What’s New in AdvancedTCA
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The AdvancedTCA/MicroTCA Summit to be held from October 27-29, 2009 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California has been mostly finalized. Hear from industry leaders, key vendors, and industry associations as they bring you the latest on multicores, military/defense applications, COTS, next-generation power and cooling, interoperability, wireless (WiMax, LTE, and femtocells), system integration, security, and more. A detailed list of events at the Summit can be found at www.advancedtcasummit.com/English/Conference/Seminar_Session_Descriptions.html. For a list of free events (including keynotes, open sessions, and exhibits) at the Summit, visit www.advancedtcasummit.com/English/Conference/Free_Events.html. To obtain discounted or free admission for the Summit, please register by October 22nd at https://www.expotracshows.com/atcasantaclara/2009/.
- The Ethernet Technology Summit will be held February 24-25, 2010 at the Wyndham Hotel in Santa Clara. Topics of interest at the Summit will include 10- and 100-Gigabit Ethernet, low-power Ethernet, power-over-Ethernet, quality of service issues, software, Ethernet chips, carrier Ethernet backbone applications, test equipment, storage applications, and consumer/home applications. The deadline to submit a proposal to present at the Summit is October 16. Notices of acceptance will be sent out in early November. Visit the Call for Presentations page for proposal guidelines: www.ethernetsummit.com/English/Conference/Call_for_Presentations.html.
Plus - 1. Market Watch 2. Industry News 3. Navigating the Technology Minefield 4. Organization Updates 5. Contributing Editors Perspectives 6. Features 7. UNH-IOL Event Calendar 8. Financial News 9. Newsletter Advertising Rates 10. Newsletter Archives
AdvancedTCA Acronyms
1. Market Watch
Scalable Edge Servers, By Eric Heikkila, Contributing Editor, and Director of Embedded Hardware Practice, Venture Development Corporation (VDC)
The scalable edge server (my own invented term!) is a new platform that will transform the embedded computing market. What is it? It is the vehicle for connecting devices at the edge of the network. It provides simple connectivity and some processing capability to low-cost mobile and embedded devices ranging from kiosks through handheld medical devices to industrial controllers and portable testers.
We are seeing a proliferation of network centricity across vertical segments of the embedded computing market. One clear trend is toward connecting more field equipment, which requires low-end, low-cost, and scalable computers whose only requirement is to provide connectivity and minimal processing capability. Another trend is toward engaging customers wherever they are – in the office, at home, or in-transit – anywhere in the world.
Consider the following examples. In the military/aerospace market, we hear about net-centric warfare in which troops, UAVs, planes, ships, UGVs, and ground vehicles are all connected and can pass information immediately to where it is needed. In the industrial automation market, we hear about the “smart” factory in which all machines and sensors are networked. In the medical market, it involves connecting imaging machines directly to the network rather than depending on messengers carrying large envelopes! In consumer electronics, it means set-top boxes and on-premise services gateways that can offer services to people everywhere. In retail automation, it means self service kiosks that process transactions and track customer data. This could be the way to provide mass-market retail services in emerging economies with huge populations such as China, India, and Brazil.
The computers that provide the processing and connectivity will take many different forms. However, they will share the basic traits of low cost, small SWaP (size, weight, and power), scalability, and connectivity. Their proliferation will drastically change the makeup of computing networks over time because servers will be processing and sending data directly from edge nodes. As cloud computing comes into wide use, the change will be even more drastic as edge servers will send their data directly to the cloud. The scalable edge server will be the vehicle for enabling the cloud directly at the device.
How will the scalable edge server affect the xTCA market? It surely means still another competitive architecture in many application segments. It also provides opportunities for MicroTCA, since scalable edge servers could surely utilize it in high-end situations. Furthermore, single-board servers could be implemented as AMCs (since there is no obvious standard for them), thus expanding the xTCA ecosystem. MicroTCA and AMC suppliers should start now to be ready for this emerging market.
As cloud computing is rolled out and vertical segments embrace network centricity, the scalable edge server will play a major role. VDC is developing a new syndicated research report studying scalable edge servers and related trends.
If you want to learn more about the topic, we'd love to hear from you.
