achieving sca compliance for cots software … sca...the software communications architecture (sca)...
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Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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Achieving SCA Compliancefor COTS Software Defined Radio
Second Edition
PPPPPentek, Inc.entek, Inc.entek, Inc.entek, Inc.entek, Inc.One Park Way, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
Tel: (201) 818-5900 • Fax: (201) 818-5904Email: [email protected] • http://www.pentek.com
Copyright © 2006 Pentek Inc.All rights reserved.
Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission.Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Pentek, GateFlow, ReadyFlow and VIM are registered trademarks of Pentek, Inc.
OverOverOverOverOverviewviewviewviewview
TTTTTechnologyechnologyechnologyechnologyechnology
SDR PSDR PSDR PSDR PSDR Productsroductsroductsroductsroducts
by
RRRRRoberoberoberoberobert Sgandurrat Sgandurrat Sgandurrat Sgandurrat SgandurraProduct Manager, Pentek, Inc.
®
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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Handbook Over Handbook Over Handbook Over Handbook Over Handbook Overviewviewviewviewview
❑❑❑❑❑ JTRS and SCABrief Overview and Goals of JTRS and the Components of SCA
❑❑❑❑❑ FPGA Technology for SDRCurrent and Emerging FPGA Technology and How it is Being Applied
❑❑❑❑❑ COTS Hardware for SCAThe Build vs. Buy DecisionMeeting SCA Requirements
❑❑❑❑❑ SCA Development SystemCreating an SCA Development Platform Using COTS Hardware
❑❑❑❑❑ Useful Links
IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction
The Software Communications Architecture (SCA)mandated by the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS)program office provides a software framework for theimplementation of Software Defined Radio (SDR)platforms.
This framework provides many features to increase theportability of waveforms by including a commonoperating environment and a set of common services andstandardized component interfaces.
SCASCASCASCASCA-----Compliant PlatformsCompliant PlatformsCompliant PlatformsCompliant PlatformsCompliant Platforms
Developers of JTRS platforms must conform to the SCAspecifications and undergo certification to ensure thatrequirements have been met. As a result, JTRS radio setdevelopers who require FPGA or DSP devices to achievethe required levels of performance for complex waveformsand multichannel operation, are faced with two choices:either develop custom hardware and build SCA compli-ance into it, or buy COTS products and adapt thestandard drivers and libraries to SCA compliance.
PPPPPentek Board-Lentek Board-Lentek Board-Lentek Board-Lentek Board-Level Pevel Pevel Pevel Pevel Products for SCAroducts for SCAroducts for SCAroducts for SCAroducts for SCA
COTS vendors such as Pentek can provide SCA-compliant hardware products that are fully compat-ible with a core framework environment anddevelopment tools.
The Pentek Model 7640 Dual Channel SoftwareRadio Transceiver is a PCI board that was developedto address SCA compliance. Together with a full-featured C++ implementation of the SCA coreframework provided by the Communications ResearchCenter (CRC) of Canada, and a PC running Linux,it allows one to create an SCA-compliant, cost-effectivedevelopment system.
As with all Pentek board-level products, also availableis the Pentek ReadyFlow® Board Support Package(BSP). It provides drivers and development tools forquick board start-up through application development.
FPGA support is provided with Pentek’s GateFlow®
FPGA Resources. These include the FPGA Design Kitfor custom algorithm development; the FPGA IP CoreLibrary, a collection of highly optimized cores; and thefactory-installed IP cores in Pentek board-level products.
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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JTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCA
SofSofSofSofSoftware Defined Rtware Defined Rtware Defined Rtware Defined Rtware Defined Radiosadiosadiosadiosadios
In a nutshell, JTRS defines a system for softwareprogrammable radios, for reliable multichannel voice,data, imagery, and video communications. It supportsplatforms from battery operated handheld units to basesystems found in headquarters, and everything inbetween.
The system is modular and scalable to allow morebandwidth and channels as needed. It needs to bebackwards compatible with legacy radios that it willeventually replace. It supports transparent, dynamic,intra- and inter-networking routing.
It eliminates stovepipe legacy systems where eachcomponent is so intimately tied to the next that tryingto replace an outdated component could cause a changeto ripple through the whole system. It carries real-timeinformation through, what the army likes to call, thelast tactical mile to the fighter in the field. And, ingeneral, it ensures greater success and safety for warfighters through multinational, cross-echelon communi-cations.
JTRS goals go beyond the battlefield. Some of thepotential is in applications like US Homeland Security,Federal, State, and Municipal law enforcement, ambu-lance and emergency medical technicians, fire fighters,search and rescue, land and sea, commercial and privateaviation, and international commercial applications.
The JTRS mandates the use of SCA, which is theSoftware Communications Architecture that allowsmultiple radio types, or waveforms on one hardwareplatform, and waveforms that are portable across allplatforms. These are two major requirements of theJTRS initiative.
Some of the major features and requirements of JTRSare listed on the JTRS Website. For the URL, see UsefulLinks on the last page of this handbook.
