The SCOPE Forum seeks to influence the specifications being developed by PICMG, SAF, and the Linux Foundation, as well as other carrier-grade definitions. SCOPE has published a hardware profile for ATCA systems (now at V2.0) and AMC Port mapping. It also has recently completed work on similar profiles for AMC modules and MicroTCA systems. The Forum’s software efforts include profiles for carrier-grade operating systems, high-availability middleware, and virtualization.
As standards groups plug away at open specifications for building telecom systems, they need to do so with an eye to other industry efforts. For example, the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) targets the optical communications links used in telecom systems. Working with companies all along the supply chain, from semiconductor to system vendors, this organization creates implementation agreements that address a variety of issues, specifying how elements in the optical network must be created to ensure interoperability.
Other industry organizations oversee how the network is to behave and place constraints on system design. For example, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a collection of users, developers, academics, and other interested parties that oversees the Internet and its operation. It creates some behavioral standards that equipment designs need to support. Also, it supports standards and specifications from other organizations that help ensure the Internet’s continued viability.
System Profiles Map Standards To Real-World Systems To help vendors of telecom hardware and software building blocks, the telecom industry itself has begun defining reference system profiles. These profiles outline the hardware and software needs of various types of telecom equipment in terms of the tasks the equipment is to perform and the functions it needs to perform them.
Profiles give developers a specific product target, which helps ensure that the standards and specifications that building-block vendors define and use adequately address the telecom equipment developer’s needs. A number of such profiles are now in place, including ATCA-based and MicroTCA-based central-office system hardware profiles, an OS profile, and a base platform middleware profile.
The industry has developed a similar set of references to guide application interface development. The reference application frameworks are full system applications implemented in software and isolated from the platform hardware design. This provides software standard/specification developers with specific product targets to guide their development efforts. Both a radio network controller and a media gateway reference framework are available, developed under the control of the Open Communication Architecture Forum (OCAF) Focus Group of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
Interoperability Testing While standards and specifications go a long way toward ensuring that developers will produce building blocks that system integrators can combine as needed, they invariably leave some details open to interpretation. Such ambiguity can result in interoperability problems.
To address these issues, and to ensure that developers properly adhere to the standards, some form of independent testing must be in place. In the telecom ecosystem, various industry groups offer component testing and certification as well as system-wide testing. PICMG, for instance, runs a series of hardware interoperability workshops where vendors can come together to test their implementation of the specifications.
The Communications Platform Trade Association (CP-TA) also focuses on the interoperability of ATCA, MicroTCA, and AMC hardware, and it is working to gain industry acceptance of standard interoperability tests. The group has released version 1.1 of its Interoperability Compliance Document (ICD) for ATCA, and a related Test Procedure Manual (TPM) is also close at hand. CP-TA also is developing ICDs and TPMs for both AMC and MicroTCA systems as well as associated test tools.
With multiple standards organizations working independently on hardware and software specifications, profiles, frameworks, interfaces, and testing, there is a risk that these efforts may diverge and/or compete and that component suppliers and telecom companies will work at cross purposes (see the table). To coordinate these organizations and allow them to leverage each other’s results, representatives have come together to form the Mountain View Alliance. Essentially, the MVA is acting as an umbrella organization for these groups, providing system-level guidance and marketing support that promotes synergy between the standards and ensures that component suppliers and telecom companies are working toward the same end.
Outsourcing Standards Expertise Staying abreast of new developments can be extremely challenging for companies developing telecom components or systems. Yet maintaining a current understanding of these standards and specifications is essential for those companies to participate in the market. Their products must comply with the standards and interoperate with other vendors’ products to be competitive and successful.
One way to maintain this currency is to make a substantial investment in attaining the required expertise. This requires first becoming familiar with the relevant standards and specifications, their scope, and their application. Next, the company must join the various organizations to ensure that it has immediate access to revisions as they arise as well as a clear view of how the standards and specifications are evolving over time. Maintaining this level of activity often requires dedicated personnel.
The alternative approach is to work with vendors who are already engaged with standards organizations. Such vendors will have in-depth understanding of current standards and specifications, advanced knowledge of pending changes, and even input into future enhancements. This level of insight helps ensure that the products these vendors offer are up to date, have proven interoperability, and offer a growth path for future system evolution. Using such products as building blocks makes it easier for TEMs to create competitive designs that comply with current and future industry specifications.
Proprietary systems are rapidly fading in the telecom industry, giving way to standard COTS alternatives that provide easy access to interoperable, best-of-breed technology from multiple suppliers. These systems can be developed and manufactured in less time at a fraction of the cost of proprietary systems. They’re also easier to maintain, scale, and upgrade. Navigating the standards maze and moving from a proprietary design to an open platform can seem to be a daunting proposition. But partnering with a standards expert can ease the transition.
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