Kontron AM4101 - Manual (Page 20)

Introduction AM4101
Page 1 - 4 ID 1022-5406, Rev. 1.0
P R E L I M I N A R Y
1.2 Board Overview
1.2.1 Board Introduction
The AM4101 is a highly integrated CPU board implemented as a Single, Mid-size or Full-size
Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) Module. The design is based on the Freescale™
MPC8641D dual-core PowerPC® processor, which uses two e600 cores and high-speed
interconnect technology to balance processor performance with I/O system throughput for
networking, storage, wireless infrastructure and general-purpose embedded applications.
The MPC8641D is a highly integrated system-on-chip (SOC) platform that consists of two e600
cores, each having 32 kB L1 instruction cache, 32 kB L1 data cache and 1 MB L2 cache, a
high-speed DDR2 memory interface, four triple speed Ethernet controllers (TSECs), a x4 Serial
RapidIO™ fabric interface, a x4 PCI Express I/O interface and a high-performance MPX bus
that scales to 600 MHz.
The board is capable of supporting core frequencies ranging from 1.0 GHz to 1.5 GHz providing
up to 600 MHz platform speed. The processor and the memory are soldered on the AM4101
which results in higher Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and a significant improvement in
cooling.
The AM4101 includes up to 2 GB unbuffered Double Data Rate (DDR2) memory with Error
Checking and Correcting (ECC) running at frequencies up to 600 MHz. The four integrated
TSECs ensure maximum data throughput between the processor and the Ethernet infrastructure.
The board further provides up to 4 GB Flash memory via an onboard NAND Flash Controller.
The AM4101 has full hot swap capability, which enables the board to be replaced, monitored
and controlled without having to shut down the ATCA carrier board or the MicroTCA system. A
dedicated Module Management Controller (MMC) is used to manage the board and support a
defined subset of Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) commands and PICMG
(ATCA/AMC) command extensions, which enables operators to detect and eliminate faults
faster at module level. This includes monitoring several onboard temperature conditions, board
voltages and the power supply status, managing hot swap operations, rebooting the board, etc.
All in all, IPMI enhances the board’s availability and reliability while reducing the operating
costs and the mean-time-to-repair.
As a “headless” AMC design (no onboard graphics controller), the AM4101 supports one stan-
dard RS-232 serial port (SER0) and up to two Gigabit Ethernet ports on the front panel as well
as a variety of high-speed interconnect topologies to the system, such as two Gigabit Ethernet
SerDes connections in the Common Options Region, x4 PCI Express connection and x4 Serial
RapidIO connection in the Fat Pipes Region, as well as a debug port and a serial port in the
Extended Options Region.
Optimized for high-performance, packet-based telecom systems, the AM4101 is targeted to-
wards, but not limited to the telecom market application such as radio network controllers, me-
dia streaming, traffic processing, database management and routing. The AM4101 also fits into
all applications situated in industrial environments, including I/O intensive applications. The
careful design and the selection of high temperature resistant components ensure a high prod-
uct availability. This, together with a high level of scalability, reliability, and stability, make this
state-of-the-art product a perfect core technology for long-life embedded applications.
The AM4101 is offered with various Board Support Packages. Please contact Kontron for
further information concerning the operation of the AM4101 with other operating systems.