Embedded Computing Design

In an industry where performance is expected to double every other year, we waited almost four cycles of Moore’s law (seven years) to move from PCI Express Gen 3 to PCI Express Gen 4. For critical embedded applications, where deployment lifecycles are typically longer than average, the hiatus was tolerable but limited performance at the edge.

Industrial box PCs are some of the most common electronic systems in the world. In virtually every harsh environment or heavy industry use case that leverages electronics, chances are you’ll find an industrial box PC nearby. And their popularity is growing, as DIN rail mount box IPCs are becoming the solution of choice for companies looking to extend enterprise networks into connected factory and manufacturing environments.

PICMG launched a COM-HPC interface specification for the management of embedded systems platforms. The goal is to help edge server engineers manage systems remotely. For example, if a system is hung up, an IT administrator can hit reset with the same effect as if he had gone to a factory floor or other site. The specification targets edge computer designs based on COM-HPC Computer-on-Modules with a view to simplifying maintenance and improving quality of service.

The PICMG COM-HPC team has met another key milestone. The Platform Management Interface (PMI) specification has been ratified and published! This marks the first time that platform management capabilities are defined for a Computer-on-Module standard. PMI enables critical edge server requirements including reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety (RAMS). COM-HPC® IPMI is an addendum to the COM-HPC open standard, which provides a framework of platform management features for COM-HPC modules. The framework is intended to guide how to achieve interoperability between COM-HPC modules from different vendors and combinations of carrier boards. In addition to targeting an intelligent platform management interface, this specification also touches on Redfish implementation.

Engagement among our 130 members continues to increase, resulting in a robust com?munity dedicated to developing and promoting open specifications for embedded computing.