Before the advent of OpenVPX, designers of embedded systems took advantage of the extreme connectivity offered by VPX (VITA 46), but were faced with a virtually unlimited number of possible implementations. Specific choices for the control and data channel assignments for each slot, the backplane connectivity, and serial fabrics were often made somewhat arbitrarily to suit the particular needs of the current system.

Although following the general framework of VITA 46, each system tended to be so unique, that the boards and backplanes designed for one system were seldom usable in other systems, even from the same vendor.

Now, OpenVPX provides an effective method for describing VPX components, and also defines numerous “profiles” for boards, slots and backplanes that detail specific configurations of channels, interconnections and fabrics. Instead of starting from scratch each time, designers can browse through these standardized profiles to find one that satisfies the objectives of each new system.