Eric Heikkila can be reached at eric@atcanewsletter.com. |
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2. Industry News
Market Research
Market research firm Infonetics Research released a new report, Telecom and Datacom Network, which aggregates data from the many markets the firm tracks to provide a big picture of the health of the market. Jeff Wilson, principal analyst at Infonetics, reports that "Though service provider capital expenditures are slightly decreasing in 2009 and 2010, spending is still on the rise for products that help carriers transform their networks. On the enterprise side, while companies of all sizes everywhere have been hit hard by the recession, they are in the middle of key network transformations of their own, which drive pockets of good growth. Whether to save on operating expenses or to increase revenue, service providers and enterprises are investing in new network technology. The three segments showing the highest growth potential are IPTV and video equipment, broadband customer premise equipment, and subscriber data, policy, and service management software. We expect a mild contraction in the overall telecom and datacom equipment market in 2009, and a recovery between 2010 and 2011, followed by strong growth through 2013, when worldwide revenue will reach $195 billion." For more information, visit www.infonetics.com.
Hardware and Software
Emerson Network Power announced its Avantellis Certification Program, the industry’s first program to pre-certify OpenSAF-based high availability (HA) middleware on widely deployed blade servers and rack-mount servers from multiple vendors. Emerson’s commercial distribution of the OpenSAF HA middleware, Avantellis Middleware, and this new certification program, enable companies to select a pre-certified hardware platform with the assurance that it is supported by a commercial OpenSAF vendor, accelerating time-to-market and reducing development risk. Emerson applies its extensive portfolio of test suites to fully certify the interoperability of commercial hardware platforms and operating systems with its Avantellis HA middleware. By pre-certifying the interoperability of these major components, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are assured of rapid system integration cycles when developing applications on OpenSAF’s full-featured, standards-based HA framework. More information about Avantellis Middleware is available at www.EmersonNetworkPower.com/EmbeddedComputing.
GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms announced the A10200 ATCA single board computer. Featuring a dual Intel Xeon 5500 Series dual- or quad core processor and up to 64 Gigabytes of DDR3 SDRAM memory, it delivers a combination of performance and low power dissipation. Design of the A10200 is such that it can easily be upgraded to the next generation of Intel Xeon processors. The A10200 is designed for demanding telecommunications networks; typical applications include Control Plane functions for WiMAX, LTE (Long Term Evolution) and NGN (Next Generation Networks) networks. For LTE applications, the A10200 is ideally suited for Mobility Management Entity (MME) and Home Subscriber Server (HSS). For NGN networks, the A10200 is well suited for Media Gateway Controller (MGC) and multiple Service Layer servers. For more information, visit www.gefanucembedded.com.
Continuous Computing announced its Value Added Services (VAS) solutions. Continuous Computing’s VAS solutions are pre-integrated and application-ready to allow network equipment providers (NEPs) accelerate time to market for their enhanced wireless services such as Short Message Service (SMS), Caller ID, roaming, E911, ringback tones, and e-mail services, among others. By accelerating time to market by 12 to 24 months, Continuous Computing’s VAS solutions increase return on investment over the life of the project by up to 50 percent. Trillium signaling software is the foundation of their VAS solutions.
ADLINK Technology announced availability of the aTCA-6100, the first AdvancedTCA processor blade in the industry featuring two 2.13 GHz quad-core Intel Xeon 5500 series processors, Intel 5520 chipset, up to 48 GB of DDR3 memory, and an optional PICMG Mid-size AMC bay for maximum computing performance and flexibility. On-card connectivity includes dual GbE or 10GbE Fabric Interfaces, dual GbE Base Interfaces, dual front panel GbE interfaces, and quad SAS channels which provide leading edge network performance and storage capabilities. The aTCA-6100 is ideal for carrier-grade applications, such as media servers in IPTV, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) broadband networks, and wireless infrastructures, providing telecom equipment manufacturers (TEMs) and network equipment providers (NEPs) with a powerful, cost-effective solution for mission critical applications and a smooth path for scalability and expansion. For more information, visit www.adlinktech.com/AdvancedTCA/.
