This document discusses the transition from VME to VPX standards for modular computing systems and provides an overview of the OpenVPX standard. It describes how OpenVPX builds upon VPX to ensure interoperability and defines standardized communication planes, profiles, and a new connector. OpenVPX allows for more power, cooling options, and serial connectivity while enabling significant maintenance savings through a two-level maintenance model compared to traditional three-level maintenance. An example OpenVPX board is provided to illustrate these concepts.

1. New Trends with VME/VPX – Part 2
An historical perspective with a look at the future

2. Overview
Part 1
• VME: how it all started
• VME: motivations
• VME: electrical features
• VME: mechanical features
• VME: enhancements (VME64,
2eSST, etc)
• VME64: An example - Advme8028
• VME64x + 2eSST: An example -
Advme8027
• VME: CPU architectures
Part 2
• From VME to VPX
• VPX - OpenVPX
• OpenVPX: basics
• OpenVPX: MultiGig RT2
connector
• OpenVPX: planes and profiles
• OpenVPX: 2 level maintenance
• OpenVPX: an example

3. From VME to VPX
Two disruptive facts:
• introduction of high speed, serial links (PCIe, SRIO, etc)
• better performing physical layer (connectors, etc)
VME has been able to evolve greatly over 30 years, but a new
standard matching current and future capabilities is desirable
VPX (VITA 46) was designed to allow the introduction of a very
flexible standard supporting modern technologies such as multi
gigabit links, high performance devices, etc

4. VPX - OpenVPX
VPX (VITA 46) allowed for a lot of freedom  many proprietary
mappings for functions on the connectors
As a result, VPX is weak on the side of interoperability: boards from
different manufacturers might be not mixed in the same system
OpenVPX (VITA 65) builds upon VPX a common ground that
ensures interoperability
OpenVPX is a recent, vital standard that is still being enriched

5. OpenVPX: basics
OpenVPX:
• maintains the popular 3U and 6U form factors
• new connector: MultiGig RT2 (7-row, up to 6.25Gb/s)
• more power: 115W@5V (VME 90W), 384W@12V, 768W@48V
• more cooling options: air, conduction and liquid
• larger horizontal pitch: 0.8” and 1.0” (with REDI)
• differential option for mezzanines
• switched fabric
• three communication planes + user defined I/O
• profiles

6. OpenVPX: MultiGig RT2 connector
Differential pair
Ground
7-row differential
Backplane footprint
Row A
Row B
Row C
Row D
Row E
Row F
Row G
Row H
Row I
7-row differential
Card footprint
Row A
Row B
Row C
Row D
Row E
Row F
Row G
Differential pair of signals
Ground
Single-ended signal

7. OpenVPX: planes and profiles
OpenVPX defines 3 communication planes, 1 utility plane, 1
management plane and 1 user defined zone:
• Data Plane: High speed links (e.g. PCIe, SRIO )
• Expansion Plane: High speed links (e.g. PCIe, SRIO)
• Control Plane: Control traffic (e.g. Gigabit Ethernet)
• Utility Plane: Power, clocks, etc
• Management Plane: IPMC (independent service processors)
• User Defined I/O: A flexible zone (i.e. rear I/O through a transition
module)
The serial links allow very fast communication and permit different
topologies (e.g. the Data Plane is often switched, while the
Expansion Plane is often point-to-point).
The physical layer supports many protocols (PCIe, SRIO, 10G Eth,
etc)

8. OpenVPX: planes and profiles
VPX
1
VPX
2
VPX
3
VPX
4
VPX
5
Switch
Switch
Expansion plane (e.g. PCIe)
Data plane (e.g. SRIO)
Control plane (e.g. Gb Eth)
Management Plane (IPMC) Controller
Utility Plane (Clock, Power, etc)
One example:
Switch
and
Management

9. OpenVPX: planes and profiles
OpenVPX uses the concept of “profile”:
• Slot profile:
• physical mapping and definition of the planes and user I/O as seen
from the backplane
• Module profile:
• definition of the protocols
• Backplane profile:
• definition of the connectivity across the backplane for each plane
• Chassis profile:
• Mechanical specs, input power, slot number
Slot/ Module profiles can be Payload, Switch/Management , Bridge,
Peripheral, Storage

10. OpenVPX: 2 level maintenance
OpenVPX allows great maintenance savings through 2LM (two level
maintenance) compared to the traditional 3LM
Traditionally (3LM) the Line Replaceable Unit is the Chassis
(system). With OpenVPX the LRU is the Module/Card
Estimated savings as high as 70% with 2LM
Level Type 3LM 2LM
Organizational Directly on aircraft/equipment.
Inspection/testing/calibrating √ √
Intermediate Off-equipment. Test&repair. Fixed or mobile
shops √ X
Depot On- or off-equipment. More sophisticated
shops. √ √

11. OpenVPX: an example
Eurotech CPU-111-10 is a 6U OpenVPX board with a Quad Core
Xeon CPU and a 10Gb Ethernet switch.
It supports multiple ruggedization levels, including 2LM

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13. Thank You
For more info:
• www.eurotech.com
• www.vita.com