SCA Core FSCA Core FSCA Core FSCA Core FSCA Core Frameworkrameworkrameworkrameworkramework
The figure below shows a very simplified version of themain layers of a JTRS radio set. With it, you can startto get a feel of where all the components come from.
Starting from the bottom and working up, the threemajor components are:
● The actual radio hardware that provides all the analogand digital interfaces to the outside world.
● The operating system and middleware.
● The SCA core framework which is the software thatinterfaces to the hardware.
● The waveforms that are actually what gives the radioits specific characteristics needed to satisfy the applica-tion requirement.
The SCA core framework connects the SCA-compliantwaveforms shown at the top with the SCA-complianthardware at the bottom within the JTRS radio set. Thisallows the platform developers who produced an SCA-compliant radio set and the waveform developers, whoindependently developed their SCA-compliant waveforms,to expect that the waveforms will function properly withthe radio hardware.
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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SCA Operating Environment
Shown in Figure 1 below, is the SCA Operating Environ-ment, sometimes called the OE. It basically depicts allthe layers of the software and how they interact.
Figure 2 depicts an expansion of the OE components.Starting with the components below the applicationline, we will work our way down so we can build afoundation for the applications to run.
These components consist of the Core Framework, theOperating System, the Board Support Package, CORBA
JTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCA
(Common Object Request Broker Architecture) ORB(Object Request Broker), and the Network Services.The SCA recognizes the need for separating the black,or secure components of an application from the red, ornon-secure components.
So what we have here are basically two parallel andcomplete OE sets that exist in the same application tosupport both black (secure) and red (non-secure)components of the system.
Figure 1
Figure 2Secure Components Non-secure Components
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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Core Framework
The SCA specification defines the Core Framework(CF) as the essential core set of open application layerinterfaces and services. The framework provides anabstraction of the underlying software and hardwarelayers for software application designers.
The core framework includes the base applicationinterfaces which can be used by all the software applica-tions and the framework control interfaces that providesystem control. These include:
● The Domain Manager● The Device Managers, which will be described later● The Framework Service that supports core and
non-core applications● The Domain Profile that describes the properties of
the hardware devices and the software componentsof the system and domain profiles
These are written in XML (eXtensible Markup Language)which is actually a protocol used for web design and anumber of different software development applications.
Secure Components Non-secure Components
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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CORBA ORB MiddlewareCORBA ORB MiddlewareCORBA ORB MiddlewareCORBA ORB MiddlewareCORBA ORB Middleware
As a message passing technique, CORBA is used fordistributive processing throughout the software environ-ment. Distributive processing is a fundamental aspect ofthe SCA specification and CORBA is a widely usedmiddleware for cross-platform frameworks. These cross-platforms can be used to standardize client and serveroperations when using distributive processing.
Operating SystemOperating SystemOperating SystemOperating SystemOperating System
The Operating System layer is defined by SCA toinclude real-time embedded operating system functionsthat provide multithreaded support for applicationsincluding the Core Framework applications.
The architecture requires a standard operating systeminterface for operating system services in order to
JTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCA
All core framework interfaces are defined in IDL(Interface Definition Language) which is independent ofprogramming language and can be compiled into programscreated in C++, ADA, or Java. The SCA IDL definesoperations and attributes that serve as a contract betweenthe components.
facilitate portability of applications. The operatingsystem must be POSIX compliant, and POSIX, if you’renot familiar with it, is a Portable Operating SystemInterface, which is an established industry standard. TheSCA uses a small subset of the POSIX definition,specifically the real-time controller system profile.
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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Network SerNetwork SerNetwork SerNetwork SerNetwork Servicesvicesvicesvicesvices
The SCA specification calls for Network Services thatallow commercial components to support multipleunique serial and network interfaces.
As a result, possible serial and network physical inter-faces include RS-232, RS-422, RS-423, RS-458,Ethernet and 802.11 wireless protocols. And, to support
Board SupporBoard SupporBoard SupporBoard SupporBoard Support Pt Pt Pt Pt Packackackackackageageageageage
The Board Support Package, basically the last layer, isthe closest to the hardware functionality of the actualhardware platform.
The SCA specification allows for operation on commer-cial bus architectures, so the operating environment cansupport reliable transport mechanisms. These may includeerror checking and correction at the bus support level.
JTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCA
these interfaces, low-level network protocols may beused. These include PPP, SLIP, and others.
Elements of waveform networking functionality mayalso exist at the operating system level. An example ofthis would be a commercial IP stack that performsrouting between waveforms.
Possible standards include VME, PCI, CompactPCI,Firewire, Ethernet and the new high-speed serial interfaces.
Again, the SCA operating environment recognizes theuse and the need of red (non-secure) and black (secure)components of the system, so you can see that there aretwo different sets of Board Support Packages, one foreach side of the application.
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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SCA ApplicationsSCA ApplicationsSCA ApplicationsSCA ApplicationsSCA Applications
If we now move to the Applications group, we’relooking at applications which include functions such asmodem level DSP, link and network protocols, I/Oaccess, security services, and others.
As you’d expect, the applications must use the CoreFramework Interfaces and Services. The applicationsconsist of one or more Resources and the resourceinterface provides a common API (Applications Pro-gramming Interface) for the control and configurationof software components.
