May 2016
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over
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tory
servers. And for the carrier-grade and indus-
trial data centre server class, it could be an
idea to modify the setup of the display inter-
faces to provide even more high-speed I/O
interfaces.
So why not use the same approach again to
create a real server-class COM Express mod-
ule? This would be a very attractive option
compared to a full custom design. COM
Express can definitely cater for all embedded
server demands in a small form factor, either
as a standard design or as a derivate with
revised interfaces. In any case, from now on
we will more often see this new category of
Computer-on-Modules, which we want to call
Server-on-Modules to exactly define the appli-
cation area we see for this type of embedded
computing platforms. There is no doubt that
the small form factor trend has conquered the
high-end industrial computing market.
What distinguishes Server-on-Modules? The
answer lies in the nature of the processors
themselves, the different interfaces they pro-
vide and the power and performance class
they offer. On top of this, it is self-explana-
tory that elaborate Server-on-Modules will
provide an extended availability of 7+ years
and come with powerful server-class tools
to manage distributed IoT, M2M and Indus-
try 4.0 applications. So they are definitely a
perfect fit for many internet connected appli-
ances. Thanks to Intel vPro technology and an
integrated board management controller with
watchdog timer and power loss control, these
modules are fully equipped for remote mon-
itoring, management and maintenance tasks,
right down to out-of-band management to
provide the high reliability that is a must for
all server technology.
The customer needs a special mix of commu-
nication interfaces and features to win in its
specific market. In order to be able to react fast
to new requirements the centrepiece of the
devices is a COM-Express module. COM-Ex-
press consists of standardized computer mod-
ules that are plugged onto a customer-specific
carrier board. The computer module contains
the processor with all required peripherals
and power supply. There is a wide choice of
compatible COMs with different proces-
sors. COM manufacturers are specialized
in the development and production of these
application-ready, pre-configured modules.
congatec works closely with processor manu-
facturers and is a recognized expert in COM
development, manufacturing and support.
The modules themselves are standardized,
but a successful implementation depends on
details like firmware, software, adaptation of
operating system and design-in support. con-
gatec modules meet the industry standards
and include support for real-time operating
systems and also all the necessary peripheral
drivers. This concentration on core compe-
tency cuts down development time and cost
for customers. Utilizing the COM concept,
customers are able to bring new products to
market faster versus designing their own pro-
cessor-based boards. It is possible to leverage
the existing carrier boards for future genera-
tions of the product with very minimal mod-
ification.
The platform of Server-on-Modules comes
with the latest 6th generation 14nm Xeon v5
and Intel Core processors. They feature a TDP
of 25-45W, up to 8MB smart cache and super-
fast 2133 DDR4 memory up to 32GB. These
Intel Xeon variants additionally feature ECC
memory. With ECC memory bit errors in the
RAM can be automatically corrected, which
significantly increases the reliability of the
application.
This is relevant for applications that demand
increased data integrity or that is exposed to
radiation, like some medical imaging applica-
tions, for example. For energy-efficient 24/7
operation, the new modules support discon-
nected standby in place of the legacy S3 mode.
With disconnected standby, switching from
energy-saving sleep mode to full performance
takes less than half a second; as a result, sys-
tems can go into sleep mode more frequently
without affecting usability and responsiveness.
The integrated 9th generation Intel HD
Graphics with Intel Iris Pro P580 scales the
parallel processing capacities up to 72 execu-
tion units. This is three times more parallel
execution power than the 24 execution units
of the regular, already powerful P530 graphics
provide. With a theoretical peak performance
of more than 1 TFLOPi (1.152 1012 floating
point operations per second) at a clock speed
of 1 GHz, the Intel Iris Pro P580 is the most
powerful integrated x86 graphics currently
available. Developers of highly compact Serv-
er-on-Module based applications now have
access to a new parallel processor class that
previously would have required a dedicated
graphics unit.
Besides this state-of-the-art version, all 9th
generation Intel HD graphics support DirectX
12 for even faster Windows-10-based 3D
graphics on up to 3 independent 4K (3840 x
2160) displays via HDMI 1.4, DVI or Display-
Port 1.2. For legacy applications, a dual-chan-
nel LVDS output and optional VGA are
available. Thanks to hardware support for
the decoding and now also the encoding of
HEVC, VP8, VP9 and VDENC, it is for the
first time possible to stream HD video ener-
gy-efficiently in both directions.
In addition to PCI Express Gen 3.0 Graphics
(PEG), the choice of available I/O interfaces
includes 8x PCI Express Gen 3.0 lanes, 4x
USB 3.0, 8x USB 2.0, LPC and I²C. Non-vol-
atile mass storage can be connected via 4x
SATA 3.0, including RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 support.
All major Linux and Microsoft Windows
operating systems are supported, including
Windows 10. A comprehensive set of add-ons
for easier design-in – such as cooling solu-
tions, carrier boards and starter kits – com-
pletes the offer.
n
Embedded server designs built on the basis
of Server-on-Modules can be as compact as
125mm x 95mm.
The conga-TS170: COM Express Basic mo-
dule with 6th generation Intel Core and Intel
Xeon processors offers server-class compu-
ting performance and up to 32GB of DDR4
memory.
Figure 4. The conga-TS-170 Server-on-Mo-
dule with Intel Xeon Processor E3-1515M
v5 with Intel Iris Pro P580 scales the parallel
processing capacities up to 72 execution units
which is an ideal fit for graphics centric server
applications that previously would have
required a dedicated graphics card.
