RapidIOŽ Connections - Q3 2006Association NewsRapidIO® Interworking to Cover a Broad Base of Applications!By Tom Cox, Executive Director, RapidIO Trade Association
The value proposition of the RapidIO interconnect technology has commanded the attention of a wide range of embedded markets, each for the unique and varied features defined by the standard that are available in the hundreds of RapidIO-based products in the marketplace. A common element in all of these systems is the requirement to interwork with other interconnect technologies – both legacy and new, equally proprietary and industry standard. From its very first inception, RapidIO technology has embraced interworking with other protocols and interconnects. For example, PCI load store operations are at the root of the RapidIO memory mapped IO architecture. In addition, the full-featured message passing and maintenance protocol can support Ethernet and other capabilities. By design, translating from one interconnect’s language to another is performed easily in hardware with specifically designed end-points or with the support of embedded processors. In storage applications we see RapidIO and PCI, PCI-X, and PCI-Express seamlessly interworking. RapidIO provides the backplane architecture and PCI is integrated into the endpoints. RapidIO interworks equally well with out-of-the-box interconnects in storage systems such as Infiniband or Fibre Channel. In many highly fault-tolerant applications like large storage networks, reliable, high-speed data delivery is provided by RapidIO solutions. Legacy interconnects that are well-established in proprietary OEM systems are often required in some form or another in new architectures and designs. When this is the case OEM’s utilize ASIC and FPGA technology based on RapidIO cores and IP to develop interworking solutions to bridge the old to the new effortlessly. RapidIO is an established, scalable, open-standard, switched fabric, designed by the leaders in embedded computing specifically for OEMs building equipment in the wireless infrastructure, edge networking, storage, scientific, military and industrial markets. RapidIO technology delivers the reliability, cost effectiveness, performance and scalability required in these markets. RapidIO also supports a roadmap which is attuned to the changes affecting designers of embedded infrastructure. RapidIO covers a broad base of interesting and exciting applications which include many different protocols and interconnects, and the possibilities are endless! As the Executive Director of the RapidIO Trade Association I continue to see examples of RapidIO in action, and love to hear and learn more about applications of all types. Your examples would be most welcome! Simply send me an email (tom.cox@RapidIO.org) that describes your favorite illustration of RapidIO in action! Continued on Next Page |