The various hardware elements of an SCA-compliantradio are referred to as Devices, and they can includeGPPs, which are the General Purpose Processors, A/Ds,D/As, Digital Receivers, Upconverters, FPGAs, DSPs,and other types of equipment.
From a software point of view, the software proxies thatact to interface to the hardware are also referred to asDevices. This may be a little confusing but in the overalltheme it does work, since all communications to theunderlying hardware must flow through these structures.
Devices
Devices are divided into four classes. Simple elementslike A/D and D/A converters that require basic controlmonitoring and data connections are just simply calledDevices.
More complex elements like GPPs capable ofaccepting and executing program code are calledExecutableDevices.
An FPGA is capable of performing a signal processingfunction, but typically it cannot really execute programcode, although we will show later how embeddedPowerPC cores in the FPGAs can do some execution. Ingeneral FPGAs must first be configured for a particulartask, so they’re called LoadableDevices.
The fourth class of a Device is a combination of Devices,so it’s termed the AggregateDevice. An example of thisclass would be a board that contains both A/Ds andFPGAs.
JTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCA
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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AdaptersAdaptersAdaptersAdaptersAdapters
The last key components defined by the SCA are theAdapters. Adapters are Resources or Devices used tosupport non-CORBA compatible elements in thedomain. Therefore, adapters are used to provide thattranslation between the non-CORBA compatiblecomponent and the CORBA compatible resources.
Next TNext TNext TNext TNext Topicopicopicopicopic
This concludes our overview of the general architectureof an SCA system and the operating environment.
The next topic we will cover and build upon is the useof FPGA technology in Software Defined Radios.
It’s important to understand that a key component tofully integrate the FPGAs into an SCA system is stillmissing. However, FPGA IP (Intellectual Property)cores can be integrated into an SDR solution.
SCA is working right now to catch up to the technologyand best incorporate the features of FPGAs into thespecification.
JTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCAJTRS and SCA
Since an adapter implements the core frameworkCORBA interface, known to other CORBA-compatibleresources, the translation service should be transparentto the CORBA compatible resources.
Some examples of Adapters are modems, security I/O,and host processing elements.
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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FPGA RFPGA RFPGA RFPGA RFPGA Roles in an SDR Poles in an SDR Poles in an SDR Poles in an SDR Poles in an SDR Productroductroductroductroduct
FPGAs are a crucial part of many SDR systems dueto the outstanding performance they provide. Whiledynamic loading and control of FPGAs is still not amature part of the SCA specification, FPGAs can bepreconfigured to extend the hardware performance andfunctions of a system component outside the SCAspecification. Some of their key advantages include:
●●●●● Replacement for Interfacing and Glue Logic. TheFPGA flexible I/O pins can mimic various logic levels toimplement a wide range of high-performance interfacesto components, buses, memory devices and communica-tion ports. In the hardware example shown, note that allthe resources are connected directly to the FPGA whichis the center point of the whole product. Not only doesthe FPGA provide the necessary logic interfaces, it canalso provide flexible and reconfigurable interconnectsbetween the resources.
● Control Structures. The FPGA includes specializedhardware structures including synchronous DRAMcontrollers for the three target memories. An advanceddual clocking, timing, and synchronization system builtinto the FPGA logic simplifies data acquisition and timestamping, and supports multichannel operation.
● Custom Signal Processing. Another role of the FPGAis to provide custom signal processing afforded by itsDSP structures such as block RAM, hardware multipli-ers and logic slices. Users can add their own IP or installcommercial off-the-shelf IP for specialized tasks. Thisoften saves months of development time and offloadssignal processing chores from other processors in thesystem. In this role, this newly-acquired function of theFPGA is often fixed during deployed operation.
● Reconfigurability. In this role, the FPGA is oftenreconfigured during system initialization or even duringruntime, based on the current needs of the application.Here is where FPGAs will further extend the scope ofsoftware defined radios.
● PowerPC Processors. This role involves exploitationof the on-chip PowerPC processors that can be equippedwith an operating system and programmed to execute Ccode. Since the processors are surrounded by a wealth ofdevice interfaces, memory, and real-time signal process-ing hardware, they may not be allocated as freely as ageneric processor within a pool of general purposeprocessors. However, these immediate resources may beextremely efficient for data flow and for real-timeprocessing tasks.
FPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA Technology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDR
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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FPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA Technology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDR
New Device TNew Device TNew Device TNew Device TNew Device Technologyechnologyechnologyechnologyechnology
FPGA technology is advancing constantly and we willjust highlight a few of the hottest FPGA functions:
❖ 600 MHz DSP slices including multiplier andaccumulator
❖ Up to 512 dedicated on-chip hardware MACs(multiplier/accumulators)
❖ Up to 200,000 logic cells
❖ On-chip PowerPC RISC microcontroller cores
❖ Gigabit Ethernet media access controllers
❖ Reduced power with core voltages near 1 volt
❖ Memory densities of over 10 million bits coupledwith very flexible memory structure to meet a widerange of dataflow strategies
❖ 500 MHz flexible memory structures for RAMand FIFOs
❖ Logic densities of over 10M gates
❖ Silicon geometries to 90 nanometers
❖ High-density BGA and flip-chip packaging
❖ On-board 11 GHz switched fabric serial interfaces
❖ Over 1200 user I/O pins
❖ Configurable logic and I/O channel interface stan-dards
Xilinx VirXilinx VirXilinx VirXilinx VirXilinx Virtex FPGA Generationstex FPGA Generationstex FPGA Generationstex FPGA Generationstex FPGA Generations
Just to give you a view of some of the features of theFPGAs from the two main providers, Xilinx and Altera,we will focuss on the Xilinx Virtex product line and thevarious devices that represent their high performanceline over the past few years.