Pinnacle Data Systems Embedded Products Group announced that its AdvancedTCA compute blade, model ATCA-F1, is now available with the recently-released embedded “Shanghai” quad-core AMD Opteron CPU’s. PDSi’s powerful, military-tested blade can now be equipped with two of these 2.4GHz CPUs for a total of 8 cores to handle critical ATCA applications that demand the highest levels of server performance. In concert with these new high-speed CPUs, PDSi is also offering another cost-effective performance enhancement in the form of 800MHz DDR2 memory, up from previous 667MHz memory. Together, these faster CPU and memory options make the PDSi ATCA-F1 blade a leading performance contender amongst ATCA servers, while also optimizing cost, power consumption, and dependability. For more information, visit www.pinnacle.com.
Cavium Networks announced the NITROX DPI CN17XX Layer 7 Content Processor Family. The NITROX DPI CN17XX processors offer 4 Gbps to 20 Gbps of deterministic performance with low latency and support for an unlimited number of pattern rule-sets and flows. The NITROX DPI processors target a wide range of applications including application level firewalls, intrusion prevention (IPS), gateway anti-virus, unified threat management and content-based QoS in routers, switches, appliances and services blades for the Enterprise, Datacenter and Service Provider markets. This scalable product family is offered to customers as silicon products as well as production-ready boards with extensive software support. For more information, visit www.caviumnetworks.com.
Embedded Planet (www.embeddedplanet.com) has launched the next generation of their leading multi-core Power Architecture Processor AMCs. The EP8572A is a dual core Power Architecture AMC featuring the Freescale MPC8572 processor. It is supported by both open source and commercial operating system choices to enable rapid application development and product deployment. The EP8572A builds on Embedded Planet's existing line of AMCs by maintaining critical features from the existing platform and adding features that customers requested. The EP8572A features a dual-core MPC8572 processor at up to 1.5GHz, two SODIMMs supporting up to 2GB of RAM each, up to 256MB of NOR flash, and up to 4GB of NAND flash.
MontaVista Software announced MontaVista Linux 6 (MVL6) Linux for embedded devices. It includes a powerful SDK and MSDs (Market Specific Distributions). MontaVista Software’s growing list in Market Specific Distributions (MSDs) supporting Freescale, ARM, Intel, MIPS, and Xilinx platforms includes: ARM Versatile 1176 (arm_v6), Versatile 926 (arm_v5); Freescale MPC8377, MPC8349; PC8548, MPC8572; Intel x86 Pentium and Xeon; MIPS Malta 1004k, Malta 24k, 34k, 74k; Xilinx ML 507 - Virtex 5 EDK update. More than 40 additional MSDs are being planned and developed. Visit their board page for more MSDs in the future. To learn more about MontaVista Linux 6, please read their online FAQ.
Elma Bustronic has upgraded its 2-slot ATCA backplane to include pluggable shelf management connectors. The 2-slot ATCA backplane now features standard MicroTCA connectors used for connections to Elma’s IPM Sentry shelf manager. The small and dense connector minimizes the space used on the backplane, allowing it to fit inside a 2U enclosure. Compliant to the latest PICMG 3.0 specification, the backplane also has connectors for SHMC, power entry, Sense, I2C Bus, Ring, and more. With a 10-layer controlled-impedance stripline design, the 2-slot ATCA backplane utilizes point-to-point serial connections. Bustronic also offers ATCA backplanes in 5, 6, and 14-slot Mesh configurations and a 14-slot Dual Star design. For more information, visit www.bustronic.com.
TEWS TECHNOLOGIES announced the release of the TAMC200, a standard double width mid-size or full-size AMC.1 compliant carrier for three single-size IndustryPack (IP) modules. The TAMC200 can be used to upgrade well known and well proven IndustryPack I/O solutions to a high performance form factor, and to provide AMC users a large selection of over 200 off-the-shelf IndustryPack modules for analog, digital, communications, motion control, CAN, and other various functions. Designed for demanding environments, the TAMC200 operates from -40° to +85°C and has a five year warranty. For more information, visit www.tews.com.
Wind River announced it has been named the embedded Linux market leader by VDC Research Group. Released in VDC’s 2009 Linux in the Embedded Systems Market report, Wind River achieved the market share lead in 2008 with greater than 30 percent of total market revenue, more than seven percentage points over the next closest competitor. More information about Wind River Linux is available at www.windriver.com/products/linux/.
