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Custom Products

CUSTOM ARCHITECTURES

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The Pigeon Point management components are the leading independent managementcomponent solutions for open standard modular/bladed architectures, worldwide. These solutions are also being used in customized platforms, some of which leverage those standardized architectures to take advantage of the worldwide ecosystem that supports them.

The various levels of such architectures map to Pigeon Point management controller solutions described in more detail later on this page.

One class of potential custom architectures is bladed, with boards (or blades) that optionally mount modules, and are installed in a chassis, with management controllers at different levels, as shown to the right. This class of architecture tends to be chosen for larger systems that need the flexibility and expandability of a bladed approach. Some classes of customers use the term shelf instead of chassis.

Another class of potential custom architectures is non-bladed, with a baseboard containing the majority of the electronic logic of the system, potentially with modules attached to the baseboard and a management controller on the baseboard and optionally on each of the modules. This class of architecture tends to be chosen for smaller systems, including for appliance type systems. If such a non-bladed system needs an extensive management layer, each box can be handled by chassis-level management controllers. Otherwise, a board-level management controller can handle the baseboard and any installed modules, plus the box in which they are mounted.

WIDE RANGE OF CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS

Possible customization areas for a bladed system include:

  • NUMBER OF SLOTS Multiple dozens of slots may be desirable for some systems
  • BOARD SIZE Management layer isn't affected by board/module size
  • NUMBER OF MODULES PER BOARD Likely mainly limited by board and module size
  • HOT SWAP SUPPORT FOR BOARDS AND MODULES Full support is already implemented in Pigeon Point components, but need not be used
  • INCLUSION OF STANDARD BOARD SLOTS AND MODULE POSITIONS May be useful to take advantage of a relevant standard ecosystem
  • SUPPORT FOR REAR BOARDS Boards in the rear may or may not be needed for a given custom architecture
  • COOLING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Excellent flexibility, including for placement, number and management algorithms for cooling devices
  • POWER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Highly configurable, including for AC or DC power at the chassis/shelf level, plus number and placement of power supplies
  • INCLUSION OF MANAGEMENT CONTROLLERS ON EACH BOARD/MODULE Some Field Replaceable Units (FRUs) may not need an integrated management controller, under the assumption they will be represented in the management layer by a higher level controller
  • INTERFACE TO HIGHER LEVEL MANAGEMENT ABOVE CHASSIS/SHELF Multiple options are supported, most involving IPv4 and/or IPv6 over Ethernet

Possible customization areas for a non-bladed (typically simpler) system include:

  • BASEBOARD AND MODULE SIZE Management layer works with any size board/module
  • NUMBER OF AND HOT SWAP CAPABILITY FOR MODULE SLOTS Pigeon Point components support hot swap, but it may not be needed
  • SOPHISTICATION LEVEL OF INTERFACE TO "OUTSIDE-THE-BOX" MANAGEMENT Mainly determined by choice between Pigeon Point chassis- or board-level components for box-level management
  • COOLING AND POWER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Flexible configuration options likely to cover non-bladed architectures of interest

These customized platforms can take a wide variety of forms, including:

  • CUSTOM BOARD AND MODULE FORM FACTORS Leveraging a standard management layer (such as the one in AdvancedTCA/AdvancedMC), without using the standard physical form factors
  • BLADED ARCHITECTURE WITH STANDARD BOARD/MODULE SLOTS PLUS EXTENSION SLOTS Ecosystem or proprietary standard-compliant boards/modules for general purpose functionality, non-standard boards/modules for critical architectural extensions; unified chassis/board/module management spanning both standard and non-standard elements

Pigeon Point management components at the shelf/chassis and board/module levels are a fine starting point for the management layer in any of the above platform categories. They benefit from our years of leadership in developing the standard management architectures such as AdvancedTCA/AdvancedMC (ATCA/AMC), shipped in billions of dollars of products and used in demanding applications worldwide.