FPGAs continue to evolve to meet the needs of software,radio, and DSP in general applications. Specifically, themultipliers are essential elements for DSP applications.Multipliers were introduced in the FPGAs with theVirtex-II family, and continue to be a key feature of thelatest Virtex-4 products.
There are up to 512 multipliers available in the SX55part of the new series which directly targets DSPapplications. What we’re seeing more and more is thatas new waveforms are imposing unrealistic processingloads for general-purpose processors, these loads can bestbe handled with the FPGAs.
With the Virtex-II Pro family, multigigabit serial I/Ointerfaces were introduced, and these facilitate distribu-tive processing with switch fabrics, or even just a veryfast point-to-point connection for data streamingbetween resources.
These serial I/O interfaces support protocols like PCIExpress and Serial RapidIO. In the latter case, FPGAimplementations of the protocols have been the onlyones available prior to the recent introduction ofprocessors and switches with built-in Serial RapidIOinterfaces.
Xilinx FPGA Family
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FPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA Technology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDR
FPGA IP CoresFPGA IP CoresFPGA IP CoresFPGA IP CoresFPGA IP Cores
There are a lot of different IPs (Intellectual Properties)available for FPGAs. Even though hardware PowerPCprocessor cores are now being incorporated right intothe silicon of the Xilinx Virtex Pros and Virtex-4families, user-installed software IPs are available fordozens of popular microprocessors and controllers, evensome legacy processors like Z80s.
Wireless and telecom cores include many of the latestmodulation and encoding schemes, like Bluetooth andwideband CDMA schemes.
Connectivity solutions which are critical for a lot of thehigh-performance applications, include many standardsystem buses like PCI and PCIX, new switch fabrictechnologies like RapidIO, Serial RapidIO, andHyperTransport.
The IPs embrace both the physical layer interfaces andsome of the protocol engines and serial interfaces whichreach speeds up to ten gigabits per second.
Sources of FPGA IP CoresSources of FPGA IP CoresSources of FPGA IP CoresSources of FPGA IP CoresSources of FPGA IP Cores
So where does all this IP come from? It comes from anumber of sources:
❖ FPGA manufacturers themselves are typically onesource. They have libraries or reference designs andthese are usually free to download, but usually havelimited support.
❖ The next step up in terms of performance andsupport are the cores that are licensed, and these aretypically downloaded for free evaluation followingwhich, they can be purchased. The license thatcomes with the purchase may be a limited license, ormay be a production license for deployment with highvolume.
❖ Consultants are also a good source of IP, especiallyfor custom development where the spec is welldefined. They can come in and basically implementthe specification.
❖ Third party vendors also offer off-the-shelf solutions.Since a lot of these vendors specialize in specificapplication areas, many of these cores are reallyoptimized for those applications, so you can get astandard core that’s very specific to your applicationwith the performance you need.
AAAAAvailable IP Core Librariesvailable IP Core Librariesvailable IP Core Librariesvailable IP Core Librariesvailable IP Core Libraries
Processors Wireless Connectivity
DSP Bluetooth PCI BusPowerPC Turbo Encoder PCI-X8051 Turbo Decoder RapidIO2901 Reed-Solomon HyperTransportZ80 Viterbi 10 Gbit ENETRISC 3G FEC POS (SONET)
Flexbus
Telecom DSP
Interleave FIR FilterDeinterleave Digital ReceiverFramers FFT, IFFTADPCM NCOSDLC CorrelatorsT1/E1 CIC FiltersG.711 Comb Filters
CORDICDemodulators
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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PPPPPentek GateFlowentek GateFlowentek GateFlowentek GateFlowentek GateFlow®®®®® FPGA R FPGA R FPGA R FPGA R FPGA Resourcesesourcesesourcesesourcesesources
GateFlow is Pentek’s flagship collection of FPGA DesignResources. It allows extending the performance andfeatures of FPGA based hardware, independent of theSCA. The GateFlow line is compatible with the XilinxVirtex products and is available as three separate offerings:
● The GateFlow FPGA Design Kit includes designinformation and software files to deploy unused FPGAresources for implementing user-defined algorithms.
As shown in the diagram below, the yellow box repre-sents the resources in the entire FPGA. The hardwarecomponents connected to the FPGA require some formof logic within the FPGA to support hardware specificfunctions. These interface blocks are represented in green.
