By Bob Sullivan (Hybricon Corp.), Michael Rose (Hybricon Corp.) and Jason Boh (Hybricon Corp.)
A case study for implementing IEEE 802.3ap 10GBASE-KR over a VPX backplane. With 3 different equalization methods available in most 10GBase-KR transceivers, how is one chosen over another?
By Neil Peterson (Hybricon Corp.) and Mark Littlefield (Curtiss Wright Embedded Computing)
MILCOM 2009 Live OpenVPX Small Form Factor Video Featuring Hybricon Corporation & Curtiss Wright Embedded Computing Demonstrating the newest OpenVPX System at MILCOM Boston 2009.
The new generation of ground-based vehicles has moved away from the traditional 28 VDC power generation and distribution systems to high-voltage systems of typically 610 VDC, achieving great savings in space, weight, cost, and efficiency. Although easier to implement on new vehicle designs, high-voltage technology and many of its component parts can also be introduced into existing vehicles to great effect – without the whole scale and potentially disruptive replacement of every 28 VDC powered electromechanical or electronic subsystem. Modernization programs aim to improve the warfighter’s operational effectiveness and survivability.
Many believe that if source code compiles cleanly, with all warnings activated, then it is ready to move on to a verification stage such as test or code review. However, it is dangerous to assume that if the code has compiled cleanly, then any errors present must have resulted from the interpretation of the requirements and not their implementation. Wojciech empirically evaluates this assumption and proves that the range of warnings provided by any compiler is extremely limited when compared to those produced by a dedicated static analysis and Coding Standards Enforcement (CSE) tool.
By Ivan Straznicky (Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing)
Considering the environmentally intense environments faced by modern military electronics, the ability to meet the widest range of ruggedization and operating temperature requirements is an absolute must. And, when traditional Direct Forced Air (DFA) and conduction-cooling techniques are insufficient, designers are turning to more advanced approaches to save the day: Airflow Through (AFT) cooling, spray cooling, and Liquid Flow Through (LFT) cooling.
By André Weimerskirch, Ph.D. (escrypt Inc.) and Kai Schramm, Ph.D. (escrypt Inc.)
Today’s embedded avionics and other security-critical systems increasingly face the requirement for heightened security. Hence, a software downloading/flashing scheme utilizing digital signatures and the Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) algorithms is helping to prevent unauthorized access and counterfeiting.
Current threats on our military forces have created a tremendous requirement for mobility as it relates to mission specifications. The development of On Board Vehicle Power (OBVP) systems not only increases warfighter mobility but also enables more effective power supply to current and emerging battlefield electronic systems by providing improved physical characteristics, in addition to more effective power disbursement than traditional “Tactical Quiet Generators,” thanks to new OBVP inverter technology.
Keeping unwanted components and malware out of embedded systems requires monitoring of both the supply chain and systems in operation. The secure anchor point is a solution to the second half of this equation; it offers the capability to monitor systems in operation by becoming the “root of trust” in an embedded system.
The constant flow of information through shared network-based applications such as situational awareness, voice/data communications, and signals intelligence/surveillance is an essential element of today’s sophisticated information-centric warfare environment. To meet the demands for growth, commercial networks employ packet processors to perform a broad range of tasks to manage networks, offload performance-sapping tasks such as encryption, and inspect payload content at 10 Gbps line speeds and more.
In an era when battlefield technology is evolving, warfighters must be equipped with best-of-class, mission-critical technology. But in spite of this need to stay ahead of the technology curve, the DoD's budget cycle can sometimes be out of sync with these objectives. However, there is an answer: application modernization.
For all the power and flexibility FPGAs bring to embedded designs, the additional development process injects new levels of complexity and constraint into the design workflow. Unifying the conventional hardware-FPGA-software design processes to make full use of FPGA reprogrammability is one way forward.
Innovative Integration has developed a high performance baseband B/Q/8PSK demodulator that works at symbol rate up to 1.4MSPS and locks within 50 msec.
By Sharon Schnakenburg-Hess (Assistant Managing Editor)
A roundup of recent military trends and contract bends including: 3U CompactPCI joins U.S. Army ranks; RATS welcome on the battlefield, by way of Android; First OpenVPX contract; C-130E says 'goodbye' ... and 'hello'; and many other headlines.
What is OpenVPX and what does it mean? What are these profiles, expansion fabrics, control planes, and configurations? Bustronic's white paper offers a background and explanation of VPX, OpenVPX, and VITA 65.
The world today is a very large and complex social network. With identity theft and other electronic crime on the rise, an important part of life, for all of us, is knowing 'who to trust'.
If you have watched the History Channel or the Military Channel and seen footage of naval anti-aircraft fire during World War II, you realize just how difficult the problem of tracking an outgoing bullet just might be.