Elma Electronic announced an ATCA component with a new longer handle that is more ergonomic and helps manage HIF (high insertion force). A slide-motion button on the ATCA handles allows it to be latched shut and to activate an optional micro-switch. This function is similar to the latching button on Elma's highly successful IEEE handles. Moving the sliding button activates the micro-switch and unlatches the handle so that it pivots out by a few degrees and presents itself to the operator for removal. This allows the user to grab the handle easily and maximize leverage. For more information, visit www.elma.com.
3. Navigating the Technology Minefield, from Lance Leventhal, Technology Editor
Need a Single-Channel 40 GB/S Interconnect Today?
Does your data center, telecom center, or application require a 40 Gb/s interconnect channel today? For example, you might be handling huge numbers of customers (such as Google or Facebook), large video transfers (as in video-on-demand systems or military surveillance), or high-performance computing (as in geophysical modeling or genome sequencing). Don’t expect to do this with Ethernet in the near term, since the 40/100 Gb specifications are only going out for initial review now and products won’t be available for years. But there is an approach that is available right now and is proven in a wide range of systems and applications. It is 40 Gb/s InfiniBand, and Mellanox Technologies has a new BridgeX gateway that can consolidate 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel onto a single lossless, low-latency interconnect. Yes, it is still InfiniBand, not Ethernet, so you do have an additional technology to consider. But you can have it today, and it will allow you to connect servers, networking gear, and storage over a single high-performance interconnect, while still preserving your legacy infrastructure.
BridgeX supports 40 Gb/s InfiniBand, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and up to 8 Gb/s Fibre Channel. You can even dynamically allocate the numbers of Fibre Channel and Gigabit Ethernet ports to match your system’s requirements. It works great with virtualization, providing a high-capability interconnect to meet the demands of consolidated servers. No more bottlenecks due to overstressing of Ethernet or Fibre Channel ports! It is also ideal for blade servers, SAN controllers, and high-speed Fibre Channel interfaces. And it can handle legacy 2G or 4G Fibre Channel if you still have older storage systems.
The main application is in high-performance computing clusters, but there is no reason why BridgeX cannot also serve the needs of large data centers, backbone switches and routers, or high-speed military communications. By providing connection to any storage and networking device, BridgeX can even form the basis for cloud computing. And it comes from an experienced source – Mellanox sold over 4.5 million high-speed interconnect ports in 2008. You can solve your high-speed interconnect problem today!
I thank Gilad Shainer, Mellanox Senior Manager of Technical Marketing, for explaining the BridgeX concept to me.
Should Auld Test Equipment Be Forgot?
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to min’?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o’ auld lang syne?” – Robert Burns
Most organizations these days end up with a large inventory of old test equipment, some working and some not. Making old stuff work again is seldom a high priority, so it tends to sit around. However, if you have recently talked with any major test equipment vendor, the cost of new equipment is breathtaking. And the old stuff could often do the job or at least serve as a replacement, field unit, or spare.
The most common failures are simple ones – typically a power supply or a display has died. After all, the complex electronics will outlast all of us. However, the original manufacturers are seldom interested in helping – they may not even have anyone around who remembers the old stuff. But specialty repair facilities can help. For example, National Test Equipment (www.ntecusa.com) supports a wide variety of equipment from most prominent makers (such as Agilent, Tektronix, or Anritsu). They will evaluate your old equipment (at no fee), and they can also handle calibration (a task no one wants to do). They even have kits to handle common problems, such as replacing the LCD display in an Agilent Network Analyzer. For just $1,395 (including free installation), you can make your 8719, 8720, 8753, or 8757 device sparkle like new. For more information, see www.ntecusa.com/LCD. They also buy and sell used test equipment, which can help you turn unused equipment into cash or avoid today’s high prices in cases where you don’t need the latest capabilities.
I thank Nicola Panella and Scott Schlumpberger of National Test Equipment for explaining their approach to me at a recent conference.
Rolling Right Along…And Seeing Things Clearly Regardless
“Over hill, over dale, we have hit the dusty trail and those caissons go rolling along.” – Edmund Gruber, “The Caisson Song”
Cameras are everywhere these days, taking pictures and collecting information. The military obviously likes the idea of having them on humvees, helicopters, UAVs, armored vehicles, and other moving systems to provide intelligence, detect targets or obstacles (including explosive devices), measure wear or damage and identify problems, and track people or other vehicles. However, video feeds from a moving camera are often difficult to view. The image is unsteady and bumpy, much like the ride in the vehicles themselves, particularly when traveling on poorly maintained roads or during off-road deployments. One solution is to add mechanical compensation, that is, have a mechanically gimbaled system. However, such systems are relatively expensive and often subject to damage during rough rides.
