to PICMG 2.15, the PCI Telecom Mezzanine Card (PTMC) specification. In the ECN, two new options are added to augment the PTMC connector configurations defined in the R1.0 document. One enhances TDM capacities by extending the TDM (H.110) bandwidth and adding Ethernet links, and the other combines ATM (UTOPIA Level 2) capabilities with Ethernet links. Both of these new options standardize use of Ethernet MDI links on the PMC connector at 10 Mb/s, 100 Mb/s and 1000 Mb/s. Material in the ECN does not modify any of the existing PTMC options and is compatible with these previous options.

The AdvancedTCA specifications for next-generation telecommunications equipment are aimed at further expanding the market for off-the-shelf, modular solutions for carrier grade communications equipment, a move that was begun by the highly successful CompactPCI® specifications (PICMG 2.x series). Additional specifications under development in the series include PICMG 3.3 for StarFabric Interconnect and PICMG 3.4 for PCI Express™ architecture.

Copies of the specification are being distributed to all PICMG members in good standing. Non-members can purchase copies of all released PICMG specifications from the PICMG Web site, www.picmg.org. A short-form version of the AdvancedTCA core specification is available at www.advancedtca.org.

Anyone with an interest in AdvancedTCA technology may subscribe to PICMG's AdvancedTCA reflector (or listserv) at no charge – instructions on joining the list are on the Web at http://www.picmg.org/v2internal/newinitiative.htm#Reflector.

Companies manufacturing products that comply with AdvancedTCA specifications, whether members of PICMG or not, are invited to list them in PICMG's free online product directory, at http://www.picmg.org/picmg_cfmfiles/generalv4/search1.cfm?bus=AdvancedTCA

About PICMG
Founded in 1994, PICMG is a consortium of over 600 companies that collaboratively develop open specifications for high performance telecommunications and industrial computing applications. The members of the consortium have a long history of developing leading edge products for these industries.
For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at http://www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.

>###
PICMG and CompactPCI are registered trademarks and AdvancedTCA is a trademark of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group. PCI Express is a trademark of the PCI SIG. InfiniBand is a registered trademark of the InfiniBand Trade Association.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay, Virtual, Inc., (781) 876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

SECOND ADVANCEDTCA INTEROPERABILITY WORKSHOP HELD BY PCI INDUSTRIAL COMPUTER MANUFACTURERS GROUP (PICMG)

WAKEFIELD, Mass., Feb. 12, 2003 -- The PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG®) has completed the second in a series of AdvancedTCA™ (Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) interoperability workshops aimed at proving out the technologies in the recently completed PICMG 3.0 AdvancedTCA base specification. The Jan. 29-30 event in Hillsboro, Ore. included equipment from 11 companies, including chassis, backplanes, CPU boards, switch boards and management controllers.

This second event tested the initial interoperability of the system management elements of the specification and built on the success of the first event, which tested electromechanical aspects of the specification, including form factor, fit, and power distribution.

"The comprehensive system management features incorporated in the PICMG 3.0 AdvancedTCA specification are bringing a new level of flexibility and interoperability to open architecture systems," said Rob Davidson of Intel, PICMG's Vice President for Marketing. “This Workshop emphasized a key subset of these features, including addition and removal of field replaceable units, power management, hot swap, and dynamic reconfiguration while maintaining full management visibility.”

Additional interoperability workshops that focus on different areas of AdvancedTCA are planned for the coming months, culminating in a series of "plugfests" for full systems starting in May.

Participants in the January Workshop included APW, Asis, CG Mupac, Elma Electronics, Force Computers, Intel, Motorola, RadiSys, Rittal/Kaparel, Pigeon Point Systems and Schroff/Pentair Enclosures – all Executive or Associate members of PICMG and participants in the 3.0 technical subcommittee. RadiSys Corporation hosted this event at their Hillsboro headquarters and contributed the necessary facilities, power, and test equipment.

PICMG also expects to see interest in AdvancedTCA from other industries, such as data communications and military equipment manufacturers. Additional specifications in the series include PICMG 3.1 for Ethernet fabric, PICMG 3.2 for InfiniBand?, PICMG 3.3 for StarFabric Interconnect and PICMG 3.4 for PCI Express™ architecture.

Anyone with an interest in AdvancedTCA technology may subscribe to PICMG's AdvancedTCA reflector (or listserv) at no charge – instructions on joining the list are on the Web at http://www.picmg.org/v2internal/newinitiative.htm#Reflector. Companies manufacturing products that comply with AdvancedTCA specifications, even non-members of PICMG, are invited to list them in PICMG's free online product directory, at http://www.picmg.org/picmg_cfmfiles/generalvr/search1.cfm?bus=AdvancedTCA.

About PICMG
Founded in 1994, PICMG is a consortium of over 600 companies that collaboratively develop open specifications for high performance telecommunications and industrial computing applications. The members of the consortium have a long history of developing leading edge products for these industries. For more information on AdvancedTCA or to view a short form version of the 3.0 specification, visit http://www.advancedtca.org/.

