VPX Community News

Greg Bolstad, Critical I/O

Data storage is an increasingly important component of many OpenVPX (VITA 65) systems. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, for example, generate large volumes of data that must be recorded in real time for later analysis. These systems require high capacity and performance, often combined with strict Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints.

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Gregory Powers, Tyco Electronics

As rugged embedded computing systems strive for higher operating speeds and densities, adding fiber-optic connectivity to the proliferating VITA 46 (VPX) market space brings benefits in higher bandwidth, longer transmission distances, and lower weight. VITA 66 defines fiber-optic connector modules for VPX using well-established and proven optical termini. Each style of termini offers different benefits in terms of density, ruggedness, repairability, and other characteristics.

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Brian Roberts, Dawn VME Products

VPX is replacing VME. OpenVPX is that part of VPX that facilitates multivendor COTS system-level interoperability including modules, backplanes, and development chassis. Since embedded defense systems must often be developed and deployed rapidly, it is very important that potential conflicts are eliminated as quickly as possible during the design phase.

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William Wong, Electronic Design

The OpenVPX standard from VITA refines existing standards to provide a more streamlined approach to high-speed 3U and 6U VPX (VITA 46) board-based system design. The original set of VPX specifications offered a plethora of options, many of which were rarely used. On the other hand, several configurations were commonly employed, but designers lacked standard choices prior to OpenVPX.

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Vincent Chuffart, Kontron

A plethora of VPX (VITA 46) specifications prompted the need to develop a framework for system-level interoperability. Hence, OpenVPX interoperability is now in place, and its ecosystem is already maturing with products such as test backplanes, test equipment, and much more. With an experienced group of suppliers offering a variety of OpenVPX compliant technologies, the question is not if a military system designer will initiate a VPX-based application, but when.

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Thomas Roberts, Mercury Computer Systems

OpenVPX (VITA 65) design principles and a rapidly maturing component ecosystem support development of next-generation embedded computing systems.

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Justin Moll, Elma Bustronic

The VPX architecture has been successful since its inception in 2007. With its high-speed performance using the MultiGig connector, wealth of available I/O, rugged form factor, and design flexibility, it has taken the military and aerospace industry by storm. In late 2008 and early 2009, grumblings about the architecture's wide-open flexibility creating interoperability issues turned into a loud chorus. Therefore, the OpenVPX initiative commenced in early 2009, with a goal to provide interoperability definitions for the VPX specification.

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Chris Ciufo, OpenSystems Media

Our company, which publishes Military Embedded Systems magazine and the venerable VME and Critical Systems magazine, is a voting member of VITA’s VSO so we’ve been involved in OpenVPX (VITA 65) since it was preceded by VPX (VITA 46). With the industry’s longest running magazine dedicated to all things VME, we think we’ve got a pretty good handle on the VME market. That was why VITA’s VPX Marketing Alliance came to OpenSystems Media[1] to help facilitate a formal survey between April 23 and July 31 of this year. Digital survey forms were sent to thousands of our subscribers, and a total of 234 people responded, signifying a 65.8% completion rate (154). The results were both predictable and surprising.

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Bob Sullivan, Hybricon

The VITA 65 (OpenVPX) effort was begun a year ago in the OpenVPX Industry Working Group to provide a system-level framework for VPX interoperability. The VPX family of standards is very flexible; this provides very high performance, but can make it more difficult to integrate a system with interoperable modules. The answer to this interoperability dilemma was the creation of OpenVPX. However, since OpenVPX is so new, an understanding of how to match up compatible OpenVPX backplanes and modules is needed first.

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Steve Edwards, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

VPX is the future of VME for aerospace and defense deployed systems. VPX increases the capability of today’s systems versus previous standards and provides for future enhancements. And several new VPX specifications are defining the future of military embedded computing.

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