VITA Releases VPX (VITA 46) Test Data

SCOTTSDALE, AZ–December 14, 2005– VITA and its Standards Organization (VSO) have announced the release of a comprehensive connector and module qualification report to support the VPX (VITA 46) standard. VPX is a next generation VME Technology providing a mechanical format for standardization of switched serial interconnects for VME Technology applications, with specific concern taken to allow deployment in ruggedized environments. The findings in this test report are of vital concern to the developers and users of VPX, providing assurance that future products will be able to meet the market expectations.

Testing was done by a highly regarded, fully independent test house, Contech Research whose focus is in the field of testing, applied research, product evaluation and interconnection technology. “Concurrent engineering was conducted between the working group and Contech Research to be sure that the needs of the working group were specifically addressed,” stated George Olear, Director of Mechanical/Environmental Testing, Contech Research. “This led to a more robust and complete suite of testing to meet the needs of the VITA 46 working group.”

The testing carried out by the VITA 46 Working Group represents some of the most robust environmental testing ever carried out in support of a board-level standard. Key environmental parameters covered included:

• shock and vibration

• temperature

• humidity

• sand and dust

• durability

• electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection

“To realize the goal of the VPX standard to support high-speed serial interconnects and I/O density, a new connector system was required. The results of these environmental tests reaffirm that the Tyco Electronics' 7-row MULTIGIG RT® Tier 2 connector selected by the VITA 46 Working Group is a robust connector system capable of withstanding the harsh environments found in military/aerospace environments” stated Ray Alderman, executive director of VITA. “This is really good news for users who've told us that they appreciate the advanced technology offered by VITA 46 but had justifiable concerns about a new connector meeting stringent military requirements. We're pleased to be able to publish the entire VITA 46 qualification report, offering customers full and open access to the results and conclusively demonstrating that the most demanding performance criteria have been met.”

“The VITA 46 specification presented unique and demanding requirements for a backplane connector system,” stated Bob Hnatuck, Tyco Electronics Product Manager for High Speed Backplane Connectors. “The MULTIGIG RT Connector System from Tyco Electronics was up to the task of accommodating those requirements including differential signaling, single ended signaling and power signals - all through a common interface. Design flexibility coupled with the proven high reliability of the connector system made it the perfect choice by the working group. This solution reflects Tyco Electronics' product strategy of providing a portfolio of backplane connectors allowing a customer, industry or standards organization to choose what fits their particular application best.”

VPX provides high-speed signals for serial switch fabrics and high-speed I/O, as well as legacy VMEbus or PCI bus protocols, for the spectrum of commercial and military systems. Support for the legacy parallel buses allows users to upgrade their systems with an evolutionary road map that enables hybrid architectures that leverage existing investments in commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) VME or PCI-based modules. By replacing the venerable DIN connectors on a VME board with contemporary high- speed connectors capable of supporting signaling rates to 5 Gbps and beyond, VPX provides 4 switch fabric ports of 10 Gbps each in the initial configuration, and the capacity for up to 32 ports in fabric-only configurations.

The VPX standard addresses both the 6U and 3U form factors, the latter of which is becoming more important as integrated components enable system sizes to shrink. The VPX module format will provide embedded system developers with a platform capable of leveraging new switch fabric standards, such as 10 GBit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand™, Serial RapidIO™, PCI Express, Advanced Switching Interconnect, and others, ultimately enabling systems with higher performance and lower cost.

The “VITA 46 Connector and Module Test Report” is available for download from the VITA web site at www.vita.com/vpx.html.

VMEbus has a rich tradition of long life-cycle support that is combined with state-of-the-art computer bus technology. Its performance and functionality is second to no other technology solution. Consult the VITA website for a list of other advancements available or in development by the VITA community.

About VITA

VITA is an incorporated, non-profit organization of vendors and users having a common market interest. Founded in 1984, VITA believes in and champions open system architectures as opposed to proprietary system architectures. VITA's activities are international in scope. The functions performed by VITA are technical, promotional and user related and are aimed at increasing the total market size, providing vendors additional market exposure and providing users with timely technical information. For information about VITA membership, or to find out how to obtain VITA specifications, visit the VITA website at www.vita.com or call VITA headquarters at (480) 837-7486.