AdvancedTCA Showcase at SuperComm Highlights Products from 28 Companies and Includes Three Multi-Vendor Interoperability Demos.

CHICAGO -- Visit the AdvancedTCA Showcase in Booth #13540 at SuperComm, McCormick Place, Chicago, June 20-24

Demonstrating the wide availability of AdvancedTCA products, PICMG(R)'s AdvancedTCA(R) Showcase (SuperComm Booth #13540) houses 28 member companies exhibiting an impressive range of AdvancedTCA products from components to complete systems. The Showcase is the site of three different live demonstrations of AdvancedTCA's powerful architecture in action. These sophisticated multi-vendor AdvancedTCA product interoperability demos will run throughout the show.

The AdvancedTCA (Advanced Telecomm Computing Architecture) specifications for next-generation telecommunications equipment are expanding the market for standardized, off-the-shelf, modular platform solutions for carrier grade communications equipment. The architecture is being selected for a wide range of applications, including optical transport, IP routers, wireless base stations, voice gateways, DSLAMs, softswitches and server farms.

AdvancedTCA was ratified by PICMG in early 2003. The Showcase demonstrates the remarkable speed at which new products are coming to market and how they are delivering on the original promise of high functionality and interoperability.

The AdvancedTCA System Management demonstration features a notebook PC in the center of the Showcase interacting with several AdvancedTCA chassis from different vendors over a wireless network. The notebook PC receives information from each chassis about its status and health from such devices as fans, filters, CPU and switch boards and alarms, and may initiate commands to each of these devices related to remote control and remote interaction. It clearly demonstrates the functionality that is now demanded from most network equipment, and how it can be delivered in an open and modular platform.

The Next Generation Multi-media Communications demonstration implements many of the features of next generation networks, with many interconnected AdvancedTCA chassis in the AdvancedTCA booth and in member company booths elsewhere on the SuperComm show floor. A remote content origination provider serves as an end-point for applications such as VoIP, Video on Demand server, video conferencing and a security surveillance camera video stream. This demo proves out the potential of the AdvancedTCA platform to function as a Central Office IP-PBX with other end-points connecting via Ethernet or wireless.

Finally, the Cluster demonstration highlights the scalability of ATCA architecture. It consists of single board computer (SBC) blades and open-source middleware configured in a computing cluster across several chassis in which a computationally demanding graphics application can leverage excess cycles on the SBC blades. The demo utilizes a computationally intensive scripting language to create very high resolution images -- adding or subtracting resources adjusts the rate at which the image is rendered. The demo is controlled from the center of the Showcase by an SBC that monitors the rendering software and the cluster management middleware.

"These complex and imaginative demonstrations show that the AdvancedTCA ecosystem is quickly evolving to support tomorrow's challenging applications as well as today's," said PICMG President Joe Pavlat. "AdvancedTCA's powerful and flexible architecture has enabled a broad range of products already on the ground, and will lead to an even broader range of implementations in the coming months."

AdvancedTCA Showcase participants include ADLINK Technologies; Agilent; APW Electronic Solutions; Artesyn Technologies; Asis; BATM/Telco; CG Mupac; Diversified Technology; Elma/Bustronic; Extrusion Technology, Inc.; Force Computers; GNP Computers, Inc.; Intel(R) Corporation; Kaparel Corporation, a Rittal company; Mercury Computer Systems; Motorola Computer Group; Network Modules; NMS Communications; ON Semiconductor; Pentair/Schroff; Pigeon Point Systems; Pinnacle Data Systems; Portwell; RadiSys; SBS Technologies; TeraChip; Teradiant Networks and Tracewell Systems.

Complementing the technology on display in the AdvancedTCA Showcase is a day-long AdvancedTCA Technical Track on Wednesday, June 23, open to all SuperComm attendees. There is no charge for the Forum, but space is limited -- those interested in attending must register at www.picmg.org/SupercommReg.stm and obtain a confirmation to use as a ticket to the sessions.

PICMG offers ongoing education and information on AdvancedTCA to the general public as well as to its member constituency. Anyone with an interest in AdvancedTCA technology may subscribe to PICMG's AdvancedTCA reflector (or listserver) at no charge - instructions on joining the list are at www.picmg.org/newinitiative.stm#Reflector. Companies manufacturing products that comply with AdvancedTCA specifications, whether or not they are members of PICMG, are invited to list them in the free online product directory at www.picmg.org/picmg_cfmfiles/generalv3/search1.cfm?bus=AdvancedTCA.

About PICMG

Founded in 1994 as the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group, PICMG is a consortium of over 400 companies that collaboratively develops open specifications for high performance telecommunications and industrial computing applications. The members of the consortium have a long history of developing leading edge products for these industries. For more information on AdvancedTCA or to view a short form version of the PICMG 3.0 specification, visit http://www.advancedtca.org.

For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at or call PICMG headquarters at [phone].

PICMG, CompactPCI, and AdvancedTCA are registered trademarks of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.