What to do? An alternative, developed by the US Army’s Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC), is to do everything in software. Their algorithms use only the incoming video stream and do not require any gyro or navigation data. The result is a steady video that is easy to watch. They also have moving target indicator algorithms that determine the location of objects in a given image frame and people tracking algorithms that can provide target information to fire control systems. And note this extra processing costs nothing since it can be done on any embedded computer (as long as it has spare capacity). Yes, today’s caissons can do much more than just roll along!
For more information about these government-owned algorithms, contact the US Army’s Research Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Public Affairs Office at (410) 436-4345 or visit their Website at www.army.mil/rdecom.
I thank J. Daniel Tidwell of US Army RDECOM AMRDEC and Andricka Thomas, Public Affairs Officer at RDECOM, for arranging a demonstration of this technology during the recent AFCOM WEST Conference.
Power to the People (Or to the System)
“The only prize much cared for by the powerful is power.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
When systems fail during test or in the field, a frequent culprit is the lowly power supply. And none of the fancy circuitry or software works if there is no power.
But how does one ensure that all the power supplies are good? In practice, one needs an automated test system. For example, Chroma Systems Solutions has long experience providing automated test systems for telecom power supplies (including 48V systems). Their solutions offer standard test items, complete software for laboratory or production line needs, a variety of built-in tests, the ability to create complex transient waveforms, simple graphical interfaces, and user editable test reporting. Their high performance means that you can test all the power supplies quickly and thoroughly to ensure that spikes, drops, and other deviations won’t wipe them out (making customers unhappy and bringing unwelcome guests back to your test or repair facility). For more information, see their Website at www.chromausa.com.
I thank Marketing Manager Steve Grodt and his team for explaining Chroma’s products at a recent conference.
4. Organization Updates
SA Forum Specifications Make Good Business Sense
By Lacy Williams, Service Availability (SA) Forum/GoAhead Software
As demand for mobile solutions grows, operators must ensure their networks can deliver high quality, new converged services quickly and cost-effectively. To stay competitive, telecom equipment manufacturers (TEMs) face four basic challenges: increased complexity, tight schedules, shrinking budgets, and evolving standards. See the full article.
SCOPE Alliance Provides Virtual Components for Upcoming Meetings
by Tero Mustala and Leslie Guth
The latest SCOPE Alliance Member Meeting, involving both face-to-face and online components, occurred on September 8-10, hosted by Ericsson in Stockholm, Sweden. SCOPE has added a virtual component to its meeting schedule to accommodate members unable to attend in person. See the full article.
Simplifying the Build vs. Buy Decision
by Brian Wood, CP-TA/Continuous Computing
The movement of Network Equipment Providers (NEPs) from proprietary to standards-based platforms allows them to avoid hardware development altogether and focus their engineering efforts on software-based value-added features. According to industry analysts, most major NEPs are now developing xTCA-based systems. After a challenging 2009 due to the economic downturn, the market is expected to return to stable growth in 2010. The question many NEPs now face is whether to develop blades and platforms in-house or turn to third party vendors and systems integrators. See the full article.
Interview with Mario Angelic and Jonas Arndt, Technical Co-Chairs of the OpenSAF Project, by Lance A. Leventhal, ATCA Newsletter Technical Editor.
- What are the key enhancements and new features of Release 3.0 of OpenSAF (June 2009)?
Jonas: Release 3.0 includes major enhancements to align OpenSAF closely with the latest Service Availability Forum Application Interface Specification (AIS). This includes the implementation of the Information Model Management service which provides a standard mechanism for defining and operating on managed objects. Utility services, event handling, messaging, and notification were also either implemented or upgraded, and the Availability Management Framework and Cluster Membership Service features set were upgraded. This was really a comprehensive upgrade.
