VPX, formerly known as VITA 46, is an ANSI standard (ANSI/VITA 46.0-2007) that provides VMEbus-based systems with support for switched fabrics over a new high speed connector. Defined by the VITA (VME International Trade Association) working group (comprising major industry organizations such as Boeing, Curtiss-Wright, GE Fanuc Embedded Systems, Kontron, Mercury Computer Systems and Northrop Grumman), it has been designed specifically with defense applications in mind, with an enhanced module standard that enables applications and platforms with superior performance. VPX retains VME?s existing 6U and 3U form factors, supporting existing PCI Mezzanine Card and XMC mezzanines (PMC with high-speed serial fabric interconnect), and maintaining the maximum possible compatibility with VMEbus.
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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...
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COTS Journal’s OpenVPX Solutions Center
Rugged 6U VPX SBC Has Integrated Onboard I/O Resources Aitech Defense Systems has introduced a rugged 6U VPX SBC that offers the selection between PCI Express and Serial RapidIO.Read More...
FPGA Implementations Sometimes Need a Coprocessor
FPGAs are the de facto choice for military algorithm processing in land- , sea- and air-based platforms. They’ve increasingly replaced stand-alone DSPs because FPGAs offerRead More...
Next-Gen Processor Technology Redefines Compute Density
The demands of today's advanced military applications require system architects to constantly push the design envelope. These demands are coming from multiple fronts. The militaryRead More...
Five Game-Changer Technology Trends Facing the Military
Compute-density has become the mantra for many of today's advanced military programs. More and more of system functionality is now implemented as software running on single boardRead More...
COTS Products
Advanced Low-Power PMC Supports Dual Graphics Heads A blend of graphics and video performance is vital for advanced sensor fusion, image/frame capture and recording inRead More...
Rugged Boards Push the Performance/Power Envelope
Compute-density has become the watchword in many segments of military system design. More and more programs are pushing for as much computer processing muscle as can possibility fitRead 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...
6U Open VPX Intel Quad-Core-based SBC Sports 24-port Ethernet
This year has turned out to be the year of OpenVPX with more new products rolling out than ever before. For its part, Dynatem is now shipping the VPQ, a 6U SBC based on the 6U VPXRead More...
Despite Mixed Signals, Mil Market Looks Encouraging
Several factors–including the new administration, the thought of winding down action in Iraq, picking up activity in Afghanistan, new hostility between Palestine and Israel, theRead More...
The Customer Shall Judge
As a member of the trade press I can’t hide a little bit of glee when controversies erupt in the standards-based embedded computer industry. That stuff never fails to provide juicyRead 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...
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...
What's the Computer Inside?
When I participate in any kind of press meeting or briefing, I’m the guy who always asks a question–or many questions. I ask questions to satisfy my naturally curious nature, but alsoRead More...
Tech Refresh Programs Weigh VME Compatibility Trade-Offs
VME has enjoyed more than a quarter of a century of success for a number of reasons. As an open architecture, it has created an ecosystem that delivers enormous flexibility toRead More...
Multicore Solutions Target a Variety of Emerging Military Needs
Embedded developers in many arenas are constantly facing competitive pressure to provide more application features and improve performance capabilities. As a result, it’s becomeRead 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...
First UltraSPARC T2-Based VPX Board Rolls
First UltraSPARC T2-Based VPX Board Rolls This is truly becoming the year of VPX as vendors roll out many types of VPX products for military applications. Themis Computer hasRead More...
FPGA Boards Deliver DSP Muscle and I/O Flexibility
As FPGAs evolve to ever greater sophistication, complete systems can now be integrated into one or more FPGAs. Board-level product developers continue to ride that wave in two ways. OnRead More...
Fabric-Based Strategy Doubles Up on UAV Payload Functions
In recent years, the aerospace industry, particularly in the military market, has seen the proliferation of UAV in a variety of end-use applications. The applications now includeRead 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
20-Inch 2U Chassis for Trenton 32 Gbyte Boards The days when military system developers did everything themselves are long gone. They’d much rather find building blocks to pieceRead More...