The rest of the FPGA shown in pink, is available foruser-defined functions. The GateFlow FPGA Design Kitprovides the developer with project files and documenta-tion that can be used in conjunction with the Xilinxdevelopment tools to access the various hardwareperipherals and data flows.
● The GateFlow IP (Intellectual Property) CoreLibrary is a collection of highly-optimized Pentek IPCores, fully compatible with the GateFlow FPGADesign Kit.
These cores include general-purpose functions such as: – High-speed pipelined 1024- and 4096-point FFTs – High-speed narrowband downconverters – High-speed wideband downconverters – Multichannel narrowband downconverters – Pulse compression algorithms
● The GateFlow Installed Cores are high-performance,off-the-shelf signal processing functions installed at thefactory as firmware in the FPGAs of Pentek boards.
For end users who have no interest in developing FPGAIP, or maybe don’t have the engineers available to do it,we offer many of the IP cores as an installed option onsome of our hardware products. Basically the IP functionbecomes a part of the overall board feature set, and theradio developer accesses the function through our standardboard BSPs and drivers.
FPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA Technology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDRechnology for SDR
FPGA Resources
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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COTS Hardware for SCACOTS Hardware for SCACOTS Hardware for SCACOTS Hardware for SCACOTS Hardware for SCA
Build vs. Buy TBuild vs. Buy TBuild vs. Buy TBuild vs. Buy TBuild vs. Buy Tradeoffsradeoffsradeoffsradeoffsradeoffs
We will now turn our attention to the buy versus builddecision, when it comes to COTS hardware in SCAsystems. The usual factors of this decision still apply, butwe have to consider an additional set of variables when welook at the various software layers and tools needed forSCA systems.
Buy Advantages
The product is probably available off the shelf, or, ifit’s newly introduced, it’s going to be available soon.
COTS vendors are competitive, so there’s alwayspressure on them to keep their sales prices low.
In all likelihood, you have the option to buy similarproducts from an alternate source—if there’s aproblem with the prime vendor.
Very often a vendor’s product line will includemultiple versions of a product introduced over anumber of years with the latest technology in eachversion.
The latest software technology should be available withthe minimum effort if the APIs, the BSPs and thedrivers were written with a long-term goal in mind.
Buy Disadvantages
The hardware is most likely not an exact match forthe system specifications. It will often match theapplication pretty well, but in some cases there maybe no real perfect fit with a COTS product. In thiscase, we may have to reduce or change the system specto match the hardware available.
Software could also need some work, especially ifthere’s an existing software application that needs tobe ported to support the new hardware. This is wherequality and complete BSPs and drivers from thevendor can really minimize supporting efforts.
Build Advantages
The biggest advantage is producing an exact hard-ware match for the requirements of your system.
Similarly, if we know the software requirements atthe time of hardware design, the hardware has abetter chance of matching the software requirementsand meeting an existing software spec or API.
Build Disadvantages
On the down side, if you’re not a hardware designand manufacturing business with the appropriateengineering resources in place, you can be affectedby delays in availability of the hardware.
You also will run into development costs which mayor may not be covered throughout the product life.
Development risks can come in many forms and, ifyou built a product in house, you may not have analternative source in case there is a problem.
The technology may expire and component obsoles-cence is always a problem.
The product can continue to require ongoingengineering for years to come.
So what are some of those advantages and disadvan-tages? These are some of the tradeoffs that you’re lookingat when you’re either building or buying a hardwarecomponent for such a system.
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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What requirements does a COTS vendor need to meetin an SCA-compliant software radio board design, sothat the product is flexible enough to satisfy custom, in-house development requirements?
A/Ds and D/As: Devices
What’s needed here is the flexibility of software-config-urable clocking, gating, triggering modes, and any othermode of the A/D or D/A. The data paths need to beconfigurable and high bandwidth data paths must beincluded to satisfy typical frequency requirements ofsoftware radio systems.
Other ASICs: Devices
Digital downconverters and upconverters, would also beconsidered SCA devices. They, too, need to be fullyprogrammable with the capability to be bypassed forflexibility, should the need arise.
As an example, consider a TI chip downconverter on aboard that has a programmable decimation range that’sconsistent with most applications. However there are afew applications where the decimation isn’t low enough.In this case, the downconversion, with the properdecimation, may be performed in an adjacent FPGAusing a downconverter IP core.
And while something like the ASIC downconverter canbe an extremely useful asset to the overall processing, it’snot really consistent with the spirit of the SCA spec,which wants flexibility so it can address all applications.Again, having that chip as a bypassable resource is a wayto use it when you need it, or have it out of the way, ifit’s not needed for the job.
FPGA Resources: LoadableDevices
The next consideration are FPGA resources, which areclassified as LoadableDevices. As we mentioned previ-ously, the processing power and flexibility of an FPGA isa good fit for SCA radio systems. However, the down-converter IP core, for example, must be softwaredownloadable.
How the FPGA is connected to the rest of the systemneeds to be flexible and configurable, as in the previousdownconverter example. Since the FPGA is directly inthe data flow path, it can’t be a bottleneck to the high-speed of these applications.
