New congatec modules with 10 GbE bandwidth raise the bar for embedded edge computing

congatec – a leading technology company for embedded computer modules, single board computers and embedded design and manufacturing services – announces the launch of the conga-B7AC, a new Intel Atom C3000 processor based COM Express Type 7 Server-on-Module that raises the bar for embedded edge computing through 10 GbE bandwidth support. With a power consumption starting at only 11 Watt, the new low-power multicore Server-on-Modules with up to 16 cores offer up to 4x 10 GbE real-time capable network performance. The feature set is designed for modular industrial micro servers as well as rugged telecom and network equipment – such as small cells, factory gateways and storage systems – and is deployable even in the extended temperature range from -40°C to +85°C. The conga-B7AC is based on the new PICMG COM Express 3.0 specification and, as a commercially off-the-shelf available, standardized building block, perfectly suited for efficient custom designs of very small sized, solely passively cooled embedded edge devices.

“Distributed embedded edge devices supporting 10 GbE bandwidth can be utilized as small cells for next generation LTE networks, device nodes for cyber-virtual factories, or local micro data centers for sensor networks. For these tasks, they need to handle massive TCP/IP communication and storage bandwidths in real-time. These edge data centers have to offer high multi core capabilities, as they generally have to handle smaller package sizes in parallel. This is the application area, where the new server-grade Intel Atom C3000 processors are a perfect addition to our Intel Xeon D processor based Server-on-Module portfolio. Thanks to their reduced cost and power consumption we are now able to bring massive network bandwidth and storage capabilities deeply into the industrial field,” explains Martin Danzer, Director of Product Management at congatec.

The new COM Express Type 7 Server-on-Modules from congatec are application ready for redundancy, real-time communication and virtualization technologies to maximize uptime and resilience, minimize latency and to get the most out of each processing core. Their cloud API for distributed embedded edge servers further provides all the capabilities that data center managers need to remotely monitor system health, power consumption and environmental conditions. With the support of up to 20 PCI Express (PCIe) lanes, the new Intel Atom C3000 processor based COM Express Type 7 Server-on-Modules also offer minimum latency for storage devices as well as very fast access lanes to all the various sensor networks, field busses and industrial Ethernets.

The feature set in detail
The new conga-B7AC COM Express Type 7 Server-on-Modules are available with 8 different Intel Atom server processors, from the 16-core Intel Atom C3958 processor to the quad-core C3508 for the extended temperature range (-40°C to +85°C). All modules provide up to 48 GB of fast 2400 DDR4 memory with or without error correction code (ECC) depending on customers’ requirements. They offer very high network capabilities with up to 4x 10 GbE and the Network Controller Sideband Interface (NC-SI) for connecting a baseboard management controller (BMC) allowing out-of-band remote manageability. Flexible system extensions including NVMe flash storage can be connected via up to 12x PCIe Gen 3.0 lanes and 8x PCIe Gen 2.0 lanes. 2x SATA 6G ports are available for conventional storage media. Further I/O interfaces include 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0, LPC, SPI, I2C Bus and 2x UART. Additionally, the module hosts a trusted platform module (TPM) for security sensitive network appliances.

congatec offers comprehensive board support packages for all current 64 bit Microsoft Windows variants as well as Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server. An extensive range of accessories, such as cooling solutions and the new COM Express Type 7 carrier board for evaluation, simplifies the design-in even further.