Achieving Interoperability for Standards-Based Telecom Building Blocks
By Sven Freudenfeld, Kontron, for the Communications Platforms Trade Association

The major telecom equipment manufacturers (TEMs) have adopted the idea of building communication platforms based on open industry standards. Since the launch of PICMG’s Advanced Telecommunication Computing Architecture (AdvancedTCA), Advanced Mezzanine Cards (AMC), and MicroTCA specifications, many products have become available from industry vendors.

This has given system developers many choices when creating telecom systems with standardized building blocks. Most TEMs are now developing platforms based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software building blocks.

Two major challenges in creating standard-based systems are achieving interoperability between multiple vendors and meeting TEM requirements. No single vendor provides all the building blocks required for system design.

Recognizing these challenges, TEMs have recently created SCOPE (www.scope-alliance.org), an industry alliance to accelerate the deployment of carrier grade COTS platforms. SCOPE is creating profiles for standard hardware and software building blocks, based on carrier grade requirements, and is providing them to standards organizations such as PICMG, the Service Availability Forum (SA Forum), and the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL).

Complete carrier grade platforms include a hardware platform with specifications created by PICMG, Carrier Grade Linux with specifications created by OSDL, and middleware with specifications created by the SA Forum. Within PICMG, the Requirements Engineering Subcommittee (RES) will define the AdvancedTCA specification based on SCOPE profiles.

However, the question remains of how to combine building blocks. Today, the most critical items for interoperability are thermal performances, system and blade management, and switch fabrics.

The Communications Platforms Trade Association (CP-TA) is therefore developing certification and interoperability programs. CP-TA currently has more than 20 members focusing on complete system interoperability from hardware building blocks through Carrier Grade Linux to high-availability middleware. Initially, CP-TA is focusing on AdvancedTCA. In order to meet the requirements of the SCOPE profile, CP-TA will certify building blocks based on open industry specifications to meet interoperability test requirements. CP-TA will also create documents required to verify product interoperability.

There are currently three CP-TA working groups. The technical working group will define the interoperability requirements and test plans, the compliance working group will implement test procedures, compliance test tools, and certification programs, and the marketing working group will promote industry awareness.

CP-TA has recently joined SCOPE, PICMG, and the SA Forum in the Mountain View Alliance to collaborate on advancing standards-based telecom platforms. CP-TA (www.cp-ta.org) is the vehicle to achieve multi-vendor interoperability for faster time to market, lower integration cost, alternative sourcing, and mainstream COTS adoption.

Sven Freudenfeld is responsible for North American Business Development for Kontron. He is also Chair of the CP-TA marketing working group.