AMBLER, Pa. 30 Jan. 2010. MEN Micro Inc. announced support for the PICMG 2.30 specification, CompactPCI PlusIO.

This new specification adds PCI Express, Ethernet, SATA, SAS, and USB extensions to the CompactPCI family of specifications, while preserving PCI bus connectivity, MEN Micro officials say. The specification defines the use of previously reserved rear I/O pins for the 64-bit CompactPCI system slot with new high-speed serial signals to preserve interoperability with existing CompactPCI standards.

MEN Micro's technical director and head of the PICMG working group, Manfred Schmitz, says "developments such as the PICMG 2.30 specification enable the large community of existing CompactPCI users to retain their initial investments, while upgrading their systems to perform in accordance with evolving market needs. CompactPCI is a very cost-effective technology that provides exceptional functionality, especially with the incorporation of serial busses."

"This is an important technical addition to CompactPCI," says Doug Sandy, vice president of technology for PICMG, "as it allows the use of advanced serialized busses found within all modern computer architectures for the embedded markets where CompactPCI is widely used. This avoids forklift upgrades, while providing a clear path to today's higher performance silicon."

CompactPCI was initially ratified as PICMG 2.0 in 1995. As a passive backplane system based on PCI signaling, it defined compute and peripheral nodes using 3U and 6U Eurocard form factors. Over the 14 year history of CompactPCI, PICMG has added subsidiary specifications to enhance functionality, and PICMG 2.30 represents the latest addition of these specifications.

For additional information, visit http://www.menmicro.com/products/about-compactpci-serial.