FPGA Processing Boards Roundup
PMC Uses Virtex 5 FPGA for Speedy I/O Processing At one time FPGAs served merely as glue logic interfaces. Now they function as complete processing engines. Acromag’s PMC-VFXRead More...
Ten Years of Change
When I took over as Chief Editor on COTS Journal, my colleague Pete Yeatman gave me a copy of the inaugural issue of this magazine from 1998–ten years ago. “The Editor-in-Chief shouldRead More...
VPX, VXS and VME SBCs Roundup
VME SBC Boasts Latest Low-Power Core2 Duo Processor Perhaps the greatest triumph of VME is its capability to maintain backward compatibility while remaining suited to incorporatingRead More...
The Inside Track
GE Fanuc Secures 3U VPX Order from GD Land Systems GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, today announced that it had secured an order from GeneralRead More...
Committing Heresy
Since the invention of the integrated circuit—and every evolution in chip density and capability—there have been the Chicken Littles that claim this evolution means the death ofRead More...
System, Board and Panel Innovations Fuel Rugged Display Demands
Leveraging cutting-edge graphics chips developed for the demanding gaming market, military graphics subsystems are now able to offer complex video and graphics functionality in highlyRead More...
Processing and Musical Chairs
Okay embedded processing technologies, when the music stops I want each of you to grab a chair and sit. Musical chairs is a good way to describe the moving targets that are advancedRead 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...
Rugged Box Systems Tighten Their Military Focus
Over the past couple of years, traditional embedded board vendors have been adding stand-alone rugged box-level systems to their military market offerings. These complete systemRead More...
The Inside Track
SMART Modular Tech's SDDs Selected for F/A-18 Upgrade Program Harris has selected SMART Modular Technologies to provide solid-state drives (SSDs) for use in its Mass Storage UnitRead More...
Small UAV Tap the Rich Variety of Embedded Options
UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) were originally developed to take the soldier out of harm's way and have come a long way since the days of "large" surveillance drones like the PredatorRead More...
OpenVPX Module Sports Eight-Core P4080 Processor
Extreme Engineering Solutions has announced the XPedite5470, a high-performance 3U OpenVPX single board computer with Freescale QorIQ P4080 processor. XPedite5470 provides a newRead 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...
REDI VITA 48.5 Power Supply Delivers 800W
REDI VITA 48.5 Power Supply Delivers 800W VITA 48 “Ruggedized Enhanced Design Implementation” (REDI) standard for 3U and 6U x 160 mm embedded modules creates a unified mechanicalRead More...
Intel Architecture Ups its Appeal for Military Embedded Apps
There used to be a delay-numbered in years-between when the latest and greatest computer microprocessors first rolled out and when they made their way into the embedded computerRead More...
Rugged 3U Carrier Card for XMC Is OpenVPX-Compliant
Rugged 3U Carrier Card for XMC Is OpenVPX-Compliant With last year’s OpenVPX Working Group coming to fruition, compatible OpenVPX-based products are rolling out quickly. TheRead More...
3U OpenVPX Systems Available as Air- and Conduction-Cooled
3U OpenVPX Systems Available as Air- and Conduction-Cooled Two OpenVPX-compliant 3U development systems cover both air- and conduction-cooled projects. Just announced by ExtremeRead More...
The Inside Track
General Atomics Selects PT’s Processing Gear for Navy’s Carrier AAG Program General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (EMS) Division has selected PT, the recently rebranded PerformanceRead More...
OpenVPX Development System Comes Preconfigured
OpenVPX has turned VPX technology into a more well-defined embedded computing architecture suited for military applications. Concurrent Technologies announces two low-cost,Read More...
Configurable Integrated Systems Support cPCI, PXI, VME and VPX
Designed for use in development systems and for production runs, Verotec has introduced a family of 1U, 2U, 3U and 6U configurable integrated systems. Based on combinations of standardRead More...
OpenVPX Boards Roundup
FPGA and TigerSHARC Share 3U VPX Board FPGAs and DSPs have different strengths when it comes to the signal processing muscle they provide. BittWare has brought together the bestRead More...
Finally an End to the 20-Year Bus War
The Navy has always been at the forefront of open systems and commercially available products. In the late 80s they were instrumental in pushing for the development of aRead More...
