OpenBlocks A Family by Plat'Home Co.,Ltd. ぷらっとホーム株式会社

Product Description

Overview

ARM computing gets famous on the area such as Embedded computing and Smart phones. “OpenBlocks A Family” is one of the first ARM powered microservers.
You can use these products “At or In or To Any Place.” This family has high-flexibility, high-durability, the design for saving power consumption and cost. These features with high performance of ARM architecture give customers an innovation for their ICT environment.

Furthermore, when it comes to the social circumstances of electricity supply in this summer, OpenBlocks A Family will bring a bunch of striking effects to the companies which adopt them; The very low energy consumption (max) at 13.0 W (OpenBlocks AX3 with 4 ports) or 6.0 W (OpenBlocks A6) and the high performance on high efficiency with ARM architecture can realize the remarkable service continuity, reducing power consumption and running cost.

This product family consists of following 2 models:

 ◆OpenBlocks AX3
The high-end model in OpenBlocks A Family, OpenBlocks AX3, has dual core Marvell(R) 1.33 GHz (based on ARM v7 instruction set architecture), 4 or 2 GbE ports, 1 GB on-board main memory.
1 SATA port and 1 eSATA port, 2 RS232C ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports it has. And also this model has hardware FPU, 45 ℃ambient temperature, Java model, SO-DIMM (4 GbE ports model, up to 2 GB can be added), extended socket for Mini PCI Express that can be used for Wifi for example.
These high scalability and performance allow you to use OpenBlocks AX3 as a front-end Web server, security server that needs packet analyzing like IPS/IDS, HTTP proxy or reverse proxy, network surveillance such as resource surveillance and job management, IP-PBX, NAS head, email relay and the many kind of other server.
In addition this model will fits well to the usage as a base hardware for appliance server.


 ◆OpenBlocks A6

 OpenBlocks A6 has single core Marvell(R) 600MHz (based on ARM9 architecture), 1 GbE port, 512 on-board main memory, 1 SATA port, GPIO (8 bit), 2 RS232C ports and 1 USB 2.0 port. Also on this model you can choose Oracle Java model. Able to set on 55 ℃ambient temperature, more solid and durable Micro Server this model is.
 OpenBlocks A6 is inexpensive and has high energy efficiency and stability associated with ARM architecture at the same time. Thus OpenBlocks A6 fits to the usages such as a controlling sensor device or meter, service around network infrastructure, data logging, M2M.

The raison d’etre of OpenBlocks A Family with ARM architecture

Now ARM architecture is quickly expandingits popularity from its heritage in mobile phones to a broader set of applications that care about energy efficiency.Its technology and performance have evolved up to now and the arrival of ARM technology into the domain of server computing is now with us.
The OpenBlocks A Family of innovative server computing platforms combine the feature of ARM core with a wealth of long-seller Micro Server series’ features.
This product family features the palm-sized footprint, high reliability, long term service continuity, low power consumption as the newest model of Plat’Home’s Micro Server series, and also boasts high performance and efficiency, a lot of development resources as ARM-equipped device.

These days various servers or services get into Cloud environment. And some services such as network infrastructure (DHS, DHCP, proxy etc.), security and surveillance are still needed to be established in local environment. These servers require high durability and efficiency on installation and operation.
On the other hand, Cloud Computing itself needs a large number of server array and it requires high-efficient performance, temperature resistance that runs without air conditioner and small size that needs specialized large space to set the servers.
In this situation ARM core loaded palm top sized Micro Server OpenBlocks A Family will bring the smartest, most slim system management.



As the base hardware for appliance server

The OpenBlocks series, just added 2 models today, has been adopted as the base hardware for various kind of appliance servers that were developed by software vendor and major career for years.
These newest OpenBlocks A Family also let the software developers easily produce their new hardware product made from their software.

And, in association with launching these OpenBlocks A Family, Plat’Home also launches new 3 appliance servers that are based on OpenBlocks A hardware.
And also, in the future Plat’Home is planning to develop other appliances that features preinstalled enterprise softwares on cooperation with partner software vendors.



Support services that packages convenient plans

 Plat’Home also provides convenient and flexible new support services for the wide range, from a trouble when the customer wants to start developing or operate open source software, to the support services for VAR or SIer.

On “Basic Service,” for users, who subscribed can use Exclusive Support Desk and Preorder Fixing by sendback. Exclusive Support Desk provides consultations for softwares, OSes and other matters on startup phase of development.

“Partner Support Service,” for VAR or SIer, is also started. Plat’Home has many experiences to provide VAR or SIer with Micro Server as the base hardware for their products. With the accumulated experience Plat’Home starts to provide convenient services such as extending warranty scope, the information service of change to the specification / end of sale / firmware update.

Both of Basic Service and Partner Support Service have Extension Service that needs separate subscribing. It contains on-site support, pre-install service, configuration and installation.
 

