Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks
ATCA HW Platform
-
Introduction
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
Table of Contents:
1 Introduction to ATCA ............................................................................................4
1.1 PICMG ..........................................................................................................5
1.2 ATCA in a Nutshell .......................................................................................6
1.3 Benefits of ATCA ..........................................................................................7
1.4 ATCA Standardisation ..................................................................................8
1.5 Exercise ........................................................................................................9
2 Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform ...................................................10
2.1 ATCA Blade Architecture ...........................................................................11
2.2 Network Elements based on ATCA ............................................................12
2.3 Platform Development ................................................................................14
2.4 Exercise ......................................................................................................15
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
1 Introduction to ATCA
Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture, also called AdvancedTCA (ATCA), is
designed to provide the telecommunications industry with a standard architecture for
implementing a wide range of products, such as wireless core networks and IP
Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network elements, to name just a few. ATCA will
eventually permit network element products to be constructed using building blocks
from different manufacturers, in the same way as, on a much smaller scale, personal
computers are built today. ATCA is an industry response to the demand for
telecommunications products that are better, cheaper, and faster to bring to the
market.
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
1.1 PICMG
The ATCA standard is being created by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers
Group, or PICMG, the same group responsible for the highly successful Compact
PCI (CPCI) standard. The PICMG is a consortium of over 450 member companies
who collaboratively develop open specifications for telecom and industrial computing
applications.
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
1.2 ATCA in a Nutshell
ATCA offers a standardised, modular, multipurpose platform architecture which
enables the building of convergent carrier-grade telecom equipment. It not only
defines a hardware architecture, but provides the base layer of a full ecosystem for a
carrier-grade base platform environment. Radio access equipment, wireless edge
infrastructures, and IMS network nodes are products which can all be designed on
top of ATCA base software and standard hardware components.
ATCA specifies shelf, board, mezzanine, rear transition module (RTM), and hardware
management module low-level form factors, interconnects, and hardware
management. In ATCA, a shelf is what is historically referred to as a chassis, and a
board may also be referred to as a blade.
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
1.3 Benefits of ATCA
ATCA offers extensive benefits for operators and customers alike. The main strength
of ATCA is in its versatility, its ability to support larger volumes, and its capacity to
harmonise different platforms. In the long run, ATCA will allow faster time to market
and lower costs in terms of both equipment and R&D, as it will be possible to employ
a wide variety of building blocks with minimal modifications. ATCA is designed as a
future-safe solution. Move your mouse over the advantage buttons to learn more
about the many benefits of ATCA.
It is likely that in coming years the ATCA ecosystem will adopt certain options as
standards. For instance, switching fabric alternatives are likely to be limited to just
one or two. This will further boost the industry and reduce the amount of specification
and integration effort throughout the development chain.
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
1.4 ATCA Standardisation
PICMG is the standardisation body responsible for the development of the ATCA
standard. The group was founded in 1994 to extend the PCI standard for industrial
automation, medical, military, and telecom computing markets. ATCA is, at this point,
the largest specification effort in the history of PICMG.
ATCA also references existing standards and provides a point of convergence for
other standardisation efforts. Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC), Intelligent Platform
Management Interface (IPMI), and Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), as well as others, are
needed to complete the ATCA standards.
Nokia Siemens Networks participates heavily in PICMG to help steer ATCA
standardisation and choose common approaches for standardisation. Although
current ATCA specifications do not guarantee interoperability of products, this will be
improved in the future.
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
1.5 Exercise
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
2 Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform
The Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA solution is called ATCA Hardware Platform.
The ATCA Hardware Platform is designed specifically for telecommunications
network applications. The emphasis is on satisfying main design objectives rather
than on targeting specific features. As such, special attention is paid to certain goals,
as follows:
The platform must offer carrier-grade or 99.999% availability, a high level of
modularity, ease of software creation and reuse, a long life-cycle, co-existence with
legacy telecom equipment including compliance with telecom equipment sites, and
ETSI and NEBS regulatory compliance. Move your mouse over the main objectives
on the left to learn more.
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
2.1 ATCA Blade Architecture
The ATCA hardware platform architecture allows network elements to be created
from a set of basic hardware building blocks. The basic functional unit is the shelf. A
shelf contains blades and other field replaceable units, such as power entry modules
(PEMs), shelf managers and fan modules, among others.
As an extension to blades, there are AMC modules and rear transition modules
(RTMs). Blades come in two varieties: node blades and hub blades.
The cabinet has space for three shelves with power distribution units (PDUs) on each
side. At present, only a single cabinet is supported. However, the ATCA platform is
designed to support multi-cabinet solutions in the future.
Field replaceable units (FRUs) are, generally, hot-swappable, meaning they may be
removed and replaced without shutting down other
FRUs.
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
2.2 Network Elements based on ATCA
The ATCA hardware platform provides the basis on which both server and gateway
type of network elements can be implemented.
Server type of network elements are employed in the control plane, where the
emphasis is on providing high-speed Ethernet connectivity as well as high storage
capacity.
Gateway type of network elements carry large amounts of user plane traffic and
consequently require very high-speed Ethernet connectivity. However, such network
elements do not usually have high storage capacity requirements.
The figure shows two network elements that are implemented on the ATCA hardware
platform. Move your mouse pointer over the network elements for a short description.
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
2.3 Platform Development
Structurally, a network element can be divided into a hardware platform, a software
platform, and the software application or applications running on top of the software
platform.
Several types of telecom platforms – or to be more precise their software parts – will
be used on top of Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA Hardware Platform.
Nokia Siemens Networks FlexiPlatform supports applications such as the Flexi
Network Gateway.
Applications such as the Flexi Network Server are implemented on the DX 200
platform. This platform was developed earlier than FlexiPlatform.
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
2.4 Exercise
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Introduction to Nokia Siemens Networks ATCA HW Platform– Introduction
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