PICMG | Advanced MC®

Family of Specifications

Advanced Mezzanine Card Base Specification

PCIExpress™on AdvancedMC™ Specification

Ethernet Advanced Mezzanine Card Specification

Advanced Mezzanine Card Specification for Storage

Serial RapidIO on AdvancedMC™ Specification

AdvancedMC.2 Revision 2.0

Key Benefits & Features

Hot swappable, fully managed architecture supports both simplex, and full duplex high availability system configurations
Single and double width modules are defined
Three possible height variations are defined: full-size, mid-size, and compact
Designed for use in both AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA systems
Hundreds of modules commercially available
Suitable for I/O and CPU functions, including DSP’s, FPGA’s, NPU’s and packet processors

Target Applications

I/O customization for AdvancedTCA blades providing system management, hot swap, and high availability function
General purpose processor, I/O, storage, communications, packet processing, and high speed data acquisition functions for AdvancedTCA and MicroTCA systems
High performance computing in a small form factor
Used in telecom edge and remote applications, mil/aero/avionics, high speed data acquisition and pre-processing for High Energy Physics, security systems, special function networking, and automation
Hardened versions (MicroTCA.1, MicroTCA.2, and MicroTCA.3) suitable for extreme environments, high temperature, and high shock and vibration environments where high performance, small size, and (optional) high availability capability required.

The AdvancedMC® (AMC) standard defines a family of modular mezzanine cards that extend AdvancedTCA systems by enabling customizable input/output (I/O) and peripheral processing functions, allowing for a flexible variety of applications, an overall reduction in telecom operator inventory, and lower operational costs.

About AdvancedMC®

The AdvancedMC® defines cards or modules that can be used in a variety of ways. AMC cards were originally developed as an adjunct to the AdvancedTCA standard to customize I/O or peripheral processing functions when plugged onto an AdvancedTCA CPU or mezzanine carrier card.

AdvancedMC® (AMC) offers a flexible and scalable approach to system design by enabling modular expansion of processing and I/O functions of Advanced Mezzanine Cards.

Customizing I/O using AMCs makes it possible to use the same AdvancedTCA CPU board in a variety of applications where I/O requirements vary. This is common in telecom central office applications as there are hundreds of different I/O standards in use. AMCs allow telecom carriers to stock fewer spare AdvancedTCA boards, reducing operating and training costs.

Key Features of AdvancedMC®

There are many popular mezzanine standards, but AMCs are unique in several aspects:

AMCs are hot-swappable. An AMC may be removed while a system is in operation (a microswitch senses that a removal is underway to allow the operating software to manage the event). AMCs typically have a faceplate and are accessible from the front end of a system.
The full AdvancedTCA system management architecture and infrastructure extends onto the AMC module to support an on-the-fly replacement or upgrade.
Several different sizes are defined, providing the system designer with the board real estate or front panel connector space needed for a particular application.

Benefits of AdvancedMC®

AdvancedMC (AMC) modules offer a flexible and scalable approach to system design by enabling modular expansion of processing and I/O via Advanced Mezzanine Cards. Hot-swappable, standardized form factors allows system integrators to tailor performance, connectivity, and functionality to specific application needs, while reducing costs, simplifying maintenance, and improving system availability. Benefits include:

Standard data interconnects are supported, including Ethernet, PCI Express, Serial Rapid I/O, and Fibre Channel.
The small size, high performance, hot swap capability, and full management infrastructure has made AMCs desirable for other applications, and the MicroTCA standard emerged not long after AMC specifications were released.
In a MicroTCA system, the AMC cards themselves plug directly into a backplane, allowing for small yet powerful and highly reliable systems to be built.
MicroTCA enjoys broad acceptance in a variety of mil/aero, data acquisition, and remote telecom applications.
Ruggedized, conduction-cooled AMC modules for demanding mil/aero and similar applications are defined in the MicroTCA family of specifications.

AdvancedMC® Overview