OpenVPX: Hurdles and Relay Races
With the Winter Olympics now in full swing, forgive my application of Summer Olympics metaphors, but here goes. OpenVPX faces a number of hurdles ahead this year to move from itsRead More...
OpenVPX Flourishes as it Readies for Prime Time
The goal of bringing together advanced switch fabric interconnects and all the features of a modern, rugged embedded computer architecture, is finally happening in the form of OpenVPX.Read More...
The Inside Track
Northrop Grumman to Upgrade Integrated Bridge Systems for Nimitz-Class Carriers Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract to provide Scalable Integrated Bridge SystemsRead More...
OpenVPX Re-Energizes Multi-Compute System Concepts
A growing number of applications require multiple processors for greater processing power or higher reliability. In order to solve complex problems in harsh environments, a system isRead More...
VPX and VXS: System-Level Switched Fabric Strategies
Through evolutionary enhancements and technology developments, VME still serves as a dominant bus structure for high-performance, real-time embedded systems. When VME was firstRead More...
Many Factors Influence Slot-Card vs. Module Choice
Military embedded system designers are always eager to take advantage of new technologies and emerging industry standards once a critical mass of acceptance is achieved and a clearRead More...
Evaluating Tech Upgrade Paths: OpenVPX vs. RACE++
Many designers and developers of deployed military embedded systems require a significant leap in embedded computing performance to support rapidly advanced sensing and imagingRead More...
Slot-Card Systems Vie with Rugged Box Solutions
There’s no doubt that there has been a change occurring in the military embedded computing industry over the past five years or so. At the heart of that change is the risingRead More...
Secure Network Communications Pushes Compute Limits
New and evolving technology initiatives such as Brigade Combat Team Modernization, JTRS (Joint Tactical Radio System) and WIN-T (Warfighter Information Network-Tactical) rely heavilyRead More...
Fresh Start and Net-Centric View Drive Vehicle Modernization
It’s taken some time, but the defense industry seems to be over the shock of life beyond the Army’s Future Combat Systems program. For over a decade FCS was an inherent part of anyRead More...
FPGA Boards Rev Up for Signal Processing Duties
Military applications like sonar, radar, SIGINT and software radio—all of which rely on heavy amounts of waveform processing—continue to leverage advances in FPGA technology. FasterRead More...
All Eyes Toward the New GCV
Five years ago we had a great looking cover on COTS Journal depicting graphical representations of several of the proposed Future Combat Systems vehicles. They were all linked by linesRead More...
Ethernet Ascends as 1553 Gets Boxed In
The great dilemma with military I/O technology is accommodating the needs of legacy interface schemes while meeting the performance needs of next-generation computing and electronicRead More...
OpenVPX: Cards Dealt, Ready to Play
Hailed as the next-generation fabric-based slot card standard, VPX has had a few rocky years getting started. But over the last year and a half, the goal of bringing together advancedRead More...
XMCs and Processor XMCs Roundup
XMC Marries Virtex-5 FPGA, PCIe and Deep Memory A set of mezzanine modules from Acromag features a configurable Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA enhanced with multiple high-speed memory buffersRead More...
Systems Issues Drive VME, VXS and VPX SBC Trends
The military is hungry to put VPX to work in both new and legacy/upgrade programs. System developers are attracted to the increased potential bandwidth, level-2 maintenance features,Read More...
Multiple Vendor Fairy Tale
Even the military is following the trend of consumer electronics—more functionality, smaller, less power and cheaper. The only problem is that the military can’t accept a “use it forRead More...
“V” is Going and Coming
So here we go. Vacation time is over and we can once again get more than two people at the same time in a room or on a conference call. That also means that business travel willRead More...
Embedded Tech Building Blocks Pave Way for a Net-Centric Future
As the U.S. military transforms itself to Network-Centric operations, every node in the networked military will be affected. Gradually, every vehicle, every aircraft, every ship, everyRead More...
Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup
10 Gbit Ethernet XMC Provides Dual Front-Panel Interfaces The military has completely embraced Ethernet both as a network technology and as a fabric interconnect scheme. With that inRead More...
The Case for Blending COM Express and VPX
Many military system developers are starting to transition designs from VME architecture to the VPX standard as next-generation Mil/Aero computing systems require the performance ofRead More...
