September 1999

BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST

BY SABINE EISERLOH-KAISER

Buying a computer system for telecom applications is like buying a car. It all depends on the options. Some people elect to go with standard transportation that gets them from point A to point B; others prefer to go with a car that provides class, speed, and comfort. The OEM business is much the same way.

Buying a computer system for telecom applications is like buying a car. It all depends on the options. Some people elect to go with standard transportation that gets them from point A to point B; others prefer to go with a car that provides class, speed, and comfort. The OEM business is much the same way.

In today's competitive telecom marketplace there is a high demand for customized systems. Even if the same core product is being used for the same type of application with two different OEMs, there will be significant differences when the products are released to the market. Manufacturers will sell the "body" and the "engine" of the system, but it is up to the system integrator to configure the system to meet the OEM's specifications. This is done through customization. Each OEM configuration is different and therefore each OEM system has to be different.

The embedded computer market for telecom or any other applications will never be satisfied with off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all systems. When OEMs select a computer system, there are three basic considerations: price, performance, and functionality.

Here are some points to consider when building a system to run your applications:

SINGLE BOARD COMPUTERS
SBCs (the “engine”) fall into three distinct categories.

Value Line: In many cases, less is more when it comes to selecting value line SBCs. Like the name implies, value line SBCs are more economical, have slower processing speeds (100, 133, 166 MHz), and deliver reduced performance. But these SBCs deliver revision control, product availability, and competitive pricing for light industrial applications for many low cost operations in industrial, medical, and embedded control applications. Depending on the configuration, prices for SBCs can range from $500 to the low $1,000s.

Multipurpose: Processing speeds are mid-range (200, 233MHz with MMX technology), and these SBCs are particularly suited for multi-function, segmented backplane needs. Applications running on multipurpose SBCs can be found in various computer telephony applications. AG Communication Systems, a subsidiary of Lucent Technologies, is using a multipurpose PV5166HX2 SBC in its ROAMEO Wireless Telephone System. Once again, depending on the features, prices can range from $850 to more than $1,250.

Performance: When availability and performance are critical, OEMs turn to this final category. Of course, as the performance of the SBC increases, so will the price. These high-end SBCs use the latest Intel embedded architecture giving embedded designers more options in creating and developing their products. Typical SBCs in this category can cost anywhere from $1,400 to $4,000 depending on components. Featuring the Pentium II, III, and Celeron processors, these SBCs give the OEMs higher processing speeds of 300 to 500MHz, and more memory capacity. They are ideal for high-end applications in telecom and Internet including OEM systems carrying voice and data traffic over the PSTN, ATM, Frame Relay, IP, and Wireless Local Loop.

CompactPCI standard SBCs combine the high-performance PCI bus with the rugged Eurocard format popularized by VME. These SBCs fall into both the multipurpose and performance categories. These SBCs are typically used for applications that require higher bandwidth (also ideal for telecom applications). According to PICMG, “The CompactPCI bus is particularly well suited for many high speed data communication applications such as servers, routers, converters and switches.” In addition, CompactPCI technology is almost synonymous with today’s high-speed industrial applications. Prices for CompactPCI SBCs start at $1,500.

CHASSIS
From a design perspective, when selecting a chassis (the “body”), OEMs must consider form factors. Chassis for telecom applications typically require more slots (up to 20) and industrial automation applications require fewer slots (10 to 14).

OEMs must also examine environmental considerations including operating temperatures (ranging from -5� to 55� Celsius) and non-operating temperatures (usually -40� to 70� Celsius) and the amount of constant vibration a chassis can endure. Telecom OEMs are more concerned with the temperature of the environment, while industrial automation OEMs have to consider the amount of vibration the chassis will be subject to.

Open system design of the chassis is another critical selection criteria. Due to pricing considerations, OEMs are moving away from developing proprietary systems and moving towards utilizing open systems. With lowered development costs attributed to open systems, OEMs can design software around the computers, rather than designing computers around the software. OEMs can standardize computers and reallocate their engineering resources to new software developments, thus focusing on their core competencies.

There are several factors that will determine the cost of the chassis including the availability of the system, its passive backplane, hot-swappable/pluggable cooling systems and power supply options, third-party peripherals, SBCs, and media bays. The more critical the application, the higher the availability of the system needs to be, resulting in a higher price. Chassis prices vary from $500 (for the low-end models) to more than $3,500 (for high availability systems).

THIRD-PARTY PERIPHERALS
Third-party peripherals (the “options”) can include everything from SCSI controllers to video controllers, keyboards, hard drives, and monitors. Once again, the required peripherals will vary depending on the application. Highly configurable systems will give OEMs the option of how many drives to install, what types of cables to use, and much more.

Sabine Eiserloh-Kaiser is the International Marketing Communica-tions Manager for RadiSys Corp., headquartered in Hillsboro, OR. For more information on RadiSys, please visit their Web site at www.radisys.com.