Ethernet is a family of frame-based computer networking technologies for local area networks (LANs). The name comes from the physical concept of the ether. It defines a number of wiring and signaling standards for the Physical Layer of the OSI networking model, through means of network access at the Media Access Control (MAC) /Data Link Layer, and a common addressing format.
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COTS Products
3U VPX SBC Sports Freescale MPC 8640D Processor There have been only a handful of SBC vendors so far that have rolled out VPX products. The ones that jumped on board haveRead More...
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Stand-Alone Rugged Boxes Come into their Own
Technology developments that reduce complexity and enhance usability are always a welcome addition to military applications. That need is being fueled by the increasing availability ofRead More...

Stand-Alone Rugged Boxes Fine-Tune their Feature Sets
A trend has been building in the past couple of years where traditional embedded board vendors are adding stand-alone rugged box-level systems to their military market offerings. TheseRead More...

ATCA Finds Niche Where Military and Telco Needs Align
Similar to most commercial industries, the military is under constant pressure to keep costs contained, while preserving the highest levels of availability in its mission-criticalRead More...

MicroTCA Gaining Ground in Military Applications
Deeply rooted in VME and CompactPCI platforms, military embedded design is undergoing a noticeable shift. Modern warfare initiatives are driving designers to find more bandwidth, whileRead More...

The Inside Track
Parvus Awarded Follow-on Contracts for USMC EFV Subsystems Parvus has received new contracts from General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) in support of the U.S. Marine Corps’Read More...

Multicore Boards Roundup
6U CompactPCI Boards Sport Quad Core Xeons The multicore trend has hit all levels of processor families, and the Xeon is no exception. Concurrent Technologies has released theRead More...

Military I/O Solutions Blend Functions and Fabrics
While the basic challenges of military I/O haven’t changed—it’s still all about linking the analog world of sensors, actuators, motors and so on, with the digitalRead More...

COTS Products
Controller Adds Graphics to StackableUSB USB for years went underutilized in military embedded applications. That’s starting to change as uses from the technology presentRead More...

PCI/104-Express, PC/104 and EPIC SBCs Roundup
SBC Provides Right-Sized PC/104 Solution PC/104 has always shined in defense applications that need a modest amount of computer power. Adlink Technology has released the AmproRead More...

COTS Products
3U cPCI Board and Rack Family Satisfies Extreme Thermal Needs CompactPCI, particularly in its 3U flavor, is no longer the new kid on the block in the military market. It’s paidRead More...

COTS Products
Quad-Core Intel Xeon-Based VME SBC The multicore trend has swept through the military embedded computing industry, and military system developers are embracing it with open arms.Read More...

Military I/O Solutions Look Beyond 1553
Tried and true I/O schemes, such as MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC 429, remain popular for pure control applications. But they’re bandwidth-limited by today’s standards. A slew of multipurposeRead More...

COTS Products
Tiny SMD Fuse Approved for Space Applications Reliability and ruggedness take on a whole new meaning for electronics used in space applications. There’s no repair truckRead More...

Small Form Factor Realm Churns out Boards and Standards
Small embedded computers—in both standard and non-standard form factors—are in high demand for military applications that are extremely space- or weight-constrained or whereRead More...

AMCs Expand MicroTCA's Military Potential
Modern warfare systems must expertly blend issues of ruggedness, flexibility, mobility and high-end processing with the need for standards-based solutions that can be developed andRead More...

SUMIT Interconnect Spec Revamps Small Form Factor Landscape
Designers of high-performance embedded systems need to incorporate growing numbers and types of I/O in smaller and smaller off-the-shelf and semi-custom boards, while keeping theirRead More...

1U Rackmount Boards Serve Up a Diverse Array of Solutions
1U Blade Server computing solutions and other 1U rackmount boards are rapidly finding a niche in a variety of military applications such as SATCOM-On-the-Move systems. Now thatRead More...

1U Rackmount Servers Feed High-Density Computing Needs
Government organizations deploy a vast array of servers for mission-critical applications in a wide variety of networks—including enterprise computing, field operations, command andRead More...

PXI, VXI and LXI Boards Each Find Their Instrumentation Strengths
At one time, it took a whole rack of test gear to implement military and aerospace test systems. Now that same functionality can be built using standards-based instrumentation andRead More...

