This effort is developing enumerated requirements that incorporate 10GBASE-KX4, 10GBASE-KR and 40GBASE-KR4 to the Common Option (ports 0 and 1), Fat Pipes (ports 4-7) and Extended Pipes (8-11) as defined in AMC.2 and used there and in all variants of MicroTCA. A key goal of this activity is to guarantee backward compatibility with existing MTCA and AMC mechanicals and connectors, and interoperability with BX/BX4 fabric options.
In addition to enumerated requirements, the Working Group may generate guidelines/best practices to help ensure uniform interpretation of the specification and ease potential interoperability issues between BX/BX4 and KX/KX4/KR. These best practices may be generated as a separate deliverable, distinct from the enumerated requirements. Deliverables include:
- A 40G Ethernet Specification for MicroTCA.0 and AMC.2 (analogous to PICMG 3.1R2 40G Ethernet for AdvancedTCA)
- Provide a roadmap for higher speed Ethernet Fabrics for the future (100G, etc.).
- Update the MicroTCA guide to include new higher speed Ethernet options.
- Develop test plan and procedure for signal integrity analysis at 40G speeds. Perform tests with shared costs across working group members and PICMG contributing as budget permits.