For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at http://www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay, Virtual, Inc., (781) 876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

PICMG RE-ELECTS OFFICERS FOR 2003

WAKEFIELD, Mass., Jan. 20, 2003 - The PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG®), a consortium of computer product vendors dedicated to the creation of open industry standards, has re-elected its incumbent officers to new terms for 2003: President Joe Pavlat (President, Cypress Point Research); Vice President, Marketing Rob Davidson (Director Strategic Accounts, Intel Network Processing Group); Vice President, Technology Dick Somes (Director, Standardization at Force Computers Inc.); and Secretary-Treasurer Michael Munroe (Director of Business Development, ERNI).

Over the past year, PICMG members have devoted unprecedented efforts to developing a new series of specifications, called AdvancedTCA™, for next-generation telecommunications equipment, with a new form factor and based on switched fabric architectures. The AdvancedTCA core specification, PICMG 3.0, was recently adopted, with others in the series soon to follow: PICMG 3.1, AdvancedTCA Ethernet; PICMG 3.2, AdvancedTCA InfiniBand®; PICMG 3.3, AdvancedTCA StarFabric; and PICMG 3.4, AdvancedTCA for PCI Express™ architecture.

"Following the high creative energies of 2002, in 2003 PICMG will build on the AdvancedTCA foundation that our members have laid down so well," said Pavlat. "I speak for all the officers in saying we are proud to facilitate the teamwork of this impressive organization."

"We are grateful to the members for their reelection votes of confidence," said Somes. "In 2003 PICMG and our members will reap the rewards from all the hard work that's gone into enhancements to our proven CompactPCI® series and to develop our new AdvancedTCA family, and I feel fortunate to be part of this piece of history."

Davidson said, "PICMG has continued to show leadership in the industry, while we have worked to make the new AdvancedTCA technology a reality. You can be sure we won't rest on our laurels in this new year, but will keep leveraging opportunities for positive effects on the communications sector and others."

Munroe said, "PICMG has attained a new level of influence, with the extraordinary work done this past year to develop AdvancedTCA. I and the other officers will continue to be dedicated to furthering our members' collective efforts."

About PICMG
Founded in 1994, PICMG is a consortium of over 600 companies that collaboratively develop open specifications for high performance telecommunications and industrial computing applications. The members of the consortium have a long history of developing leading edge products for these industries. PICMG is developing a new series of specifications for next-generation telecommunications equipment, AdvancedTCA™ (for Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture). For more information on AdvancedTCA or to view a short form version of the 3.0 specification, visit http://www.advancedtca.org/.

For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at http://www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information:
Judith Vanderkay, Virtual, Inc., (781) 876-6208
jvanderkay@virtualmgmt.com

PICMG ADOPTS ADVANCEDTCA SPECIFICATION

WAKEFIELD, Mass. - Jan. 7, 2003 - The Executive membership of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG®) has voted to adopt Revision 1.0 of PICMG 3.0, the base specification for the new AdvancedTCA™family of specifications.

"Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture is the first open industry specification for carrier grade equipment incorporating high speed switched fabric technology," said Joe Pavlat of Cypress Point Research, PICMG President. "AdvancedTCA systems are capable of switching and processing 2.5 terabits per second in a single shelf."

The 3.0 specification includes detailed sections on power and cooling, comprehensive system management and electronic keying, as well as an outline of regulatory requirements. Subsidiary AdvancedTCA specifications that detail specific switch fabric implementations, including Ethernet, InfiniBand©, StarFabric, and PCI Express™ architecture, are expected to be released throughout 2003.

The entire specification development process for 3.0 has taken PICMG just over 13 months of intense work and meetings, with contributions from over 100 companies. With more than 11,000 person-hours of meetings and calls, and many more hours of individual efforts, the AdvancedTCA specification is the largest project yet undertaken within PICMG.

Dick Somes of Force Computers, PICMG's Technical Officer, said, "Many talented people have contributed an enormous amount of time and expertise to the spec's development: I have been very pleased with the level of cooperation and contribution over the last 13 months. The amount of detail in this specification far exceeds anything we have done before."

The goal of the AdvancedTCA family of specifications is to create the foundations for a set of common platforms with a large selection of interchangeable modules from many companies, to meet the needs of the telecommunications industry for many years to come.

"The approval of the specification now opens the door for the rapid adoption of this technology throughout the industry," said Rob Davidson of Intel, VP of Marketing at PICMG. "The interest from major telecom equipment providers is very strong; some companies have already selected this architecture for their next generation of equipment."

Copies of the specification will be distributed to all PICMG members in good standing. Non-members can purchase copies of all released PICMG specifications from the PICMG Web site, www.picmg.org. A short-form version of the specification is available at www.advancedtca.org.

For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at http://www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.

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PICMG is a registered trademark and AdvancedTCA is a trademark of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group. PCI Express is a trademark of the PCI SIG. InfiniBand is a registered trademark of the InfiniBand Trade Association.

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News Releases 2003

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2003