PICMG | AdvancedTCA

Family of Specifications

AdvancedTCA® Base Specification

Ethernet/Fibre Channel for AdvancedTCA® Systems

InfiniBand™ for AdvancedTCA® Systems Specification

StarFabric/Advanced Switching for AdvancedTCA® Systems Specification

PCI Express™/Advanced Switching for AdvancedTCA® Systems Specification

Serial Rapid I/O™ for AdvancedTCA® Systems Specification

AdvancedTCA® Base Extensions Specification

AdvancedTCA Rear Transition Module Zone 3A Specification

AdvancedTCA® Intelligent Rear Transition Module Base Specification

System Fabric Plane Format Specification

Internal TDM Specification

Key Benefits & Features

AdvancedTCA provides the high availability necessary for central office applications which often require European Telecommunication Standard Institute (ETSI) and Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) compliance.
Each chassis can accommodate up to 16 slots (23” width) or 14 slots (19” width) to offer scalable capacity up to 10 terabits per second.
Includes hot-swappable, managed and redundant fan units to cool blades which can dissipate 400 Watts per slot.
Redundant -48 VDC power infrastructure compatible with global telecom standards.
The mid plane design allows usage of Rear Transition Modules (RTM) for I/O connectivity to the companion front board blade. This is popular in central office telecom applications where it is desirable to be able to change computer modules without disturbing wiring.
Blades are interconnected redundantly in star or mesh fabric topologies via a base interface and via an optional fabric interface.
The base interface and higher speed fabric interface provide connectivity across the slots allowing separation of control plane processing from higher bandwidth user plane data.
Supports multiple switching fabric interfaces as defined in standards PICMG 3.1 (Ethernet and Fiber Channel) through PICMG 3.5 (Serial RapidIO).
High levels of modularity and configurability can be achieved through the use of Advanced Mezzanine Cards as defined in the PICMG AMC family of standards.
Shelf management monitors and controls blades and other Field Replaceable Units (FRUs). It also controls power, cooling, and interconnection across the system enabling enhanced functionality
The shelf management system can retrieve inventory information and sensor readings as well as receive event reports and failure notification from any FRU.
The shelf management also performs basic recovery operations such as power cycle and reset of any managed entities.

Target Applications

Telecom infrastructure equipment including many of the elements in the Evolved Packet Core(EPC) and IP Multimedia Subsystem(IMS).
High-end network security platforms which secure enterprise data centers (banks, insurance companies, etc).
Large-scale physics experiments.
Military radar, shipboard, and ground mobile

Latest Member News

January 31, 2018

Military & Aerospace Article: Navy relies on ATCA embedded computing system from Artesyn for upgrading Aegis weapon system

The Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (AdvancedTCA® or ATCA) specifications, denoted PICMG 3.X, are a series of PICMG specifications designed to provide an open, multi-vendor architecture for next-generation carrier-grade communications equipment. Released in January of 2003, AdvancedTCA incorporates the latest trends in high-speed interconnect technologies, next-generation processors, and improved reliability, manageability, and serviceability.

Key Features and Benefits

AdvancedTCA is the most widely used open standard for global telecommunications infrastructure. It is also widely deployed in carrier-grade networks, data center roles such as network security and media servers, and military applications including radar, shipboard, and ground mobile networks.

AdvancedTCA offers numerous advantages for these applications:

Performance: Offers high-speed interconnects supporting up to 100 Gbps per channel, multi-core processors, and advanced I/O capabilities. Optimized for high throughput and low latency applications, with capacity up to 100 terabits per second per chassis.
High Availability: Can be configured to support 99.999% uptime with hot-swappable components, and redundant power supplies and network interfaces, ensuring continuous operation and rapid recovery in case of failures.
Modularity: Supports a variety of blade and mezzanines for flexible configurations, supporting a wide range of applications with various form factors and configurations.
Manageability: Advanced system management capabilities including remote monitoring, control, and comprehensive fault management. Uses standards like the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) for monitoring hardware health.
Compliance: Designed to meet ETSI and NEBS requirements for central office applications, providing redundant -48 VDC power compatible with global telecom standards.
Thermal Management: Advanced cooling design to handle high-power components, supporting up to 400 Watts per slot.

