Based on the world-leading COM Express standard form factor (95 x 125 mm), the modules feature 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, 32 PCIe lanes, and headless server performance, currently supporting up to 16 server cores and 48 gigabytes of DDR4 ECC RAM. Target application examples for the new Server-on-Modules include industrial automation, storage and networking, as well as modular server and base station designs for carriers, service provider server farms, and cloud, edge, and fog servers for IoT and Industry 4.0 applications. The COM Express Type 7 pinout configuration is part of the PICMG COM Express 3.0 specification, which is scheduled for release later this year.
The ready-to-use, long-term availability of Server-on-Modules' modular core offers a standardized footprint, carrier board interfaces, and cooling concept, significantly simplifying system design and accelerating the deployment of new rugged server technology. Furthermore, future performance upgrades can be implemented easily and cost-effectively, as only the Server-on-Module needs to be replaced, even in the event of a processor architecture change. Without this modular technology, upgrading proprietary SBC designs and ATCA platforms used for transport infrastructure is significantly more expensive.
Christian Eder, Marketing Director at congatec and editor of the COM Express 3.0 specification, which includes the new COM Express Type 7 pinout configuration, emphasizes the importance of the new COM Express Type 7 Server-on-Modules specification: "Until now, it hasn't been possible to natively run 10 Gigabit Ethernet on modules. However, this bandwidth is required to create easily scalable server-on-modules topologies through virtualization. The Type 7 pinout configuration meets these requirements. It offers up to four 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports and an impressive 32 PCIe lanes, commonly used in this type of server to connect fast SSDs or discrete GPUs. The COM Express footprint is small, allowing for more cores per rack. This extremely compact and robust server technology enables 10 GbE connections in the field, which is essential for hosting IoT applications.".
Detailed Features:
The new conga-B7XD COM Express Type 7 Server-on-Modules feature a headerless design and are available with ten different server processors: from the 16-core Intel® Xeon® D1577 processor to the Intel® Pentium® D1519 processor for industrial temperature ranges (-40°C to +85°C). In terms of memory, they offer up to 48 gigabytes of fast 2400DDR4 memory with or without error-correcting code (ECC), depending on customer requirements.
A standout feature of the new congatec Server-on-Modules is their high level of network performance, thanks to two 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports. They also support the NC-SI (Network Controller Sideband Interface) for connecting a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), enabling out-of-band remote management. Powerful system expansion capabilities include flash memory, which can be connected via up to 24 PCI Express Gen 3.0 lanes and 8 PCIe Gen 2.0 lanes. Two 6G SATA ports are available for conventional storage media. Additional I/O interfaces include four USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, LPC, SPI, I2C bus, and two UART ports.
Congatec offers operating system support for all common Linux distributions and Microsoft Windows variants, including Microsoft Windows 10 IoT. A comprehensive range of accessories, such as standardized cooling solutions and the new COM Express Type 7 carrier board for evaluation, simplifies design and will be available alongside the launch of the new modules.
