Rittal has introduced a range of backplanes that meet the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) 2.16 specification. This new range gives OEM’s the ability to build systems, which are more reliable, less expensive and faster to market, without the need for an increase in form factor as required by the AdvancedTCA specification. The backplanes offer an economical solution for providing the fastest traffic speeds with the greatest system availability and are designed for use with “standard” 6U CPCI Euroboards.
Switched Ethernet backplanes are available in a variety of off-the-shelf configurations, which already include four 21 slot backplanes, two with 8 slots and several horizontally configured backplanes for a smaller numbers of slots.
CompactPCI Packet Switching Backplane architecture preserves the mechanical, power and hotswap attributes of CompactPCI, whilst dramatically improving data throughput, scalability and reliability. Features include an Ethernet infrastructure embedded in the CompactPCI midplane that is accessed via the J3 connector. The Ethernet switching element resides on one or more of the PCI slots, interconnecting all the slots in the chassis. All subsystems operate as stand-alone “systems on a card” and interface through a network stack on top of the Ethernet.