For the bladed customized architecture categories above, the Hardware Platform Interface (HPI) can reduce and preserve investments in upper level management applications. HPI is an open Application Programming Interface (API) for interfaces to platform management layers like those in ATCA/AMC. HPI was developed by the Service Availability Forum (SAF). Pigeon Point's HPI solutions are fully compliant to the SAF's specifications for mapping HPI to ATCA/AMC platforms and are already being applied in demanding applications for both standard and customized ATCA/AMC platforms. nVent SCHROFF has been a leader in the development of those mapping specifications.

For more detailed information, read the product briefs listed below.

  • Pigeon Point Shelf/Chassis-Level Management Products
  • Pigeon Point Hardware Platform Interface (HPI) Products
  • Pigeon Point Board/Blade/Module-Level Management Products

PIGEON POINT SHELF/CHASSIS-LEVEL MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

These solutions use Shelf/Chassis Management Mezzanines (ShMMs/ChMMs), small mezzanine.

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boards that install in a custom carrier optimized for your shelf/chassis architecture. Pre-loaded with the market-leading Pigeon Point Shelf/Chassis Manager, a ShMM combines with your carrier to implement a Shelf/Chassis Manager tailored to your shelf/chassis, with minimal development effort.

The Pigeon Point Shelf/Chassis Management Starter Kit minimizes your shelf development effort and includes:

 

  • BENCH TOP HARDWARE Immediate hands-on familiarization and "known-good" reference as you bring up your shelf/chassis
  • REFERENCE SCHEMATICS ShMM carrier schematics as starting point for your custom carrier design
  • FIRMWARE MODIFICATIONS Adjustments to the Shelf/Chassis Adaptation Layer in the Pigeon Point Shelf/Chassis Manager for your shelf/chassis
  • ARCHITECTURAL FLEXIBILITY Adaptable to either bladed or non-bladed architectures, as summarized above
  • COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENTATION Covers hardware and firmware; targets both the shelf/chassis developer and shelf/chassis user
  • ONE YEAR OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT Both hardware and firmware; includes schematic review of your ShMM carrier design

SHELF MANAGEMENT MEZZANINE PRODUCTS

SHELF/CHASSIS MANAGEMENT MEZZANINE (ChMM) Schroff Catalog Number Base Starter Kit Important Note
ShMM-700R        
Core of a customizable Shelf/Chassis Manager for shelves/chassis, complete with a NXP i.MX287 ARM9 processor, 128MB SDRAM and 64MB Flash, plus dual IPMB, Ethernet and serial interfaces. Contact nVent SCHROFF
for Details
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Shelf/Chassis Manager Source Code        
Allows sophisticated users or developers of ShMM-based shelves to replace the Shelf/Chassis Manager on their ShMM with a customized or extended version. Source code adaptations for non-standard architectural features can be done by nVent SCHROFF or by a source-licensed customer. Contact nVent SCHROFF
for Details
     

 

PIGEON POINT HARDWARE PLATFORM INTERFACE (HPI) PRODUCTS

HPI is widely and successfully used as the interface layer between an ATCA Shelf/Chassis Manager (together with the shelf/chassis elements that it represents) and upper layer management applications. HPI is designed to interface to arbitrary platforms; extending Pigeon Point HPI implementations to encompass non-ATCA facilities has been successfully done and is typically feasible for extended shelf/chassis functionality. Customers interested in using HPI with a non-ATCA shelf/chassis should discuss their needs with nVent SCHROFF.

  • FOCUSED ON PIGEON POINT SHELF MANAGERS For most effective support
  • MAPPING SPECIFICATION COMPLIANT Service Availability Forum HPI to xTCA Mapping
  • SUPPORTED BY HPI ATCA AND HARDWARE MANAGEMENT EXPERTS Combined expertise often crucial

IntegralHPI™ operates as a subsystem of the Pigeon Point Shelf/Chassis Manager:

  • INTEGRATED WITH SHELF MANAGER For best time and memory performance
  • HPI-ACCESSIBLE WITHIN SECONDS Of shelf/chassis startup, even for large shelves
  • REDUNDANCY AWARE Using proven redundancy framework of Shelf/Chassis Manager
  • BINARY COMPATIBLE WITH OPENHPI CLIENT INTERFACE Use existing OpenHPI client application binaries
  • REQUIRES ShMM WITH 64 MB FLASH And corresponding 128 MB RAM