Non-CORBA DSP and GPP Resources
Non-CORBA DSP and GPP resources are also consid-ered LoadableDevices. GPPs can also be consideredExecutableDevices in some applications, but here we areaddressing items such as the embedded PowerPCs in aVirtex FPGA.
In the case of processors, the executable code must besoftware downloadable—which should seem obvious.Any peripherals needed to support the processor mustbe present.
Again, in the case of Virtex FPGAs we’d expect to seethe built-in processor core supported by externalmemory, a boot ROM, interrupt connections for some ofthe critical hardware, and programming paths that canbe accessed so the PowerPC can be loaded—amongother things.
Designing Flexible, SCADesigning Flexible, SCADesigning Flexible, SCADesigning Flexible, SCADesigning Flexible, SCA-----Compliant COTS PCompliant COTS PCompliant COTS PCompliant COTS PCompliant COTS Products for SDRroducts for SDRroducts for SDRroducts for SDRroducts for SDR
Device LoadableDevice ExecutableDevice
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2-2-2-2-2-Channel FPGA TChannel FPGA TChannel FPGA TChannel FPGA TChannel FPGA Transceiver for SCAransceiver for SCAransceiver for SCAransceiver for SCAransceiver for SCA
An example of a single hardware product capable ofmeeting the definition of the class as an SCA Device isthe Pentek Model 7640 dual-channel software radiotransceiver PCI board.
The Pentek Model 7640
The 7640 includes two 105 MHz 14-bit A/D convert-ers, two 500 MHz 16-bit D/A converters, and a sixmillion gate Virtex-II Pro FPGA that includes twoPowerPC processor cores.
Other on-board resources include a four-channel digitaldownconverter, 512 MB of synchronous DRAM and adigital upconverter. As a PCI card, the board plugsdirectly into the PCI slot of a desktop PC and all commu-nications with the board are performed over the PCI bus.
Each of the two A/D inputs can be connected directlyto an RF tuner that amplifies the antenna signal anddownconverts the signal frequency to IF, typicallybelow 200 MHz.
The two D/A converter outputs can drive the IF inputsof an RF upconverter and power amplifier suitable fordriving a transmit antenna. As a result, the 7640 fillsthe gap from the receive antenna and its receiver, to theupconverter and the transmit antenna.
Devices
Based on the device classesoutlined previously, the A/Dand the D/A converters of themodel 7640 can be consideredsimple Devices, and the FPGAa LoadableDevice. Again, asmentioned previously, youmight think that two PowerPCprocessing engines within theFPGA could be candidates forExecutableDevices. However, it’sunlikely that all of the require-ments of the operating system andCORBA structures are possible within the constraints ofthis specialized hardware. In fact, it’s much morereasonable that the PowerPC would be aLoadableDevice.
In this case, a C program compiled to the PowerPCcould be loaded into the associated RAM and thenexecuted upon command, analogous to the configura-tion code that actually loads the FPGA.
Pentek Model 7640 Transceiver Block Diagram
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Model 7640 ApplicationsModel 7640 ApplicationsModel 7640 ApplicationsModel 7640 ApplicationsModel 7640 Applications
Some of the common applications that the Model 7640Dual Channel Software Radio Transceiver PCI Boardtargets include:
● Wireless base station development platform
● Military radio transceiver development platform
● Waveform development platforms
● Communications and radar countermeasures
● FPGA IP development platform
This board is also available as a CompactPCI card or asa PMC/XMC module. These hardware form factorsallow the same board to move from a development orlab environment to a field deployed platform—even in adifferent format.
Model 7140 PMC/XMC Model 7640 PCI
Model 7340 3U cPCI
Model 7240 6U cPCIwith twice the
component density
Pentek Model 7640 Transceiver Block Diagram
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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Mission: PMission: PMission: PMission: PMission: Pororororort a COTS Board to SCAt a COTS Board to SCAt a COTS Board to SCAt a COTS Board to SCAt a COTS Board to SCA
Imagine now that the system developer was given thetask to find a COTS software defined radio transceiverand to port that board to SCA. Pentek saw this as acommon development requirement and realized that wecould provide developers with a tested and documentedsolution. The solution would effectively remove the taskof porting the SCA from the developer and allow theend user to focus on the real work: developing radiosand waveforms.
In the process of specifying this porting task, a flexibledevelopment platform became the ultimate goal withthe following features:
● Create a JTRS radio set development platform
● Create a waveform development platform
● Include the option to make that platform deployable
As far as the platform features, the strategy was:
● Employ a transceiver to cover both ends of the radiofunction.
● Use a configurable platform since this is one of therequirements for SCA compliance.
● Adhere to industry standard form factors andinterfaces, to allow for the move from the labenvironment to a field environment.
● Utilize flexible architectures to support manydifferent possible applications.
● Create an easily scalable system with the goal ofhaving engineers start small but be able to expand toa large system as needed.
● Develop a low-cost system with high performancesolutions.
Phased Mission StrategyPhased Mission StrategyPhased Mission StrategyPhased Mission StrategyPhased Mission Strategy
The development cycle included three major steps tocomplete the mission:
Phase 1
The first step was to specify and assemble a PC-basedSCA software platform. This platform needed thefollowing features:
● It had to be complete with a core framework anddevelopment tools.
