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XILINX AND NALLATECH ANNOUNCE INDUSTRY’S FIRST BIT ERROR RATE TESTER
25 September 2002
High performance solution helps users accelerate FEC Bit Error Rate Testing in FPGAs
WEYBRIDGE, UK, and Glasgow, Scotland, September 25, 2002,
- Xilinx, Ltd.,(XLNX) and Nallatech, a Xilinx Diamond Xpert™
partner, today announced the immediate availability of the industry’s
first BERT (Bit Error Rate Test) platform as an integrated reconfigurable
computing solution for characterisation of forward error correction
(FEC) cores. BER testing of communications semiconductor IP cores has
traditionally been a time-consuming process, involving the use of software-based
simulation. Now the BERT solution provides a hardware accelerated BER
test application, into which communications IP cores such as Xilinx’s
Forward Error Correction (FEC) LogiCores can be embedded.
The BERT solution significantly accelerates the BER testing and characterisation
process. By implementing the whole test algorithm in Xilinx Virtex-II™
and Virtex-II Pro™ FPGAs it is possible to achieve performance
levels only attainable in a hardware implementation. The use of a hardware-based
implementation results in a massive decrease in simulation time. The
performance improvement is by the order of one million compared to a
software-based simulation.
Nallatech incorporate the Xilinx Virtex-II™ and Virtex-II Pro™
FPGAs into their DIME™ hardware technology, which when combined
with their FUSE™ software, results in a true reconfigurable computing
solution platform.
The Nallatech FUSE software offers a direct interface to The Mathworks
MATLABŪ/SimulinkŪ software, allowing the user to view the output data
from the IP core graphically in the MATLABŪ environment. The user can
also link directly into the FPGA design to adjust software-parameterisable
aspects of the BERT core. Running the Xilinx FEC IP Cores on Nallatech’s
DIME and FUSE platform allows an engineer to analyse the data in real-time
and to observe generation of the BER curves.
“The development of BERT means that it is now possible to qualify
Forward Error Correction IP Cores in a matter of seconds," said
John Heighton, Programmable Logic Marketing Manager, Xilinx Europe.
“Previously in software, this process would have taken days.”
“With BERT we have created a unique interface between software,
hardware and IP Cores such as Xilinx’s Viterbi LogiCore, for accelerated
access, testing and verification in hardware,” said Sheila Devlin-Thorp,
Marketing Manager, Nallatech. “This has been made possible through
the use of our modular DIME hardware platform and FUSE software.”
Availability
BERT is now available from Nallatech and can be used on any of Nallatech’s
DIME modular hardware platforms. For more information contact www.nallatech.com.
Nallatech can provide numerous DIME Modules for use with BERT, including
the development platform which is included in the recently released
Xilinx XtremeDSP Development Kit. For further information on the Xilinx
XtremeDSP Development Kit and on Xilinx’s Forward Error Correction
LogiCores, visit the Xilinx
IP Center
Background
DIME™ Systems
Nallatech’s DIME hardware offers a modular hardware platform,
affording users the full capability of advanced FPGAs. DIME brings together
unparalleled module bandwidth, and flexible FPGA device support for
next-generation systems design. The scaleable DIME family of products
includes DIME motherboards, modules, firmware and software, providing
complete systems solution which makes integration into existing systems
straightforward - reducing risk, costs and time to market.
FUSE™ Software
FUSE (Field Upgradeable Software Environment) is Nallatech’s Reconfigurable
Computing Operating System. FUSE facilitates flexible and scalable control
and configuration of FPGA-based systems and allows data communication
between the motherboard and Host PC, hence allowing data transfer to
and from designs running in on-board Xilinx FPGAs. FUSE provides a number
of interfaces, including the scripting language DIMEscript, the FUSE
Probe GUI application and FUSE development APIs for C/C++ supplied as
standard. Optional additional development APIs are also available through
the FUSE Toolbox for MATLABŪ and the FUSE API for Java™.
About Xilinx
Xilinx is the worldwide leader of programmable logic solutions. Additional
information about Xilinx can be found at www.xilinx.com.
Nallatech, founded 1993, is a technology leader in the design of reconfigurable
computers. The company’s award-winning DIME™ and FUSE™
technologies, based on Virtex FPGAs, offer a highly scalable, modular
systems platform which is used by global
OEMs worldwide for high performance applications in Digital Signal Processing
(DSP), imaging, telecomms and aerospace applications. The company is
headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland with offices in Bristol, England
and Orlando, Florida. More information at www.nallatech.com.
Nallatech…the only logical solution.
Source: Nallatech & Xilinx
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