Modern cockpits bombard pilots with tremendous volumes of data, including tactical information, navigation data, system status, and more. Within modern weaponry, computers are used extensively to process, prioritize, and present critical data. On-board systems have evolved into substantial computing platforms that are tightly integrated and continuously share information. This torrent of data within aerospace and military embedded systems presents multifaceted data management requirements, which are increasingly addressed via off-the-shelf embedded database management systems (DBMSs)
By Ian Hodgson (Esterel Technologies) and Matthias Mäke-Kail (TTTech Computertechnik)
X-by-Wire is a generic name given to technologies that seek to replace traditional mechanical control systems with electronic replacements. Pioneered by companies like Airbus in the aerospace domain, the mechanical links that translated the stick or pedal actions of the pilot into movements of the control surfaces were replaced by electrical sensors, computers and servo actuators. The benefits of this transformation of vehicle management apply equally to land- or water-based vehicles as they do to airborne craft.
By Mark Littlefield (Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing), Nauman Arshad (Hybricon) and Bob Sullivan (Hybricon)
On October 18, 2009, Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing partnered with Hybricon to make industry history with the first public demonstration of a live OpenVPX™ (VITA 65) system at MILCOM 2009/Boston.
High-performance Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) have evolved from fixed-function graphics execution units to SIMD processors. Now, the key to implementing GPU processing lies in a new generation of tools including CUDA, OpenCL, and more to integrate code development across heterogenous CPU/GPU architectures.
The rapid adoption of lead-free solder is the most significant change brought to the defense market as a result of RoHS and WEEE influences. However, many military and aerospace equipment integrators, vendors, and end users are wary of using lead-free materials because of concerns about long-term reliability, temperature, and harsh military environmental use.
Outdated legacy code bases in warfare and defense systems create vulnerabilities to safety and prohibit the introduction of new, network-centric technology. With static analysis, these systems can be retrofitted to be high integrity, making devices more technologically competitive.
By Sharon Schnakenburg (Assistant Managing Editor)
A roundup of recent military trends and contract bends including: NASA's 'background' technology moves forward in development; Boeing demo embodies Future Force; 3U VPX drafted for M1A2; USMC radios: Making the grade?; and many other headlines.
Editor's note: To be or not to be … EAL 6+ certified: That is the question. Apologies to William Shakespeare, but you get the point. With EAL 6 (or 6+) certification becoming the latest trend among embedded software vendors, the criteria for achieving such should be fairly straightforward … or is it? Marc Brown, VP over VxWorks Product Strategy and Marketing at Wind River Systems, reveals what he claims are misassumptions about EAL 6+, as the company’s VxWorks MILS Platform 2.0 undergoes NSA/NIAP evaluation for EAL 6+ compliance. He also has a thing or two to say about the company’s recent acquision by Intel, multicore, and a clarified focus for the future. Edited excerpts follow.
10 GbE provides a standards-based “fat pipe” to move data. However, real-time applications present unique challenges that must be addressed at the outset.
The military’s increased worldwide use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) is driving the demand for highly realistic training environments. Using a mix of integrated 2D and 3D COTS graphics tools can greatly accelerate the development and realism of simulators to fulfill this growing need.
By Dr. Stan A. Schneider (Real-Time Innovations, Inc.)
Publish-subscribe middleware is the key technology that enables data-centric architecture. The DDS standard precisely defines how the middleware controls and transmits information. Successful applications include many shipboard and UAV systems.
Jeff walks us through the features of a processor board design that was the result of efforts to stay within a desired thermal envelope yet boost performance.
Today’s military electronic systems have undergone a rapid evolution, and as a result, these systems and the data stored and transferred within are increasingly vulnerable to harmful manipulation caused by both unintentional and malicious actions. While systems designers are becoming more security-conscious and security requirements are increasingly being included in the design and development process, there are many challenges to address when attempting to secure electronics systems. The optimal approach is to incorporate both hardware-based and software-based security measures to protect against piracy, reverse engineering, and unauthorized use.
The VPX industry needs to add more test/prototype and development tools to its ecosystem, and careful consideration of modules, cooling methods, and subsystem integration is also necessary in furthering the high-speed architecture’s ecosystem.
By Kris Carlson (Seica) and Bernd Hauptmann (Seica)
Historically, customers are faced with situations where CCA data is not available for a variety of reasons, such as when Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have been acquired by other OEMs or designs have been generated prior to the age of remote storage or escrow agents can result in the loss of data. The answer: utilizing ATE flying probers particularly designed to “reverse engineer” a CCA. Reverse engineering can assist the depots in documentation creation and full test functionality.
By John Wranovics (Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing)
Curtiss-Wright has moved the traditional COTS value proposition to the next level of integration. This PCOTS strategy understands and treats all users of a particular subsystem to be members of a superset of users, enabling development costs to be shared, and thus lowered, across multiple programs. Even better, it enables life-cycle management costs to be shared, and thus lowered, across multiple programs, while the platform is continually vetted, matured and improved. Additionally, the PCOTS strategy simplifies the customer's supply chain burden, because the resultant subsystem has a single part number to be tracked rather than a larger list of numbers, likely from a large variety of different suppliers, for the disparate components (i.e., the boards, cables, chassis, etc.) that comprise the product.
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