● It had to include productivity tools to ease develop-ment.
● It had to include a reference hardware I/O Device.
● It had to include a reference waveform and referenceapplications.
Phase 2
The second step, once the software solution was found,was to create a new SCA I/O Device for the hardware,
● We decided to replace a known reference Deviceprovided by the chosen SCA platform with a COTSboard I/O.
● And, we needed to test the new Device with thereference waveforms and applications.
Phase 3
Once the new Device was in place we needed to createan example application, and part of the application waslto connect the reference Device. In this case, weconnected a PC sound card to the COTS board I/O.
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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Phase 1: SCARI++ SofPhase 1: SCARI++ SofPhase 1: SCARI++ SofPhase 1: SCARI++ SofPhase 1: SCARI++ Software Suitetware Suitetware Suitetware Suitetware Suite
After careful survey ofseveral software vendors,we recommend theSCARI++ Software Suitefrom CRC (Communi-cation Research Centre)of Canada.
SCARI++ is a full-featured C++ implemen-tation of the SCA CoreFramework. As a flexiblecore framework imple-
mentation, SCARI++ is completely configurable withspecial emphasis on ease of use.
It includes several unique features helpful for radio,introspection and application debugging. SCARI++offers a Component Development Library (CDL) whichis used to create applications and device components.The CDL actually implements the complex SCArequirements, allowing the user to concentrate on thedevelopment of applications or Devices.
For example, the CDL offers a multithread safe frame-work for query and configuration services, as well as forDevice capacity models. These are requirements, or atleast mandates, of the SCA. The CDL effectivelyreduces the quantity of code that developers must writeand helps meet the SCA requirements.
Completing the SCARI++ Suite is the SDR Develop-ment Tool Set which is fully integrated with the CDL.It provides the developers with a comprehensive set oftools to design, run, debug, and deploy SDR systems.
❖❖❖❖❖ Component Development Library
The CDL was designed to provide an effective methodof rapid application and device creation for SCAdevelopers. It implements several common functionalitiesthat must be part of every SCA component.
The CDL automatically handles the SCA interfacethrough a generic implementation of the Resourceinterface, and it also handles the complex validationsthat must be performed, as required by SCA when aResource or Device is configured or queried.
The CDL handles the mandated capacity model andother state behaviors through a generic implementationof a Device. The CDL supports the required two kindsof properties, Resource and Allocation as well as everyproperty format: Simple, SimpleSequence, Struct andStructSequence.
❖❖❖❖❖ SDR Development Toolset
As part of the SCARI++ Software Suite, CRC developeda number of software tools to assist in the developmentof SDR projects. These tools are closely integrated withthe SCARI++ core framework implementation toprovide an even better interaction. Some of the toolsincluded in the toolset are:
● The Component Creator Wizard is used to create allmetadata files for any kind of SCA component. ThisGUI is form-based, simple to use and prevents thecreation of invalid metadata.
[Continued on next page]
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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● The Waveform Application Builder (WAB) is a GUIused to construct or modify waveform applications.Using the WAB, applications are created by draggingcomponents from a toolbar into the application canvas.
The WAB supports all types of connections, direct orindirect, and allows only the connections based on thecomponent interface description. Connections areestablished graphically and the developer chooses thecomponents from just a popup menu containing onlycompatible ports.
Components can easily be imported and organized indifferent toolbars. WAB can also be used to importexisting application descriptors, allowing a developer tosee them graphically. Finally the WAB can package anapplication into a single file for easy transportation andinstallation in many SCARI++ core frameworks.
● The Radio Manager is used to control and configurean SCA radio and is the key tool for deploying theapplication on the hardware platform.
This GUI offers a graphical block diagram of the radionodes and applications. It displays a hierarchical view ofthe radio node components and each type of nodecomponent has a context sensitive menu to allowspecific operations.
The Radio Manager is also used to install or uninstallapplications, as well as initiate or shut down applica-tions. Once an application has been initiated, this GUIcan graphically show how each resource has been deployed,and how it is interconnected to the other resources.
Each initiated application is controlled through ageneric console which displays its different configurationproperties. The Radio Manager also allows customGUIs for console control.
The details and features of the SCARI++ Suite areextensive. To fully appreciate how the SCARI++ Suiteaddresses SDR and SCA requirements, please visitCRC’s website:
Click here: http://www.crc.ca/en/html/crc/home/research/satcom/rars/sdr/products/products
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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The recommended development platform shown belowis a complete low-cost system for developing softwaredefined radio products.
The 7640 transceiver board that we discussed earlier,ported with all of the necessary SCA infrastructure,creates an SCA-compliant platform. Comprised ofhardware and software components compatible with theSCA standard, the SCA platform is a PC-based systemthat runs under Linux.
The system includes an installed CRC SCARI++ coreframework, Component Development Library and SDRdevelopment tools, plus the Pentek board supportpackage for the model 7640 and all the board-specificcomponents.
This complete platform satisfies the original statedmission by offering a low-cost solution suitable forwaveform developers, application developers and systemintegrators.