AdvancedTCA enjoys support from a wide array of system vendors, hardware OEMs, and software companies, as well as chassis, connector, and power supply vendors. These components are designed to be interoperable, allowing for a mix-and-match approach. Interoperability is tested regularly through an on-going series of PICMG-sponsored Interoperability Workshops.

Backplane Architecture

The AdvancedTCA backplane encompasses two types of interfaces. The Base Interface is used for control plane processing and handles management and low-bandwidth system management, monitoring, and communication tasks. It typically utilizes standard Ethernet protocols.

The Fabric Interface is used for high-bandwidth data transfer (i.e., the user plane) and supports the main data communication tasks within the ATCA system. It can utilize various high-speed interconnect technologies, such as Ethernet, InfiniBand, and RapidIO. Supported topologies include dual-star, full-mesh, and replicated mesh.

The backplane is physically divided into three sections:

Zone-1 provides redundant −48 VDC power and Shelf Management signals to the boards.
Zone-2 provides the connections to the Base Interface and Fabric Interface.
Zone-3 is user-defined. It is typically used to connect to a front board to an RTM or an ETM.

ATCA Blades

Blade Form Factors

All ATCA blades are 8 rack units (8U) tall with a standard width of 6HP (1.2” or 30.48 mm). Double-width variants are also available, which are able to accommodate taller components and a power budget up to 800W.

Full-size blades measure 322.25 mm x 280 mm. They are typically used in applications that require significant processing power and I/O capabilities, such as core network processing, data center applications, and complex computational tasks.
Compact blades measure 322.25 mm x 150 mm. They offer a balance between performance and size, making them suitable for edge computing and network functions. Common uses include edge processing, network interface tasks, and medium-scale computational workloads.

The AdvancedTCA specification also allows for a variety of blade types, including:

Processor blades contain processors, memory, and I/O interfaces. They are the workhorses of the ATCA system, handling the primary computational tasks.
Switch blades manage the data traffic within the ATCA system. They typically feature high-speed Ethernet ports, support for various network topologies, and advanced traffic management capabilities.
I/O blades support various interfaces, such as Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and PCI Express.
Mezzanine carrier blades host one or more mezzanine cards, providing modular expansion options for the ATCA system.

Expansion Cards: AMCs, RTMs, and ETMs

Advanced Mezzanine Cards (AMCs) are inserted into ATCA blades to provide I/O, processing, or other functions. Processor cards often include one or two AMC slots, while a mezzanine carrier blade can accommodate up to four AMC slots. AMCs are hot-swappable, allowing for easy upgrades and maintenance without powering down the system. They are also used as the main cards in MicroTCA systems.

ATCA also supports Rear Transition Modules (RTMs). An RTM is a 8U x 70 mm deep board that plugs into the back of a blade to provide additional I/O. They are popular in telecom applications where they allow blades to be removed without disturbing any wiring.

A more recent addition is the Extended Transition Module (ETM). An ETM is intended for double-deep, dual-sided shelves. Like an RTM, an ETM plugs into the back of a blade. However, an ETM is much larger, at essentially the same size as a front blade.

Shelves and Chassis

The shelf, also referred to as the chassis, provides mechanical support, power distribution, and cooling. The ATCA shelf is typically a rack-mountable enclosure designed to fit either 14 slots in a 19” rack or 16 slots in a 23” rack. The height of the shelf can vary, commonly ranging from 12U to 14U, depending on the number of slots supported.

The ATCA shelf includes redundant -48 VDC power supplies. Cooling mechanisms are integrated into the shelf design to handle high-power components, supporting up to 400 Watts per slot. Cooling is typically achieved through a combination of front-to-back airflow or horizontal airflow, depending on the specific shelf design.

Shelf Management Modules

ATCA shelves are equipped with Shelf Management Modules (ShMMs) that provide comprehensive system management capabilities using the IPMI standard. These include monitoring system health, controlling power and cooling, and handling fault management.

AdvancedTCA also now supports IPv6 addressing protocols. More can be found in the engineering change notifications (ECNs) below:

AdvancedTCA® Overview