Mario: Besides the alignments with SA Forum specifications, OpenSAF Release 3.0 includes Java mappings for Cluster Membership Service and the Availability Management Framework. Finally, the makefile and installation system was overhauled to conform with current best practices and enable OpenSAF to integrate easily with more systems. Overall, OpenSAF release 3.0 aligns very well with the SCOPE base platform middleware recommendations. See the full interview.
5. Contributing Editors' Perspectives
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xTCA Vendors Can Get a Cut of the US Stimulus
By Ernie Bergstrom, Crystal Cube Consulting
Who will benefit from the huge stimulus package recently approved by the US federal government and being injected into the American economy? Well for starters, the package has “ear-marked” items which will provide immediate funds for telecommunications.
The $7.2 billion broadband stimulus package will provide grants and credits for the build-out of high-speed Internet connections to underserved communities such as rural areas and small towns. It will be the first time the US federal government has paid to spread broadband services to homes on a large scale. See the full article.
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System Reliability Depends on a Reliable Interconnect
By Tom Cox, RapidIO Trade Association
Too often discussions of COTS deal only with the issue of whether the mechanical system is rugged enough to survive in harsh environments. Let’s assume the mechanical engineers have made their contribution. COTS using xTCA systems still has several important architectural challenges for the system designer. An obvious area of concern is the backplane and switch fabric interconnect!
If the system cannot perform its basic tasks with sufficient reliability and recovery, then choices of form factor, sheet metal design, and connectors simply do not matter. There are six key requirements for system-level reliability or fault tolerance: No single point of failure, No single point of repair, Fault recovery, 100% fault detection, 100% fault isolation, and Fault containment. Software and system architecture are the key elements in achieving them. See the full article.
AdvancedTCA Newsletter
| Conference ConCepts, Inc., Publisher, Chip Stockton |
chip@conferenceconcepts.com |
| Richard Pesin, Managing Editor |
rich@atcanewsletter.com |
| Dr. Lance A. Leventhal, Technology Editor |
lance@atcanewsletter.com |
| Natalie Calegari, Web Editor |
natalie@atcanewsletter.com |
| Ernie Bergstrom, Contributing Editor |
ernie@atcanewsletter.com |
| Chuck Byers, Contributing Editor |
chuck@atcanewsletter.com |
| Eric Heikkila, Contributing Editor |
eric@atcanewsletter.com |
| Tom Cox, Contributing Editor |
tom@atcanewsletter.com |
| Henry Turko, Contributing Editor |
henry@atcanewsletter.com |
| Dr. Edward Sayre, Contributing Editor on Engineering Practices |
ed@atcanewsletter.com |
| Sven Freudenfeld, Contributing Correspondent, CP-TA |
sven@atcanewsletter.com |
| Kat Pate, Advertising Sales Manager |
kat@atcanewsletter.com |
6. Features
- Applying Multicores to Networking Applications
By Srini Addepalli and Subhashini Venkataramanan, Freescale Semiconductor
The new mantra for increasing processing power is to put multiple cores on a chip. Processors are already widely available from major manufacturers with 2, 4, or 8 cores. However, software developers are used to working with single-core devices. A major current challenge is migrating legacy software and developing new software for multicores. See the full article.
7. UNH Interoperability Event Calendar
The University of New Hampshire's InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) reports the following recent and upcoming activities at their facility in Durham, New Hampshire. For more information, consult their website at www.iol.unh.edu. PR and Communications Manager Jason Walls (jwalls@iol.unh.edu) provides this ongoing service.
October 5th-9th IMS Forum IMS Plugfest 8
http://www.iol.unh.edu/services/testing/voip/grouptest/oct_5_2009_imsf/
The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture is a revolutionary approach to deploying advanced features, applications, and services over mobile and fixed-line networks. A crucial aspect here is vendor interoperability, allowing operators to select equipment, applications, and services best suited to their customer base. Plugfests are aimed at testing the interoperability of the interfaces defined by IMS specifications, with a specific interest in testing ones between the IMS Core Network and the Application Servers.
October 12th-16th InfiniBand Trade Association Plugfest #16
http://www.infinibandta.org/content/pages.php?pg=events_overview
October 19th-23rd Ethernet Alliance SFP+ Plugfest
http://www.ethernetalliance.org/events/interoperability_test_events/sfpedc_plugfest
The plugfest will perform interoperability testing of equipment designed to meet IEEE Std. 802.3aq-2006 and SFF-8431. This event targets industry readiness for two market segments for SFP+ through interoperability and compliance testing. The focus will be on testing SFF-8431 components and systems for 10GBASE-LRM and direct-attach copper cable (10GSFP+Cu).
