COM Express 3.0 for network appliance

Designed to the new COM Express Type 7 standard, the PCOM-B700G from Portwell is a COM Express 3.0 Type 7 basic module based on the Intel Xeon processor D-1500 product family codenamed Broadwell-DE.

Measuring 125mm x 95mm, the module is said to optimise value models and service levels by running network applications securely and reliably on virtualisation-optimised platforms.

In addition to the PCOM-B700G, Portwell introduces a Type 7 evaluation carrier board, PCOM-C700.

The new COM Express Type 7 standard is a new specification with backward compatibility to the existing Type 6 pinout. While the focus of Type 6 is on display-oriented applications with support for audio and video interfaces, the Type 7 pinout definition is designed for applications that do not require graphics support.

According to the company, the COM Express 3.0 specification’s Type 7 pinout, when compared to the Type 6 pinout, trades all the graphics interfaces for up to four 10GbE ports, and a total of 32 PCIe lanes.

This makes it suitable for applications in micro servers that require low power consumption while supporting high computing performance and communication throughput.

Based on its predecessor PCOM-B634VG, the new PCOM-B700G module extends the design by removing the VGA interface and adding network controller sideband interface as well as more PCIe lanes.

The two 10GbE-KR ports on PCOM-B700G are said to allow customers to flexibly design their physical interface on a carrier board in several modes: KR for backplane connectivity, copper (RJ45), or fibre (SFP+). And the NC-SI signals provide a way of connecting baseboard management controller on the carrier board to achieve remote control and management.

http://www.portwell.de/