Advanced TCA

AdvancedTCA Overview

Advanced Telecommunication Computer Architecture (AdvancedTCA) is an open standard for telecommunication systems. PICMG (PCI industrial computers manufacturer group) defined its specifications as PICMG 3.x. Being quite higher in both speed and performance it meets the requirements of next generation of communication equipments.

AdvancedTCA Specifications

AdvancedTCA specifications meet next generation processors, offer improved RAS (reliability, availability, security), and high-speed interconnect technology. Moreover AdvancedTCA offers support for both wired and wireless networks. It can use scalable computerized computer systems to manage data transfer and core counters.

AdvancedTCA Products

AdvancedTCA products include all the telecommunication equipment that is complaint with PICMG 3.0x and 3.4 specifications. Switches, circuit boards, and servers are commonly used. Middle and firmware are also compliant with AdvancedTCA equipment. AdvancedTCA circuit boards offer switching, signaling, and processing capabilities within a telecommunication system. AdvancedTCA products specifications also comply with some organization requirements such as NEBS (Network Equipment Building Systems) and ETSI (European Telecommunication Standards Institute).

AdvancedTCA network equipment

Network communication processors, media gateways, blade servers, and general packet radio service support node controllers can be included within an AdvancedTCA network. Normally rack mounted carrier grade blade servers that run NOS (network operating system) are used in AdvancedTCA networks.

AdvancedTCA Network Protocols

AdvancedTCA networks use industrial protocols. These include RMCP, SNMP, WBEM, and also TCP / IP protocols. These protocols specify performance and system requirements to attain higher-level telecommunication functions.

AdvancedTCA advantages

AdvancedTCA products offer much more improvements over previous telecommunication equipment. GigaByte and TeraByte per second data rates or bandwidths, large board accommodation, and high wattage (150- 200 watts) are the most considerable features. Moreover AdvancedTCA products can easily be connected heterogeneous.

AdvancedTCA Limitations

Software and middleware are limited for AdvancedTCA products. Fully compliant AdvancedTCA systems are quite expensive.

AdvancedMC products

AdvancedMC products are based on the specifications of advanced mazzine card (AMC). These specifications are defined by PCIMG. There are two basic types of AdvancedMC products based on two various architectures. One type of products is based on ATA (advanced technology attachment) or IDE (integrated drive electronics). These products are known as full height carrier cards. The second type of the products is based on advanced telecommunication computer architecture (AdvancedTCA). These AdvancedMC products are known as small height carrier cards. A variety of products based on AdvancedTCA are available. The most common of these are processors, memory cards, graphic and network adapters, Ethernet cards including Gigabit standards, and network switches. These products are hot swappable. Interface and port options for AdvancedMC products include PCI, PCIe, PCI-X, ISA, IB (InfiniBand®), parallel and serial ATA, USB and serial interfaces (RS232, RS422, and RS485). Moreover the interfaces supporting fast networks such as 10-Gigabit small form factor (XFP) are also available in Advanced MC products.