PICMG
Encyclopedia
The PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) is a consortium
of over 227 companies. The group, founded in 1994, was originally formed to adapt PCI technology for use in high-performance telecommunication
s, military and industrial computing applications but its work has now grown to include newer technologies.
PICMG currently focuses on developing and implementing specifications and guidelines for open standard
s based computer architectures from a wide variety of interconnects.
, “2” for CompactPCI and “3” for AdvancedTCA) while YY was used to indicate incremental changes, option definitions or slight variation of a specification form its core specification. In 2003, PICMG added an acronym based naming convention for its specifications to yield better results from internet search engines. Specifications are now often named ABCD.X where ABCD is an acronym of the specification. In this naming convention, base or main specification are denote with X=0 (i.e. ABCD.0) and PICMG subsidiary specifications are denoted X>0. PICMG subsidiary specifications represent how various options or variation of a based specification should be handled.
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Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
of over 227 companies. The group, founded in 1994, was originally formed to adapt PCI technology for use in high-performance telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s, military and industrial computing applications but its work has now grown to include newer technologies.
PICMG currently focuses on developing and implementing specifications and guidelines for open standard
Open standard
An open standard is a standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it, and may also have various properties of how it was designed . There is no single definition and interpretations vary with usage....
s based computer architectures from a wide variety of interconnects.
Specification naming convention
For many years, PICMG used a numerical naming convention with specification being referred to as “PICMG X.YY”. Where X was used denoted differing form factors (“1” for slot card based single board computersSingle-board computer
A single-board computer is a complete computer built on a single circuit board, with microprocessor, memory, input/output and other features required of a functional computer. Unlike a typical personal computer, an SBC may not include slots into which accessory cards may be plugged...
, “2” for CompactPCI and “3” for AdvancedTCA) while YY was used to indicate incremental changes, option definitions or slight variation of a specification form its core specification. In 2003, PICMG added an acronym based naming convention for its specifications to yield better results from internet search engines. Specifications are now often named ABCD.X where ABCD is an acronym of the specification. In this naming convention, base or main specification are denote with X=0 (i.e. ABCD.0) and PICMG subsidiary specifications are denoted X>0. PICMG subsidiary specifications represent how various options or variation of a based specification should be handled.
Adopted specifications
- PICMG 1.0 - PCI/ISAPICMG 1.0PICMG 1.0 is a PICMG specification that defines a CPU form factor and corresponding backplane connectors for PCI-ISA passive backplanes. This standard moves components typically located on the motherboard to a single plug-in card...
- PICMG 1.1 - PCI/ISA BridgingPICMG 1.1PICMG 1.1 is a PICMG specification that defines how PCI to PCI bridging is accomplished in PICMG 1.0 systems....
- PICMG 1.2 - PCI onlyPICMG 1.2PICMG 1.2 is a specification by PICMG that standardizes both mechanical and electrical interfaces to support a standard form factor PCI computer system. PICMG 1.2 defines a single board computer in a passive backplane architecture with either two PCI/PCI-X busses or a single PCI/PCI-X bus. It is...
- PICMG 1.3 - SHB ExpressPICMG 1.3PICMG 1.3 is a PICMG specification which is commonly referred to as SHB Express. SHB Express is a modernization of PICMG 1.0 single board computer specification. SHB Express, or System Host Board – Express, uses the same physical form factor as PICMG 1.0 boards. The board-to-backplane interfaces...
- PICMG 2.0 - CompactPCICompactPCIA CompactPCI system is a 3U or 6U Eurocard-based industrial computer, where all boards are connected via a passive PCI backplane. The connector pin assignments are standardized by the PICMG US and PICMG Europe organizations. PICMG stands for PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturers Group...
- PICMG 2.1 - CompactPCI Hotswap
- PICMG 2.2 - CompactPCI VME64xPICMG 2.2PICMG 2.2 is a specification by PICMG that standardizes pin assignments for PICMG 2.0 CompactPCI to include VME64 Extensions....
- PICMG 2.3 - CompactPCI PMC I/OPICMG 2.3PICMG 2.3 is a specification by PICMG that standardizes user IO pin mappings from IEEE 1386 PMC sites to CompactPCI's J3/P3, J4/P4, and J5/P5 connections on a CompactPCI backplane...
- PICMG 2.4 - CompactPCI IP I/OPICMG 2.4PICMG 2.4 is a specification by PICMG that standardizes user IO pin mappings from ANSI/VITA standard IP sites to J3/P3, J4/P4, and J5/P5 on a CompactPCI backplane....
- PICMG 2.5 - CompactPCI TelephonyPICMG 2.5PICMG 2.5 is a specification by PICMG that standardizes the utilization of CompactPCI user definable pins for the computer telephony functions of standard TDM bus, telephony rear IO, 48 VDC and ringing distribution in a 6U chassis environment....
- PICMG 2.7 - Dual CompactPCI
- PICMG 2.9 - CompactPCI ManagementPICMG 2.9PICMG 2.9 is a specification by PICMG that defines an implementation of a system management bus in a CompactPCI system. This system management bus uses an I2C hardware layer, and is based on the Intelligent Platform Management Interface and Intelligent Platform Management Bus ...
