Xilinx and AMIRIX announce MultiBERT reference design for serial backplane validation.

Xilinx, Inc. (Nasdaq:XLNX), a leader in programmable logic solutions and AMIRIX Systems, a provider of embedded systems design services, have announced MultiBERT, a free reference design specifically developed for use with Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGAs. The design leverages Virtex-II Pro's embedded RocketIO multi-gigabit serial transceivers (MGTs) to provide a multi-channel, high-speed serial tester for use in serial backplane validation applications. The MultiBERT reference design allows for the creation of test cards, which send Pseudo-Random Binary Sequence (PRBS) traffic simultaneously over multiple 622 Mbps to 3.125 Gbps backplane channels.

In a fully populated 14-slot chassis, MultiBERT allows for the simultaneous high-speed serial testing of all 91 channels (182 SerDes). By passing traffic over all traces simultaneously, severe crosstalk identifies any issues with the backplane. MultiBERT can be easily customized to accommodate the generation of specific "aggressor" or "killer" patterns, which tend to maximize crosstalk between the backplane traces. MultiBERT can also be implemented on line and switch cards to provide a built-in diagnosis feature for production or field-testing. The design uses the Virtex-II Pro's embedded IBM PowerPC to configure the MultiBERT core and report test statistics. Convenient collection of statistics from each test or line card is available via the built-in 10/100 Ethernet port. Also included in the reference design is a GUI based host application, which displays statistics for all active MGTs and allows selection of specific backplane configurations and test settings.

"Xilinx continues its leadership position in providing solutions to the networking and telecom markets through the delivery of the MultiBERT reference design," said Robert Bielby, senior director of Strategic Solutions Marketing at Xilinx. "AMIRIX and Xilinx teamed to deliver this valuable tool which facilitates the validation of serial backplane designs."

"The Virtex-II Pro provides a very powerful platform for high-speed serial backplane designs. In MultiBERT, AMIRIX was able to quickly build effective Linux-based embedded control and reporting software running on the embedded PowerPC," said Bruce Oakley, director of Embedded Systems Design at AMIRIX Systems.

In addition to providing high performance silicon, software, IP, and free reference designs for serial backplane design, the Xilinx eSP web portal is a proven resource for engineers with over seven million visits since its introduction. The latest segment of the eSP web portal is dedicated to delivering serial backplane solutions for networking and telecom products.