Pigeon Point OpenHPI runs outside the Shelf/Chassis Manager and is delivered as a value-added distribution of open source OpenHPI:

  • SUPPORTS ATCA; ALLOWS CUSTOMIZATION Using Pigeon Point Shelf/Chassis Managers
  • ON-ShMM OR OFF-ShMM OPERATION Off-ShMM connects to Shelf/Chassis Managers via Ethernet
  • REQUIRES ShMM WITH 64 MB FLASH For on-ShMM HPI service

 

HARDWARE PLATFORM INTERFACE OPTION Base Starter Kit
IntegralHPI    
A subsystem of the Pigeon Point Shelf/Chassis Manager, ready for installation on appropriate ShMM configurations, optionally enabled; directly services HPI service calls from OpenHPI-compatible client applications. Contact nVent SCHROFF
for Details
Contact nVent SCHROFF
for Details
Pigeon Point OpenHPI    
A distribution of open source OpenHPI with significant Pigeon Point value adds; proprietary Pigeon Point plug-in includes functional, compliance and performance improvements. Contact nVent SCHROFF
for Details
Contact nVent SCHROFF
for Details

 

PIGEON POINT BOARD/MODULE-LEVEL REFERENCE SOLUTIONS

These solutions provide a Pigeon Point Board Management Reference (BMR) specific

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to the type of board or module controller you need, complete with schematics and firmware source code, ready for easy and quick integration with your board or module. Each solution is built around highly-integrated core silicon: a SmartFusion® intelligent mixed signal FPGA or an STMicroelectronics ARM® Cortex®-M4 based STM32F4 high performance microcontroller.

The Pigeon Point Board Management Starter Kit minimizes your management controller development effort and includes:

 

  • BENCH TOP HARDWARE Immediate hands-on familiarization and "known-good"
    reference as you bring up your board/module
  • REFERENCE SCHEMATICS For chosen management controller; ready for integration with the schematics of your board
  • REFERENCE FPGA DESIGN Usable on the SmartFusion core silicon, as is, or with added custom logic
  • COMPLETE FIRMWARE SOURCE CODE Designed for easy configuration to the specifics of your board
  • MODULAR FORM FACTOR INDEPENDENT Applicable to any modular architecture using ATCA-derived management
  • USABLE FOR BASEBOARD-ORIENTED ARCHITECTURES Remote, IPMI-based management for "appliance" baseboards
  • COMPLETE GNU TOOL CHAIN Includes source code; supports the processor type in your management controller
  • COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENTATION Covers hardware and firmware; includes customization and bring up guidance
  • ONE YEAR OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT Both hardware and firmware; includes schematic review of your design

For more detailed information, read the product briefs listed below.

 

BOARD MANAGEMENT REFERENCE PRODUCT

 

BOARD MANAGEMENT REFERENCE (BMR)
MANAGEMENT CONTROLLER TYPE
Schroff Catalog Number for Starter Kit SILICON Base Starter Kit Important Note
IPM Controller (IPMC)          

A complete hardware and firmware solution an IPM Controller (IPMC) on boards with ATCA-derived management, including other types of FRUs with embedded ATCA-style management, such as fan trays or PEMs.

Contact nVent SCHROFF
for Details
SmartFusion
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  21991- 167 STM32F407
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Carrier IPM Controller (Carrier IPMC) Add-on          
Augments a IPM Controller with the additional hardware and firmware needed to implement the Carrier IPMC on a module carrier board using AMC-derived management. Contact nVent SCHROFF
for Details
SmartFusion
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Module Management Controller (MMC)          
A complete hardware and firmware solution for the MMC on an AMC-derived module, compatible with a Carrier IPMC-managed carrier. 21991-136 SmartFusion
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CONTACT US

nVent SCHROFF serves local and multi-national companies with sales offices and manufacturing locations around the world. You can find all our global sales office and distributors for nVent Schroff products here.
For inquiries regarding Pigeon Point products, please contact our direct Pigeon Point product customer service.

 

Direct contact for nVent SCHROFF Pigeon Point products

General Information: [email protected]

Technical Support
Shelf/Chassis Manager Products:

[email protected]

Technical Support
Board Management Products:

[email protected]