SYSTEMS

Mercury Computer Systems announced today a family of switch fabric mezzanine cards (XMCs) that are configurable with Mercury RapidIO-based multicomputers. The XMC daughtercards initially will be configured with the Mercury ImpactRT 3200 and PowerStream 7000 RapidIO-based systems, supporting high-performance signal and image processing applications in defense electronics and semiconductor imaging. The XMC family comprises the Sensor I/O XMC card, which provides a direct interface into the RapidIO switch fabric for sensor input, and two XMC memory daughtercards that serve as high-capacity buffers for incoming and outgoing data streams. These XMC modules join the third family member, the inter-chassis communication XMC, which is used in multi-chassis RapidIO systems. The XMC standard builds on the existing PMC standard by adding switch fabric interconnects to the existing PCI bus interface. An XMC module defines additional connectors to be added to those already on a PMC, to support high-speed differential signals for fabric communication. By implementing new functionality on XMCs, Mercury continues to enhance the flexibility and adaptability of its highest performing systems. "Our customers have long used PMCs to optimize the I/O for their system configuration," said Richard Jaenicke, director of product management, Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. "XMCs extend that standards-based approach to our RapidIO systems, enabling full-speed I/O connections directly into the RapidIO switch fabric." The Sensor I/O XMC daughtercard enables low latency processing of data streaming input directly from sensors, implementing the Serial Front Panel Data Port (SFPDP) protocol over fiber on each of two 2.5 Gbaud full-duplex channels. System performance is further enhanced, as each channel can be programmed for data distribution without processor intervention. The interface can sense signals in the input data stream that indicate sensor mode changes, and route data appropriately to different processors or endpoints on the RapidIO fabric. The RMOD4G and RMOD2G memory XMCs provide either 2 Gbytes or 4 Gbytes of DDR, so customers can easily add large amounts of memory to their system configurations. A sufficiently large input or output buffer can be an important element to optimizing system performance for stream computing applications. Customer application software can access the memory through its embedded high-performance RapidIO interface, which includes a DMA engine for broadcast, command chaining, and corner turning. The 266 MHz DDR memory provides access at full-duplex data rates up to 622 MB/s in Mercury's processing systems. The new XMCs are the most recent example of Mercury's leadership in delivering next-generation products based on RapidIO technology. In August, the company announced a Multi-chassis Serial RapidIO capability, implemented on its ImpactRT 3200 and PowerStream 7000 systems via pairs of XMCs. This new capability uses high-bandwidth serial RapidIO over fiber connections to tightly link multiple chassis into a single, cohesive system. Availability XMC daughtercards are shipping now. Additional information about the next-generation mezzanine cards is available on Mercury's web site at www.mc.com/xmc. A high-resolution photograph can be downloaded from Mercury's Image Library at www.mc.com/74Modules.