DETROIT, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Opal-RT Technologies Inc.
(http://www.opal-rt.com ), the world leader in distributed real-time
simulation on PC-based platforms, today introduced the new support for
InfiniBand(TM), a switched fabric based computer interconnection positioned to
become the next generation inter-computer communication systems.
InfiniBand(TM) is an open standard supported by high-speed switch vendors
and computer servers and clusters makers such as IBM, Dell, HP and Sun
Microsystems. InfiniBand(TM) systems offer 2.5 to 10 Gbps full-duplex
communication bandwidth per computing nodes that can scale up to an aggregated
non-blocking bandwidth of 240 Gbps when 24 nodes are interconnected through
economical 24-port single-chip switches. This extremely high-speed and
flexible communication system takes advantage of PCI-X and the new PCI Express
technologies to minimize the communication latency between the main processor
memory and the communication fabric.
The integration of InfiniBand(TM) PCI Express technologies with RT-LAB
extra high-performance (XHP) scheduler, dual-, quad- and eight-CPU real-time
computers, and Opal-RT's reconfigurable FPGA I/O OP5000 series, pushes the
performance level of PC-based hardware-in-the-loop simulators to an
unprecedented level. Using devices capable of 4x the base rate of 2.5Gbps, or
10 Gbps, RT-LAB's InfiniBand(TM) interface facilitates communication between
real-time simulators at up to 300 Mbytes per second.
The introduction of InfiniBand(TM) support represents a next logical step
for Opal-RT. The company has been a leader in the development of PC-based
real-time simulation technologies that utilize IEEE 1394 since launching RT-
LAB in 1997. This newly achieved throughput is over 5 times faster than IEEE
1394b FireWire, and reaches an effective communication throughput comparable
to a shared-memory interface.
"The performance and flexibility combined with the affordability of these
commercial technologies is bringing HIL systems to a new age," said Jean
Belanger, President and CTO of Opal-RT Technologies Inc. "It has confirmed
our strategy put in place in 1997 to focus our development on the use of
commercial-off-the-shelf technologies. We expect to see wide use of the
InfiniBand(TM) interconnect in automotive HIL applications especially in
vehicle system level simulation and detailed motor and power electronics
simulation," added Belanger.
The first pilot system, a 16-processor RT-LAB HIL simulator based on
InfiniBand(TM) PCI-X and PCI Express was successfully commissioned in February
2005 for complex electromechanical simulations. The InfiniBand(TM) technology
will be offered to all Opal-RT customers in May 2005. This capability will
facilitate the implementation of complex conventional and hybrid vehicle
simulations.
About Opal-RT Technologies Inc.
Opal-RT provides software, hardware, and related solutions for real-time
simulation applications, with the aim of enabling real-time parallel
processing through flexible and affordable technologies. The company offers a
full range of engineering simulation products -- from enabling technologies to
turnkey engineering simulators -- and consulting services that include systems
integration, software development, simulation and modeling, problem-solving,
and training. Opal-RT's core expertise is in distributed hard-real-time
simulation, with experienced engineers designing real-time simulators for
automotive, electrical power, aerospace, robotics, and other industries where
fidelity and fault tolerance requirements push rapid prototyping and hardware-
in-the-loop testing to their limits. Opal-RT's unique approach integrates
parallel, distributed computing with commercial-off-the-shelf technologies.
The resulting RT-LAB product range enables customers to develop simulations
quickly, easily, affordably, and competitively. For more information about
Opal-RT's range of Engineering Simulators and Distributed Processing Tools,
see http://www.opal-rt.com .
About RT-LAB
RT-LAB is the real-time technology that revolutionizes the way model-based
design is performed within the engineering organization. Through its
openness, RT-LAB has the flexibility to be applied to any simulation and
control problem, and scalability to provide a low-risk entry point for any
application, allowing the developer to add computation power where and when
needed -- whether to dramatically speed up simulations or for real-time
hardware-in-the-loop applications.
RT-LAB and OP5000 are registered trademarks of Opal-RT Technologies Inc.
InfiniBand and PCI Express are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation
FireWire is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
(C)2005 Opal-RT Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.
SOURCE Opal-RT Technologies Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.opal-rt.com
CONTACT:
Kirsty Whitefield, Marketing Communications
Specialist of Opal- RT Technologies Inc., +1-877-935-2323, x235,
Email: kirsty.whitefield@opal-rt.com
NOTE TO EDITORS: Opal-RT Technologies Inc. SAE World Congress
Booth #2313.
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