In order to support scalability to large platforms, anadditional 7640 PCI card can be installed right in thePC motherboard. Furthermore, the identical boardarchitecture is available in a PMC form factor, or a 3Uor a 6U CompactPCI form factor that can be convec-tion-cooled, ruggedized, or conduction-cooled.
These are all extremely appropriate for large, platform-specific deployed multichannel military systems.
Phase 2: A LPhase 2: A LPhase 2: A LPhase 2: A LPhase 2: A Low-cost PCI Bus Linux Solutionow-cost PCI Bus Linux Solutionow-cost PCI Bus Linux Solutionow-cost PCI Bus Linux Solutionow-cost PCI Bus Linux Solution
Pentek Model SCA 2510 SDR Development System
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SCA Application LSCA Application LSCA Application LSCA Application LSCA Application Layerayerayerayerayer
If we just overlay the COTS hardware used in thissystem over the SCA application layer that we discussedearlier, the components break out as follows:
The SCA Devices include:
● The A/Ds and the D/As
● The Digital Downconverter, and the DigitalUpconverter
● The PC’s Audio Input and Output
Achieving SCA Compliance for COTS Software Defined Radio
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Phase 3: Application ExamplePhase 3: Application ExamplePhase 3: Application ExamplePhase 3: Application ExamplePhase 3: Application Example
Having completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the MissionStrategy shown on page 18, we embarked on develop-ing an example application.
As shown in the diagram below, the development examplestarted out with a reference example provided in theSCARI++ Software Suite. This example application doesecho processing on a signal received from the PC’ssound card input and then outputs the process stream tothe PC sound card output.
The next step was to take the newly created Device, theModel 7640, and use it to replace the PC’s audio inputwith it. As part of this application, we added additionalprocessing in the form of FM demodulation.
The next steps consisted of replacing the PC’s audio outputwith the 7640 transmit hardware, and then creating a fulltransceiver example using the 7640 from input to output.
Concluding RConcluding RConcluding RConcluding RConcluding Remarksemarksemarksemarksemarks
Pentek developed the Model 7640 transceiver as a productfor people who have to develop SCA-compliant SDR.With it, you can create a custom development system in-house by purchasing the 7640 and support softwarefrom Pentek and the SCARI++ Software Suite fromCRC. A Pentium 4 PC running Linux, from the vendorof your choice, completes your development system
One topic that we have focused on throughout thishandbook is the role of the FPGA in the overall hard-ware. Your SCA development platform can be expandedwith any of those GateFlow products to exploit theperformance and flexibility of the FPGAs. It’s importantto understand that a key component to fully integratethe FPGAs into the SCA is still missing as of this writing.
As a bit of background, in August of 2004 the SCAintroduced a specialized hardware supplement thatdefined the connectivity of DSPs and FPGAs. Thesupplement has not achieved widespread adoption andsome further work seems to be indicated to better definethe interfaces between SCA and the specialized hardware.When the specialized hardware is fully accepted, it willallow one to fully utilize the flexibility of the FPGAs.
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Useful LinksUseful LinksUseful LinksUseful LinksUseful Links
The JTRS Website includes definitions and goals of theJTRS program, and it has downloadable specs. You canalso get the SCA spec from there.
You can go to the Pentek Website for information onthe Model 7640, complementary products, and supportsoftware.
For information on the CRC SCARI++ tools and coreframework, go to the CRC Website.
For FPGA technology examples visit the Xilinx Website and you can also visit the Pentek Website. We have anumber of white papers available on FPGAs andintegrating the FPGA technology into SDR systems.
JTRS PJTRS PJTRS PJTRS PJTRS Programrogramrogramrogramrogram
Click here: http://enterprise.spawar.navy.mil/body.cfm?type=c&category=27&subcat=60
SCA Specification RSCA Specification RSCA Specification RSCA Specification RSCA Specification Release 2.2.2elease 2.2.2elease 2.2.2elease 2.2.2elease 2.2.2
Click here: http://jtrs.spawar.navy.mil/sca/home.asp
SCA Development TSCA Development TSCA Development TSCA Development TSCA Development Toolsoolsoolsoolsools
Click here: http://www.crc.ca/en/html/crc/home/research/satcom/rars/sdr/products/products
FPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA TFPGA Technologyechnologyechnologyechnologyechnology
Click here for Xilinx: http://www.xilinx.com
Click here for Pentek: http://www.pentek.com/go/gateflowhb
PPPPPentek Board Supporentek Board Supporentek Board Supporentek Board Supporentek Board Support and Models 7140, 7240, 7340, 7640t and Models 7140, 7240, 7340, 7640t and Models 7140, 7240, 7340, 7640t and Models 7140, 7240, 7340, 7640t and Models 7140, 7240, 7340, 7640
Click here for ReadyFlow: http://www.pentek.com/go/readyflowhb
Click here for 7140: http://www.pentek.com/go/7140hb Click here for7240: http://www.pentek.com/go/7240hb
Click here for 7340: http://www.pentek.com/go/7340hb Click here for 7640: http://www.pentek.com/go/7640hb