General Micro Systems Inc. in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., is introducing a fifth-generation dual-processor, rugged single-board computer called the Premonition. The conduction-cooled CompactPCI CC279 Premonition supports Intel’s virtualization Technology. The board has either two Quad Core Xeon processors that run as fast as 1.6 GHz, or two Dual Core Xeon processors that run as fast as 2.33 GHz. Memory performance comes from Intel’s Server Class 5000 series controller chip, which features two front-side buses operating at 1333 mega transfers per second (MTS). Each of the two 8-gigabyte, 144-bit ECC, memory banks functions independently of the other at 10.6 gigabytes per second, providing an effective memory transfer rate of 21.6 gigabytes per second. The CC279 is for applications mandating not only performance, but also data integrity, such as the U.S. Army Future Combat Systems. The board uses conduction cooling to remove heat from its 100 watts of power. General Micro accomplished this through a hybrid plate design using heat pipes and copper/aluminum frame. A rolled edge allows transfer of heat through the pipes instead of through the frame. Basic graphics come from a mezzanine card. Standard I/O includes Quad GigE Ethernet ports with a TCP/IP Offloading engine, six USB-2.0, one Com port with RS232/422, 20 GPI/O lines, six SATA-2 ports with RAID support, and one PATA port. An optional expansion I/O module via SAM-E can provide an additional two 2.5-inch SATA SSD/HDD with RAID support, and PICMG 2.9 health monitoring and reporting capabilities. For more information, visit General Micro Systems online at www.gms4sbc.com.
