19-04-2012

New analyzer from GE enhances utility of RFM in demanding distributed computing applications

Further enhancing the compelling case for Reflective Memory (RFM) in distributed applications where high speed, deterministic data sharing is required between network nodes, GE (NYSE: GE) today announced the PEAZ-5565 Reflective Memory Analyzer. Designed to simplify and speed the identification and correction of errors in sophisticated distributed memory sharing applications, the PEAZ-5565 complements GE’s extensive range of Reflective Memory solutions.

Reflective Memory <http://www.ge-ip.com/products/family/reflective-memory?cid=pr0419>  (RFM) can be used in any application that currently uses serial networks to connect computers or PLCs. It offers the determinism, low latency and shared memory capability that Ethernet and other serial technologies lack; it is not subject to time delays due to network overhead; and, in many cases, it is the easiest method of achieving distributed processing.

RFM is designed for advanced networking applications that require high performance, fast, deterministic information exchange, and allows sharing of that data in real-time. In the most demanding commercial, telecommunications and military/aerospace environments – such as real-time applications, applications with critical control loop timing requirements and applications that require redundancy for high availability - it has been preferred by many customers to technologies such as Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel and InfiniBand.

“There is a continued need for niche communication technologies that move large quantities of data fast with low latency and that are deterministic – and for many of those applications, Reflective Memory is the only viable solution,” said Steve Pavlosky, Product General Manager, GE Intelligent Platforms. “It is a technology in which GE is an acknowledged leader, and our experience and expertise allows us to offer unparalleled support to our customers, as well as long term programs that are designed to minimize lifetime cost-of-ownership.”

Independent of node bus structure and operating system, and available in VMEbus, PCI, PCI Express™ and PMC form factors – allowing dissimilar buses to be connected in a single network - Reflective Memory allows every computer on a network to receive a copy of every other computer’s memory in microseconds. All simultaneous CPU write access to this common memory space is replicated to all nodes in the network. RFM transparently monitors and replicates data so that the application can share the data without software overhead penalties.

The PEAZ-5565 Analyzer enhances the value and functionality of GE’s range of RFM solutions. With sophisticated event triggering, storage, and visualization options, the analyzer minimizes the time required to troubleshoot and optimize RFM networks. Coupled with support for Linux- or Windows-based applications and event triggers such as memory and address or range, data pattern, source ID, packet type and error conditions, the PEAZ-5565 allows developers to focus on systems performance.

The RFM Analyzer records malformed, corrupted and incomplete RFM packets, allowing an engineer a complete view of application issues to bring about a quicker resolution to problems. Local or remote monitoring is possible, meaning that problems can be identified and solved off-site.