X9 SPIDER by General Micro Systems, Inc.
Sponsored ProductOctober 11, 2021
The “X9 SPIDER” is available in two 3U OpenVPX versions, each of which offers more I/O, processing, and add-on co-processing than is found on two 6U-sized boards (VME or OpenVPX). The 2-slot X9 SPIDER VPX-HS version uses dual 1-inch pitch slots for I/O, power and conduction cooling, and has over 455 Gbps of external bandwidth across 13 ports. The 1-slot (1-inch pitch) conduction-cooled X9 SPIDER VPX-S offers 11 ports and 255 Gbps of I/O bandwidth. Each version represents a complete computer system, replacing two or more 6U modules. This is unheard of for 3U OpenVPX, which is complimented for its small size but then criticized for the lack of user I/O to the backplane. GMS has solved this 3U OpenVPX I/O problem, freeing users to take advantage of 3U’s size, weight and power (SWaP) advantages without the limitations of P1/P2 I/O. Of course, both X9 SPIDER products use VITA 65 profiles, and were developed in alignment with the SOSA™ Technical Standard.
The “X9 SPIDER” is available in two 3U OpenVPX versions, each of which offers more I/O, processing, and add-on co-processing than is found on two 6U-sized boards (VME or OpenVPX). The 2-slot X9 SPIDER VPX-HS version uses dual 1-inch pitch slots for I/O, power and conduction cooling, and has over 455 Gbps of external bandwidth across 13 ports. The 1-slot (1-inch pitch) conduction-cooled X9 SPIDER VPX-S offers 11 ports and 255 Gbps of I/O bandwidth. Each version represents a complete computer system, replacing two or more 6U modules. This is unheard of for 3U OpenVPX, which is complimented for its small size but then criticized for the lack of user I/O to the backplane. GMS has solved this 3U OpenVPX I/O problem, freeing users to take advantage of 3U’s size, weight and power (SWaP) advantages without the limitations of P1/P2 I/O. Of course, both X9 SPIDER products use VITA 65 profiles, and were developed in alignment with the SOSA™ Technical Standard.
The X9 SPIDER OpenVPX family starts with an upgradeable GMS processor “engine” connected to the GMS carrier board, forming the X9 SPIDER VPX-S module. This single slot, 1-inch pitch IEEE 1102.2 conduction-cooled SBC merges the industry’s very latest commercial technology into an exceptionally high-performance module with a massive amount of super-speed I/O. The two-slot X9 SPIDER VPX-S adds a high-speed I/O board to the stack, bringing two 100Gbps Ethernet ports and an unheard of 455Gbps of I/O bandwidth to/from the X9 SPIDER VPX-HS module
Both module types are designed for extended temperature, long life, conduction- or optional convection-cooling, and operate from a single 12 VDC supply.
To realize this incredible slot density, GMS took a feature-rich server-sized monolithic motherboard and “folded” it into stackable 3U-sized modules—a technique GMS has pioneered, patented and refined through over 40 years of small form factor (SFF) system leadership. The 3-board X9 SPIDER VPX-HS PCBs are interconnected via ultra-high-speed board-to-board connectors that route signals such as PCIe Gen 4 and Gen 3 between the modules with no speed degradation. The CPU “engine” module connects to the VPX “carrier” module, which then connects with the “HS” I/O module. Each module is carefully groomed for timing, signal integrity, EMI mitigation, and maximum performance. Techniques applied to our 4S (four-socket) rackmount servers give us GMS-unique technology that allows 16 lanes of PCIe Gen 4 (16 GT/s) and 11 lanes of PCIe Gen 3 (8 GT/s) to be routed effectively between all three boards.
X9 SPIDER is designed to provide the ultimate open-standard 3U OpenVPX SBC for MOSA (modular open standard approach) and was developed in alignment with the SOSA™ Technical Standard. Using GMS’s latest 11th generation CPU, the X9 SPIDER family represents the state of the art in SBCs. As a Slot 1 controller, the SBC is so loaded with I/O that it can replace multiple other I/O cards in an OpenVPX backplane. In fact, one X9 SPIDER VPX-HS may be all that’s needed in many conduction-cooled, rugged applications. The single-slot, two board set includes the expected SOSA 10GBase-KR and PCIe lanes to the backplane, plus additional unexpected I/O to the front panel.
In-chassis inter- and intra-board front panel connectivity via USB4, 100Gb Ethernet or USB 3.2 provides massive bandwidth and eliminates bus contention or the need for switch boards (although both OpenVPX modules play nicely with VITA 65 backplane requirements).
The X9 SPIDER VPX-HS is ideal for defense applications that are both processing and I/O intensive with the need for additional add-in functions. SPIDER modules fit best where investments have been made on an OpenVPX platform, where more bandwidth is required than is available on the OpenVPX backplane by itself, or when additional high-speed I/O is required between systems that are not closely coupled on the local chassis backplane.
X9 SPIDER modules can also be used without the OpenVPX backplane; consult GMS for details. SPIDER modules may be ordered from the factory with operating systems such as Windows® or Linux® pre-installed. Other common or real-time operating systems such as VxWorks® are available. For more information, visit https://gms4sbc.com/.
