The Mx-40 is a reference platform for network equipment manufacturers who want to develop efficient, low-cost equipment for next-generation SONET and SDH services, multi-service provisioning platform (MSPP), and multi-service transport platform (MSTP) applications. Based on Parama's PNI8040 "ADM-on-a-chip," the modular, rack-mountable platform consumes just 100W and provides a complete SONET/SDH ADM (add-drop multiplexer) solution in a 2RU form factor.

The Mx-40 features dual 10-Gbit/sec XFP line interfaces, eight multi-rate SFP tributary interfaces, and software-programmable multi-rate tributary interfaces for OC-3/12/48 traffic. The system also features a complete software development environment, a reference element management system, redundant 48V power, external clocking, a TL-1 Craft interface, alarm contacts, and a network management interface.

OSE hosts all of the Mx-40's system and application code. It monitors and responds to alarms for key parameters such as temperature and bit error rates. It also provides protection switching for the Mx-40's line and tributary interfaces in the event that one of the links fails. OSE's deterministic real-time response is critical here, enabling the system to detect a link failure and switch to a new link much faster than the 50-msec upper limit specified by Telcordia.

The Mx-40's modular architecture and OSE-hosted Parama software tools make it easy for telecom OEMs to evaluate system behavior and performance and quickly build new SONET/SDH ADM equipment based on the PNI8040 ADM-on-a-Chip. Equipment manufacturers can quickly assess different combinations of GFP, PHY, and optics components before committing to a specific design. The Mx-40 also allows engineers to prototype different feature sets and evaluate design tradeoffs on working carrier-grade equipment, which allows them to lock in their design specifications and bring products to market faster.

Parama cited a number of key factors in their selection of OSE. Chief among these was OSE's memory protection services, which enable the system to reliably run multiple processes in protected spaces. They also cited OSE's guaranteed real-time response, which is critical for protection switching and hot standby, and message-based interprocess communications support, which makes it easy to create scalable multiprocessor systems based on their ADM-on-a-Chip family.

"When looking for a real-time operating system for our reference designs, we wanted something that was bulletproof and scaleable, with a small footprint," said Srinivasan Murari, executive director of software development for Parama Networks. "Even in the R&D departments, our network equipment customers have very stringent reliability requirements, and OSE plays a key role in building a resilient system. We also found OSE's message-passing interprocess communications architecture very attractive. Our system-on-a-chip solutions can be scaled in multi-chip implementations for large transport equipment designs, and OSE message passing makes it much easier to scale multiprocessor systems."

"The integration of a 40-Gbit/sec ADM on a single chip is a remarkable accomplishment, and a big win for telecom equipment manufacturers who want to build high-density, low-cost SONET/SDH systems," said Adrian Leufven, vice president of marketing at Enea Embedded Technology AB. "OSE's memory protection, hard real-time response, and development support make it a perfect fit for OEMs who want to build high-availability optical transport systems based on the Mx-40 and PNI8040 ADM chip."

More about OSE

OSE is a compact, pre-emptive, memory-protected, multi-processor RTOS optimized for distributed, fault-tolerant applications that demand the utmost in reliability, security, and availability. OSE enhances reliability by building a firewall between kernel and application processes, which prevents errant or malicious processes from corrupting each other. OSE further enhances reliability and availability by providing automatic failure detection and supervision (health monitoring) of system processes and applications. OSE also provides guaranteed resource availability and hard real-time response, which enhances reliability by ensuring that critical processes have prompt access to needed CPU and memory resources.

To streamline and simplify distributed multiprocessor communications, OSE utilizes an application- and device-independent message-passing protocol to establish communications between processes. This message-based protocol enables processes running on multiple processors to communicate with each other in a seamless fashion, as if they were running on the same processor.

Development support for OSE includes Enea's Illuminator system-level debugger, which enables programmers to monitor and control their applications as a sequence of events, such as context switches and message passing between processes. OSE also offers its own Softkernel simulator, which enables designers to start developing their OSE applications in advance of hardware availability.

More about Enea Embedded Technology

Enea Embedded Technology is a leading provider of real-time operating systems, development tools, and services for fault-tolerant, high-availability and safety-critical applications. Enea Embedded Technology's OSE real-time operating system is used in millions of products worldwide, including communications infrastructure, mobile phones, avionics, medical, automotive, and industrial control systems. Enea Embedded Technology is a subsidiary of Enea AB (SAXESS:ENEA), based in Stockholm, Sweden. Employing about 500 people worldwide, Enea provides products, services, and training for a variety of real-time embedded applications. Customers include industry leaders such as Ericsson, Nokia, Boeing, Motorola, Alcatel, Volvo, TI, Agere Systems, Fujitsu, and Hospira.

About Parama Networks

Parama Networks is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in system-on-a-chip solutions for the telecommunications transport equipment market. Parama's ADM-on-a-Chip (AoC) solution is the first to integrate all of the functionality of a conventional SONET/SDH ADM system onto a single piece of silicon. This unique solution can be deployed in ADM, MSPP, and optical transport applications, as well as an emerging class of data-oriented access devices. The AoC enables equipment providers to design solutions at a fraction of the cost of existing systems with far lower power consumption.