GPGPUs Open New Doors for Mil/Aero Applications
DIGITAL COMPASS Graphics chips have a long history of deployment in mil/aero applications, driving displays in land, naval and airborne applications, including safety-critical primaryRead More...
Processing Solutions Ease Full Motion Video Challenges
In recent years demand for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities has driven a huge ramp up in data collection capacity. While that shows no signs of slowing,Read 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...
6U OpenVPX 10 Gbit Ethernet Switch Targets ISR and C4I
OpenVPX is perfectly suited to handle the huge processing demands of today’s ISR and C4I applications. GE Intelligent Platforms has announced the NETernity GBX460 rugged 6U OpenVPXRead More...
Hey Washington… We’re Important
We’ve cleaned the slate of 2010 and now we can start 2011. I hope everyone had a happy and joyous holiday season. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. January 3rd weRead More...
Hurdles Fall for Doing Intel x86 DSP on OpenVPX
With Intel’s introduction this month of its new Intel Core i7-2715QE next-generation quad-core processor, the design of x86-based embedded military digital signal processing (DSP)Read More...
Ethernet Becomes Entrenched as Military System Interconnect
Ethernet is becoming entrenched as a favorite interconnect fabric in compute-intensive applications like sonar, radar or any application that networks sensor arrays together. SystemRead More...
Conduction-Cooled ATR 6U VPX Platform Provides High Thermal Performance
Conduction-Cooled ATR 6U VPX Platform Provides High Thermal Performance A new conduction-cooled ATR 6U VPX platform provides an extremely high level of environmental protection whileRead More...
Slot-Card and Box-Level Solutions Jockey to Meet UAV Payload Needs
A trend has been building in the past couple years where traditional embedded board vendors are adding stand-alone rugged box-level systems to their military market offerings. TheseRead More...
OpenVPX Strengthens Its Hand for Military Embedded Designs
Military system developers have long faced a conflicting desire to harness the latest and greatest computing technologies versus the need to mitigate the risks inherent in banking onRead More...
Unified Approach Paves New Path for Military Data Storage
Data storage is an increasingly important component of many military embedded systems. In particular, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems generate large volumesRead More...
Ethernet Emerges as Mature Choice among High Speed Interconnects
Ethernet could arguably be called the military’s favorite interconnect fabric in compute-intensive applications like sonar, radar or any application that networks sensor arraysRead More...
Hybrid Backplanes Weave Legacy Technology into New Systems
The pressure to deliver next-generation defense capabilities faster and to deliver them within the guidelines of recent Department of Defense (DoD) Acquisition Reform mandatesRead More...
Deployed Applications Embrace System-Level Rugged Solutions
Despite their technical sophistication, defense electronics systems must deliver uncompromised performance under difficult environmental conditions, including excessive heat, humidity,Read More...
GPGPU Computing Carves Out New Military System Design Territory
The concept of GPGPU computing is beginning to gain traction. This disruptive technology is the emerging idea of using the latest crop of high-performance graphics processors to handleRead More...
Complex Systems Pose Tricky Thermal Management Challenges
Today’s military applications routinely push the limits of size, weight and power (SWaP) restrictions while at the same time performing with the utmost reliability in intenseRead More...
The Inside Track
Raytheon Awarded $84.7 Million for Airborne Radar Contract Raytheon has received an $84.7 million U.S. Navy contract for continued production of ALR-67(V)3 digital radar warningRead More...
6U OpenVPX Board Provides GPU-Based Rugged Solution
OpenVPX has seen probably the faster rate of new product roll outs in the last 12 months. The latest from Mercury is a high-performance 6U OpenVPX, dual GPU-based conduction-cooledRead More...
COM Boards Find Place as Slot-Card Alternative
For decades now, the notion of standards-based slot card embedded computing has been a tried and true mainstay of military electronics. Lead by bus architectures such as VME andRead More...
6U Open VPX VITA 62 Power Supply Delivers 1000W
Behlman has introduced the VPXtra 1000CD series COTS DC to DC power supply. The unit is a rugged, highly reliable, conduction-cooled, switch mode unit built for high-end industrial andRead More...