- PICMG 2.10 - CompactPCI KeyingPICMG 2.10PICMG 2.10 is a specification by PICMG that defines the use of the keying mechanisms defined in IEC 1076-4-101 for the J4/P4 connector and in IEEE 1101.10 for handle and cardguide hardware. Backplanes can be designed for 3.3V VIO or 5V VIO operation. These are differentiated by having 'Cadmium...
- PICMG 2.11 - CompactPCI Power InterfacePICMG 2.11PICMG 2.11 is a specification by PICMG that defines the electrical and mechanical requirements relating to plug-in power modules in CompactPCI systems....
- PICMG 2.12 - CompactPCI Software InteroperabilityPICMG 2.12PICMG 2.12 is a specification by PICMG that defines vendor-independent software interfaces for supporting control of the software and hardware connection processes...
- PICMG 2.14 - CompactPCI MulticomputingPICMG 2.14PICMG 2.14 is a specification by PICMG that defines a packet-based communications between heterogeneous PCI agents within the CompactPCI system architecture....
- PICMG 2.15 - CompactPCI PTMCPICMG 2.15PICMG 2.15 is a specification by PICMG that defines specialized telecom interfaces for PMC cards. Later, PICMG 2.15 was revised via ECN001 to add enhanced TDM capacities by extending the TDM bandwidth and adding Ethernet links....
- PICMG 2.16 - CompactPCI Packet Switching Backplane (PSB)
- PICMG 2.17 - CompactPCI Starfabric
- PICMG 2.18 - CompactPCI RapidIO
- PICMG 2.20 - CompactPCI Serial Mesh
- PICMG 2.30 - CompactPCI PlusIOCompactPCI PlusIO- Introduction :CompactPCI PlusIO is an extension to the PICMG 2.0 CompactPCI industrial standard for modular computer systems.CompactPCI PlusIO was officially adopted by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group PICMG as PICMG 2.30 CompactPCI PlusIO in November 2009...
- CPCI-S.0 - CompactPCI Serial
- PICMG 3.0 - AdvancedTCA Base
- PICMG 3.1 - AdvancedTCA Ethernet
- PICMG 3.2 - AdvancedTCA Infiniband
- PICMG 3.3 - AdvancedTCA StarFabric
- PICMG 3.4 - AdvancedTCA PCI ExpressPCI ExpressPCI Express , officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards...
- PICMG 3.5 - AdvancedTCA RapidIO
- AMC.0 - AdvancedMC Mezzanine Module
- AMC.1 - AdvancedMC PCI Express and AS
- AMC.2 - AdvancedMC Ethernet
- AMC.3 - AdvancedMC Storage
- AMC.4 - AdvancedMC Serial RapidIO
- IRTM.0 - Intelligent Rear Transition Module
- SFP.0 - System Fabric Plane
- SFP.1 - iTDM
- EXP.0 - CompactPCI Express
- COM.0 - Computer on ModuleCOM ExpressCOM Express, a computer-on-module form factor, is a highly integrated and compact PC that can be used in a design application much like an integrated circuit component. Each COM Express Module COM integrates core CPU and memory functionality, the common I/O of a PC/AT, USB, audio, graphics , and...
- CDG - COM Design Guide
- MTCA.0 - MicroTCA
- MTCA.1 - Air-cooled rugged MicroTCA
- MTCA.3 - Hardened conduction-cooled MicroTCA
- HPM.1 - HPMI.1HPM.1HPM.1 is Hardware Platform Management IPM Controller Firmware Upgrade Specification of PICMG. This specification describes firmware upgrade procedure into PICMG IPM Controllers , as specified in the...
Current standing committees
These groups represent standing committees which may result in new subsidiary specification, revisions to existing specification, reference materials for future PICMG committees or new PICMG specifications.- AdvancedTCA Extensions
- IntelligentRTM
- COM Express Rev 2.0
- CompactPCI PlusIO
- CompactPCI Serial
- Conduction Cooled MicroTCA
- PICMG 3.1 - AdvancedTCA Ethernet Rev 2.0
- Interconnect Channel Characterization
- xTCA for Physics. This committee has two sub committees:
- Physics Software Architectures and Protocols
- Physics Timing and Synchronization
ASI specifications
The following specifications were developed by the ASI SIG which has now disbanded and has transferred these documents to PICMG.- ASI Core - Advanced Switching Core Architecture Specification
- ASI PI-8 - ASI Protocol Interface #8
- ASI SDT - ASI Socket Data Interface
- ASI SQP - ASI Simple Queuing Protocol
- ASI SLS - ASI Simple Load/Store (SLS) Specification
- ASI Portal - ASI Portal Specification
Joint projects
The PICMG has active liaisons with several industry bodies including the Service Availability ForumService Availability Forum
The Service Availability Forum is a consortium that develops, publishes, educates on and promotes open specifications for carrier-grade and mission-critical systems. SA Forum specifications enable faster development and deployment of commercial off-the-shelf ecosystems for highly available...
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