October 19th-23rd OpenFabrics Alliance Interoperability Test Event
http://www.iol.unh.edu/services/testing/ofa/events/Invitation_2009-10_OFA.php
The OpenFabrics Alliance fosters cooperation among manufacturers of InfiniBand and iWARP high-speed networking devices (10 Gbps and above). In this event, devices will be tested for interoperability using the OpenFabrics Alliance Software Stack. Passing devices will qualify for marketing under the OFA-UNH-IOL Interoperability Logo.
November 2nd-November 6th, 2009 The Tenth Broadband Forum VDSL2 Chip Vendor Plugfest
http://www.iol.unh.edu/services/testing/dsl/grouptest/nov_02_2009chipset/
This event is an opportunity for manufacturers of VDSL2 VTU-O and VTU-R chipsets to test the interoperability of their implementation(s) in a heterogeneous environment.
8. Financial News
Acquisitions and Dissolutions
Ericsson Acquires Nortel’s CDMA and LTE Access Business
Nortel Networks announced that it has concluded a successful auction of substantially all of Nortel's CDMA Business and LTE Access assets. Ericsson has emerged as the winning bidder with a purchase price of US$1.13 billion. The bid is subject to court approvals in the U.S. and Canada as well as regulatory and other customary closing conditions and certain post-closing purchase price adjustments. If approved by the courts, Ericsson will purchase Nortel's CDMA business which is the second largest supplier of CDMA infrastructure in the world. A minimum of 2,500 Nortel employees will be offered the opportunity to continue their work at Ericsson.
Intel Acquires Multicore Software Specialist RapidMind
Intel Corp has acquired multicore software specialist RapidMind with plans to integrate RapidMind's platform and Intel software products and technologies, including the Intel Ct technology for data parallelism.
General Electric and FANUC Dissolve Joint Venture
General Electric (GE) and FANUC announced that the two companies have agreed to dissolve the GE Fanuc Automation Corporation joint venture. GE and FANUC expect the transaction to be completed by the end of this year, subject to satisfactory customary closing conditions. In explaining the dissolution of the joint venture, FANUC Honorary Chairman Dr. Seiuemon Inaba commented, “Our joint venture has achieved great success toward its original mission, which was to cooperate on the global growth and technical development of the PLC and CNC business. Over this time period, markets and opportunities also have changed dramatically, and both companies further expanded into adjacent segments. Today’s market conditions are such that it’s imperative we pursue these expanded opportunities, and while we have achieved great things together, it’s in both our best interests that we focus our efforts on industry opportunities unique to our respective companies and that will deliver greater benefits to both our companies.”
Financial Statements and Guidance
Alcatel-Lucent Second Quarter
Second quarter revenue decreased 4.8 percent year-over-year and increased 8.5 percent sequentially to Euro 3.905 billion for the second quarter. At constant currency exchange rates, revenue decreased 10.5 percent year-over-year and increased 10.5 percent over last quarter. Net income was Euro 14 million or Euro 0.01 per share. The company continues to expect the global telecommunications equipment and related services market to be down between 8 and 12 percent at constant currency in 2009. The company anticipates an adjusted operating income around break-even in 2009.
Alcatel-Lucent’s carrier segment saw a double-digit decline in revenue, driven by fixed access, switching and terrestrial optics. Wireless revenues declined at a mid-single digit rate, a much lower pace than in the first quarter, driven by sustained growth in W-CDMA and the recovery of CDMA revenues. Enterprise revenue continued to decline at a double-digit rate. Applications software revenues grew at a low single-digit rate while Services revenues grew at a high single digit rate. From a geographic standpoint, revenue declined at a double-digit rate in both Europe and in the rest of the world. On the other hand, revenue was stable in North America on a reported basis (down 13 percent when accounting for the change in the Euro/USD exchange) an improvement over the first quarter. Finally, Asia Pacific returned to growth, driven by China and India.