ARMアーキテクチャを採用した企業向けマイクロサーバが、OpenBlocks Aファミリです。「At or In or To Any Place - どこでも、どこにでも、どこまでも」使える、高い柔軟性・堅牢性・省リソース性を備えながら、ARMコアの高効率なパフォーマンスをも享受でき、企業や法人のICTに革新を与えます。

 また、今夏の電力供給状況を踏まえたうえで、常時稼働サービスのハードウェアをOpenBlocks Aファミリにリプレイスすれば、本製品の最大13.0W（AX3、4ポートモデル）もしくは6.0W（A6）^※2 という極めて低い電力消費量と高効率なパフォーマンスにより、企業は高いサービス継続率と同時に著しい電力削減と運用コストダウンという導入効果をも実現できます。

 本製品ファミリは、次の２モデルをラインナップします。

 ◆OpenBlocks AX3 （オープンブロックス エーエックススリー）

 CPUとしてデュアルコアMarvell(R) ARM Cortex-A9ベースSoC 1.33GHzと、4もしくは2のGbEポートを搭載、オンボード1GBのメインメモリ空間を備えたハイエンドモデルがOpenBlocks AX3です。

SATAポート１及びeSATAポート1、RS232Cポート2、USB2.0ポート2を備え、ハードウェアFPU、周辺環境温度45℃での動作保証、Oracle Java搭載モデルのラインナップ、さらに4ポートGbEモデルではSO-DIMM（最大2GB追加可能）と、WiFi用途などに活用できるMini PCI Expressの拡張ソケットを有します。その高い拡張性とパフォーマンスから、WEBのフロントエンドサーバー、IPS/IDSなどのパケット解析を要するセキュリティ対策、HTTP ProxyやReverse Proxyなどの代理アクセス、ジョブ管理やリソース監視を含むネットワーク監視、そのほかIP-PBX、NASヘッド、メール中継など、幅広いサービスへの用途、もしくはアプライアンスのベースハードウェア用途で、非常に優れた導入効果を発揮します。

◆OpenBlocks A6（オープンブロックス エーシックス）

 CPUとしてシングルコアMarvell(R) ARM9ベースSoC 600MH を搭載、GbEポート１とオンボード512MBのメインメモリ、SATAポート1、GPIO(8bit)、RS232Cポート2、USBポート1を備え、Oracle Java搭載モデルも選択可能、周辺環境温度55℃での動作保証と、さらにソリッドかつ堅牢なマイクロサーバがOpenBlocks A6です。

導入コストを抑えながらARMアーキテクチャ特有のエネルギー効率や、長きに渡る供給実績を持つ「枯れた」アーキテクチャならではの安定性などの恩恵を享受でき、センサーデバイスや計測器の観測・制御、ネットワークインフラ系サービスの導入・運用、あるいはデータロギング、M2M用途に最適なモデルです。

ARMアーキテクチャを採用したOpenBlocks Aファミリの存在意義

 組み込みやモバイルといった分野で爆発的な普及を見せているARMアーキテクチャは、テクノロジの進化とパフォーマンスの向上とともに、サーバー分野でも積極的に活用されることが待ち望まれてきました。

OpenBlocks Aファミリは、企業ネットワーク用途で豊富な実績を得てきたぷらっとホームマイクロサーバシリーズの、手のひらサイズで設置環境を問わない手のひらサイズと堅牢性、運用の手間を最大限排除する高い運用継続性、システム計画や構築運用のリソースを大きく節約できる低消費電力性といった特長を、ARMコアの持つ高いパフォーマンスやエネルギー効率、豊富な開発資産といった恩恵と有機的に結びつけ、従来に存在しなかった新しいサーバーコンピューティングの形を具現化する製品ファミリです。

 サービスもしくはサーバーの多くがクラウド化されてゆくと同時に、ローカル環境に設置したいDNS、DHCP、Proxyといったネットワークインフラ系サービスやセキュリティ、監視といった用途では、高い信頼性を持ちながら導入・管理・運用にかかるリソースを最大限節約できる製品が求められるようになっています。

また、一方のクラウドコンピューティングにおいても、多台数サーバーの設置運用が必須であるため、消費電力あたりの性能が高く、空調設備が不要なほどの温度耐性を備え、設置スペースの専有面積が低い製品が高い需要を集めています。

これら現代に特有の状況にあって、ARMアーキテクチャ採用の手のひらサイズのマイクロサーバOpenBlocks Aファミリは、それを導入する企業や法人において、もっとも高効率かつスリムなシステム構成と管理運用を実現するものです。

OpenBlocks A Family

Market Segment(s)

• Enterprise

Target Platform(s)

• Java
• Linux

ARM Processor(s)

• Cortex-A53
• Cortex-A57
• Cortex-A9
• ARMv5
• ARMv7
• ARMv8