PXI, VXI and LXI Boards Roundup
16-bit PXI Digitizers Boast up to 40 MS/s Sampling High-channel count and simultaneous sampling are the watchwords for a variety of military test applications. Feeding those needs,Read More...

Data Distribution Service and MILS: A Powerful Combination
There are some unique benefits to using Data Distribution Service (DDS) publish-subscribe middleware within the Multiple Independent Levels of Security (MILS) architecture. Both MILSRead More...

Rugged Stand-Alone Box System Roundup
Rugged System Features Military Connectors The stand-alone rugged box trend has touched nearly every corner of the military embedded computer market. ADLINK Technology, for its part,Read More...

COTS Products
VME SBC Serves Up Low Power Core 2 Duo The Core 2 Duo has become among the most prevalent CPUs in new embedded computer designs in the past couple of years. Its mix of performance andRead More...

Common Computing Architecture Wins for UAV Programs
The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the military has skyrocketed as UAVs have proventheir military worth in Afghanistan and Iraq. UAVs are credited with saving soldiers'Read More...

Dual Fast Ethernet PMC uses USM Form Factor
Dual Fast Ethernet PMC Uses USM Form Factor MEN Micro’s Universal Submodule (USM) concept implements a board’s desired functionality through one or more IP cores in an FPGA. TheRead More...

Xeon Multicore System Serves Up 10 Gbit LAN
Xeon Multicore System Serves up 10 Gbit LAN The challenge in multiprocessing systems is keeping the processors fed by moving data between them quickly. With just that in mind, WINRead More...

Atom-Based Series of Fanless, Cable-Free Rugged I/O Platforms
Atom-Based Series of Fanless, Cable-Free Rugged I/O Platforms A series of rugged and fanless I/O platforms based on the Intel Atom N270 are targeted for providing rugged I/O solutionsRead More...

FPGA-based Ethernet Module Sportsa High-Capacity Switch-IP
FPGA-Based Ethernet Module Sports a High-Capacity Switch-IP An industrial Ethernet module (IEM) implements a cost-efficient and flexible solution to adapt to various IndustrialRead More...

ATCA and 10 GbE Primed for Military Service
A significant change in the military equipment market is a shift in focus for equipment development. Electronic warfare driven by C4ISR is gaining favor over big-ticket weaponsRead More...

Serial FPDP Board Roundup
VME Card Provides 24 Serial FPDP Channels Using FPGAs in conjunction with the Serial FPDP (sFPDP) interconnect makes for a powerful combination. Such a solution has enormousRead More...

Case Study: Revving up VPX for 10 Gbaud Operation
VPX has become the de facto standard for the current generation of military embedded computing platforms. These systems include high-speed serial fabrics such as Serial RapidIO, PCIRead More...

New Solutions Attack the Defense Industry’s Most Compute-Centric Problems
There's a trend that should be obvious, but is often overlooked at higher echelons of the defense industry: More and more of system functionality is now implemented as software runningRead More...

Cluster Computing Suits Up for Aircraft Duty
Surveillance aircraft may represents just a small slice of the overall military defense market, but they exemplify many of the challenges facing the rackmount system designer.Read More...

Scope Series Expands to Include 4 Channel and 40 MHz Models
Scope Series Expands to Include 4 Channel and 40 MHz Models Military systems continue to demand faster protocols and signaling bandwidths. That keeps the pressure on testRead More...

Fanless, Ethernet Switches Offer Maintenance-Free Operation
Fanless, Ethernet Switches Offer Maintenance-Free Operation Mission-critical defense applications can’t tolerate their network links going down. Serving such needs, MEN Micro hasRead More...

MicroTCA Carrier Hub Family Supports Four Fabric Types
MicroTCA Carrier Hub Family Supports Four Fabric Types MicroTCA is finding a niche in military applications—particularly those focused on marrying high-speed fabric interconnectsRead More...

Ethernet Switches Connect With Military Needs
The success of net-centric warfare is dependent on fast, secure communications technology—specifically Ethernet. To meet the military’s demands for Ethernet-enabled vehicles, there isRead More...

Multicore Networking Platform Provides 10 Gbit LAN Performance
Net-centric technology is a critical aspect of today's military operations. A 2U server-grade platform uses Intel 5300 Series technology to provide 10 Gigabit Ethernet (2x) and supportRead More...