October 27, 2009 -- At the ATCA Summit event in Santa Clara, the Communications Platforms Trade Association (CP-TA), a global organization of companies dedicated to accelerating the adoption of open specification-based xTCA platforms, introduced a self-testing program for the interoperability of xTCA (AdvancedTCA, MicroTCA, AMC) building blocks.
Via the program, companies can now utilize the interoperability criteria, test procedures and test tools developed by CP-TA and its members to perform self-testing in order to verify xTCA product interoperability. CP-TA says its mission is to empower the xTCA ecosystem by providing standardized guidance and tools to lower integration costs without the added expense of a formal third party certification program.
In addition to its work toward easing xTCA interoperability challenges for traditional telecom central office applications, CP-TA says it has also expanded its mission to include xTCA communications platforms used in military, aerospace and data center applications as well. The association maintains that, while originally designed for use in telecom network operating environments, xTCA has gained traction in additional markets due to the advantages of open standards, inherent reliability and power efficiency. Vendors supplying to each of these vertical markets share similar xTCA interoperability objectives.
“CP-TA is evolving to meet the needs of the xTCA ecosystem,” says Sven Freudenfeld, CP-TA president. “We have achieved a lot in the three and a half years since we first formed, but there are many near-term deliverables left to accomplish including the further development of xTCA interoperability criteria and test procedures as well as new test tools. We look forward to working with companies in the telecom, mil/aero and data center markets to meet these common and important goals.”
Today’s announcement comes in conjunction with the organization’s recent designation of Polaris Networks’ MicroTCA Tester and AMC Tester as suggested tools for use with CP-TA’s Interoperability Compliance Document (ICD) and Test Procedure Manual (TPM). CP-TA approved Polaris’ ATCA Tester earlier this year as an authorized test tool, and all three tools are harmonized with the ICD and TPM to test for manageability interoperability of xTCA building blocks. Furthermore, CP-TA has negotiated for certain discounts on xTCA test tools from Polaris Networks for member companies depending on the level of membership. Similarly, CP-TA is working with additional tools providers to develop thermal testing tools so that companies can test xTCA products for CP-TA B.x thermal compliance.
To correspond with the goal of broadening its focus, CP-TA has restructured its membership levels and now offers a “Participant” level for $2,000. The new level offers members significant technical and marketing benefits at a relatively low cost and provides an easy entry point for joining and participating in the organization. A complete list of membership levels and benefits is available on the CP-TA Web site.
On the Web:
www.cp-ta.org
