APG-FC2 PROTOCOL SUPPORT FOR AVIONICS APPLICATION FIBRE CHANNEL TESTING
Ken Bisson
2007
This paper provides an overview of how AIT’s APG-FC2 PCI Fibre Channel Tester Card supports testing of anonymous subscriber messaging, remotes direct memory, and MIL- STD-1553 protocols. ABSTRACT
Fibre Channel is being implemented as an avionics communication architecture for a
variety of new military aircraft and upgrades to existing aircraft. The Fibre Channel T11 standard defines various network topologies and multiple data protocols. (Refer to the T11 website at www.t11.org.)
Some of the topologies and protocols (ASM, 1553, RDMA) are suited for avionics applications, where the movement of data between devices must take place in a deterministic fashion and needs to be delivered very reliably. This paper also discusses a practical implementation of avionics-level testing and testing challenges associated with these applications.
Page 2 INTRODUCTION The following examples show how a MIL-STD-1553 avionics protocol is AIT is the industry-leading supplier of defined on a Fibre Channel avionics Fibre Channel testers for the military- system. aerospace market today. The APG-FC2 PCI Fibre Channel tester card meets and Figure 1 – Example 1553 BC-RT exceeds all avionics test requirements. Operation AIT has updated the product to include support for MIL-STD-1553, Anonymous Subscriber Messaging (ASM), and Remote Direct Memory (RDMA) protocols. These are the most common protocols used in avionics applications today.
POPULAR AVIONICS PROTOCOLS
Within the Fibre Channel T11 Standards
Figure 2 – Example 1553 RT-BC group is a technical committee dedicated Operation to the definition of protocols for the military-avionics community. Three of the protocols published to date include a mapping of the 1553 Command Set to Fibre Channel, a totally new protocol called ASM, and RDMA, which is similar to the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) protocol.
Page 3 will send a status sequence in response Figure 3 – Example ASM Exchange to the received data sequence.
The 1553 Command Set is a self-
acknowledging protocol Upper Layer Protocol (ULP). Since the ULP level is higher up on the protocol stack than the network transport level, it is in fact a more reliable means of acknowledgment than if Fibre Channel Class 2 service was used and the network sent an Acknowledgment Frame for every frame Figure 4 below illustrates the RDMA received. If the BC does not receive the protocol. RDMA is similar to status sequence from the RT, than it can commercial SCSI with only slight choose some recovery mechanism. modifications to enable low latency transfers. In terms of fault tolerance, the Figure 3 below illustrates the ASM protocol is similar to the 1553 mapping protocol that was invented for use on to Fibre Channel already discussed. modern avionics programs. It is a very simple Producer-Consumer paradigm. The idea is that avionics applications are Figure 4 – Example RDMA Road designed to be run at periodic rates. Operation Applications, by design, expect to consume certain data elements at well- known periodic rates. They will also generatedata elements at well-known rates. These applications do not need to be instructed by a master controller when to consume and generate data; they will do it by design. Also inherent in the design is that both the producers of data and the consumers of data are anonymous. As Figure 3 shows, the ASM Exchange is a very simple single sequence. TESTING CHALLENGES
Page 4 Fibre Channel-based system. A single Fibre Channel link operating at 1.0625 TESTING STRATEGIES Gbps will generate 200 MBps of data. To log one hour of traffic amounts to The versatile AIT APG-FC2 can be used collecting and storing just under seven as avionics test equipment in three ways: TB of data. Further complicating the as two-channel pass-through protocol situation is that Fibre Channel topologies analyzers, data or pattern generators, or are not shared in the sense of offering a emulators. single point in the system where all traffic may be monitored. So in a typical The two-channel pass-through protocol avionics system utilizing a 24 port analyzer is useful in debugging the switch, there are 24 links to monitor, correctness of the Fibre Channel meaning the total system data capability transport protocol on the physical links is just under 168 TB of information in as well as assisting in debugging the user one hour. applications running on the link. It can also be used to stream data to secondary Another challenge is the notion that storage for post run analysis. testing and instrumentation should be completely unobtrusive. Data or pattern generators are used to Unobtrusiveness is achievable in 1553 stimulate avionics modules under test. A systems designed around multi-drop pattern generator should be able to stress buses; but in fibre optic systems with the link’s ability to handle data, send point-to-point and switched fabric legal and illegal user application data, topologies it is not possible. There are and perform illegal Fibre Channel three options for tapping into a Firbe operations. Since avionics systems have Channel switched fabric topology: a large component of periodic data, it would be useful if the data generator had 1. You can optically tap into a the ability to schedule periodic data fibre optic link at the cost of transfers. power to the destination. 2. You can schedule traffic to Building onto the data generator the be routed to a test system, but ability to respond to link inputs in real- this means the test system is time makes a useful tool for hosting no longer in-line with the applications under test or for emulating destination. systems to other Devices-Under-Test 3. You can insert an instrument (DUT). In short, this “emulator” can between the source and provide a complete, flexible lab destination on a link causing environment in which to stimulate and the data to the destination to test a DUT. be delayed and retimed.