Intel Raises Third-Quarter Revenue and Gross Margin Expectations
As a result of stronger than expected demand for microprocessors and chipsets, Intel Corporation now expects revenue for the third quarter to be $9.0 billion, plus or minus $200 million, as compared to the previous range of $8.5 billion, plus or minus $400 million. The gross margin percentage for the third quarter is expected to be in the upper half of the previous range of 53 percent, plus or minus two percentage points. All other expectations are unchanged.
Kontron Second Quarter
Kontron AG generated an increase of around 4 percent in revenue to EUR 111.0 million in the second quarter of 2009 compared with the first three months of the current financial year (EUR 106.6 million). This means that 2009 first-half sales amounted to EUR 217.6 million, compared with EUR 232.6 million in the previous year's first half. This decline of around 6 percent is due, among other things, to exchange-rate effects (depreciation of Eastern European currencies and of the pound sterling by up to 30 percent). The order book of EUR 301.4 million remains at a very high level, and is only slightly below the record level of the prior-year period (EUR 306.7 million). In terms of design wins, an increase of 30 percent was achieved, with a volume of EUR 196.4 million as of the end of the second quarter of 2009, compared with the previous year's figure of EUR 150.8 million. As was the case with revenue, Kontron AG grew its second-quarter earnings compared with the first three months of the current financial year. EBIT amounted to EUR 8.0 million compared with EUR 7.0 million in the first quarter.
AMCC First Quarter
Applied Micro Circuits reported its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 ending June 30, 2009. Net revenues from continuing operations for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 were $45.1 million compared to $41.0 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, representing a sequential increase of 10% and a decline of 26% over the $61.2 million in net revenues reported in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. The net income on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 was $2.9 million or $0.04 per share. The first quarter GAAP net income compares with a net loss of $(27.4) million or $(0.42) per share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 and a net loss of $(5.2) million or $(0.08) per share for the first quarter of fiscal 2009.
RadiSys Second Quarter
RadiSys announced revenues of $78.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, down 20 percent versus the same quarter last year. The Company’s GAAP net loss improved to $2.1 million or $0.09 per share in the second quarter, versus a net loss of $3.1 million or $0.14 per share in the same quarter last year. The Company’s traditional wireless and commercial businesses were down from the prior year due to general softness in these markets. 44 percent of the Company’s revenue came from the Asia Pacific region in the second quarter compared to 31 percent last year.
Freescale Semiconductor Second Quarter
For the quarter ending July 3, 2009, net sales were $824 million, compared to $840 million in the first quarter of 2009 and $1.47 billion last year. The year-over-year sales decline was attributable primarily to the company’s decision in 2008 to exit its cellular handset business, as well as a decline in sales associated with the company’s automotive businesses. The reported loss from operations for the three months ending July 3, 2009 was $345 million, inclusive of $82 million of reorganization costs, compared to a loss of $351 million in the first quarter of 2009 and a loss of $137 million in the second quarter of 2008.
Actel Second Quarter
Actel announced net revenues of $45.2 million for the second quarter of 2009, down 21.5 percent from the second quarter of 2008 and down 6.7 percent from the first quarter of 2009. Actel reported a GAAP net loss of ($45.1) million, or ($1.73) per basic share, for the second quarter of 2009 compared with net income of $2.0 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2008 and a net loss of ($3.0) million, or ($0.11) per basic share, for the first quarter of 2009. The Company believes that third quarter 2009 revenues will be between 4 percent up to 2 percent down sequentially.
Netlogic Microsystems Second Quarter
Microsystems announced financial results for its quarter ended June 30, 2009. Revenue for the second quarter of 2009 was $32.5 million compared with $30.4 million for the first quarter of 2009 and with $36.5 million for the second quarter of 2008. Second quarter 2009 net loss, determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), was $2.2 million or $0.10 per diluted share. By comparison, GAAP net income was $2.3 million or $0.10 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2008.
AudioCodes Second Quarter
AudioCodes Ltd. announced financial results for the second quarter of 2009, ended June 30, 2009. Revenues for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009 were $30.4 million compared to $29.3 million for the first quarter of 2009 and $45.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2008. Net loss in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) was $891,000, or ($0.02) per share, for the second quarter of 2009 compared to GAAP net loss of $3.1 million or ($0.07) per share, for the first quarter of 2009 and GAAP net income of $720,000, or $0.02 per share, for the corresponding second quarter of 2008.
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