

NAT-MCH-G4
4th Generation MicroTCA Carrier Hub Family
Description
The NAT-MCH-G4 is a 4th generation MicroTCA Carrier Hub (MCH). Its leading-edge architecture meets future demands and of course complies with the latest revision of the MicroTCA and AMC specifications.
By its advanced and modular design the NAT-MCH-G4 flexibly adapts to your application requirements:
- Base Board
central management and 1/10GbE switch incl. uplinks - Clock Module
clock generation & distribution incl. front-panel I/O - Ethernet Hub Module
40-100GbE switch incl. uplinks - PCIe Hub Modules
PCIe Gen4 and Gen5 switches incl. uplinks - GUI
Access to state-of-the-art webserver for configuration and updates
The NAT-MCH-G4 can be configured and managed through a CLI via the serial console, telnet or ssh and through a comprehensive web-based GUI.
For a comparison of the NAT-MCH-G4 with the older 3rd generation NAT-MCH and replacement information, please refer to the MCH Upgrade Guide.
For a quick overview on the NAT-MCH-G4 product family, please refer to our overview document.
NAT-MCH-G4 Base Board – Overview
The NAT-MCH-G4 base board is the central switching and management instance of your MicroTCA system – protection and control at the same time.
The base board can be complemented at any time by optional clock and hub modules to provide additional timing and switching functionalities.
Its main features are:
Management | ✅ |
Manageable Switch | 1/10 GbE |
Dual Uplink | RJ45, optional: iX, SFP |
Control LEDs | AMCs, CUs, PMs |
AMC #13 | ✅ |
Configuration via GUI | ✅ |
Configuration via CLI | ✅ |
Telnet + SSH | ✅ |
Serial Console | ✅ |
Firmware Updates | free of charge, via HPM |
Longevity Support | ✅ |
After Sales Upgrade | CLK- and HUB-Modules |
For more information on features and options please refer to the Technical Reference Manual.
NAT-MCH-G4 Clock Module – Overview
The optional NAT-MCH-G4-CLK-P clock module is the main timing resource for your MicroTCA system, providing advanced functionality such as
- central clock distribution incl. external feed-in
- precision timing by PLL, GPS, and IEEE1588
- optional OCXO for long hold-over time
Its main features are:
Telecom Clocks (TCLK) | ✅ |
Fabric CLK (FCLK) | 100MHz Spread Spectrum |
CLK Multiplexer | 2, low-jitter, low-latency |
Programmable PLL | ✅ |
IEEE1588 support | ✅ |
onboard OCXO (optional) | ✅ |
GPS receiver (optional) | incl. antenna port |
external I/O | dual |
Configuration via GUI | ✅ |
Configuration via CLI | ✅ |
Longevity Support | ✅ |
After Sales Upgrade | ✅ |
For more information on features and options please refer to the Technical Reference Manual.
NAT-MCH-G4 Ethernet Hub – Overview
The optional NAT-MCH-G4-HUB-EX Ethernet hub delivers advanced broad-band Ethernet switching capabilities to your MicroTCA system:
- fully managed 40/100GbE state-of-art switch
- QSFP-DD cages for flexible uplinks
Its main features are:
Manageable Switch | 10/40/100 GbE |
Uplink | dual QSFP-DD |
Control LEDs | AMCs + Uplinks |
IEEE1588 support | through base switch |
Configuration via GUI | ✅ |
Configuration via CLI | ✅ |
Firmware Updates | free of charge, via HPM |
Longevity Support | ✅ |
After Sales Upgrade | ✅ |
For more information on features and options please refer to the Technical Reference Manual.
NAT-MCH-G4 PCIexpress Hubs – Overview
The optional NAT-MCH-G4-HUB-Px52 and NAT-MCH-G4-HUB-Px84 PCIe hub deliver up-to-date broad-band PCIe switching capabilities to your MicroTCA system:
- PCIe Gen4 and PCIe Gen5 switches
- Virtualization of up to 4 PCIe domains
- QSFP-DD cages for flexible uplinks
Their main features are:
Manageable Switch | 52-port PCIe Gen4 | 84-port PCIe Gen5 |
Uplink | PCIe x4 (QSFP) | PCIe x8/x16 (QSFP-DD) |
Control LEDs | AMCs + Uplinks | |
Configuration via GUI | ✅ | |
Configuration via CLI | ✅ | |
Firmware Updates | free of charge, via HPM | |
Longevity Support | ✅ | |
After Sales Upgrade | ✅ |
For more information on features and options please refer to the Technical Reference Manual.
NAT-MCH-G4 GUI – Overview
Connecting to the state-of-the-art web server incorporated in the NAT-MCH-G4 via HTTS, the user can access the GUI to
- Obtain a graphical system status
- Configure all devices of the MCH
- Update any FRU in the system via HPM
The GUI is part of the firmware and thus free-of-charge.
Its main features are:
HTTPS access | ✅ |
System Status incl. FRU information | ✅ |
Backplane viewer: avalaible connections | ✅ |
Backplane viewer: established connections | ✅ |
Backplane viewer: power sources | ✅ |
Live log messages | ✅ |
CLI access | ✅ |
HPM Update: any compliant FRU | ✅ |
HPM Update: multiple HPM files | ✅ |
HPM Update: compatibility check | ✅ |
Switch configuration | ✅ |
CLK configuration | ✅ |
Costs | free of charge |
Longevity Support | ✅ |
For more information on features and options please refer to the Technical Reference Manual.
Key Features
NAT-MCH-G4:
- Central management
- Manageable switch: 1/10GbE
- Dual RJ45 uplink; optionally iX or SFP
- Control LEDs for AMCs, CUs, and PMs
- Support for AMC #13
- Configuration via GUI and CLI
- Telnet and SSH support
- Serial console
- Firmware updates via HPM, free of charge
- Longevity support
- After sales upgrades: Clock and HUB modules
NAT-MCH-G4-CLK-P:
- Telecom CLK (TCLK)
- 2x Clock Multiplexer, low jitter and latency for
- FCLK as 100MhZ PCIe reference spread spectrum clock
- Programmable PLL
- IEEE1588 support
- onboard OXCO (optional)
- GPS receiver (optional), incl. antenna port
- Configuration via GUI and CLI
- Longevity support
- After sales upgrades
NAT-MCH-G4-HUB-EX:
- Manageable switch: 10/40/100GbE
- Dual QSFP-DD uplink
- Control LEDs for AMCs and uplinks
- IEEE1588 support through base switch
- Configuration via GUI and CLI
- Longevity support
- After sales upgrades
NAT-MCH-G4-HUB-Px52 /-Px84:
- PCIe Gen4 x52 switch / PCIe Gen5 x84 switch
- PCIe x4 Front Uplink via QSFP (-Px52)
- PCIe x8/x16 Front Uplink via QSFP-DD (-Px84)
- Control LEDs for AMCs and uplinks
- Configuration via GUI and CLI
- Longevity support
- After sales upgrades
NAT-MCH-G4-GUI:
Order Codes
NAT-MCH- [Form Factor] – [Front Uplink] – [Clock Module] – [HUB]
Option
|
Value
|
Description
|
Form Factor
|
-G4 | single-width, full-sized, no RTM support |
-S4-0 | double-width, full-sized, no RTM support | |
-S4-R | double-width, full-sized, with RTM support | |
Front Uplink
|
-RJ45 | 2x RJ45 Interfaces |
-iX | 2x iX Interfaces | |
-SFP | 2x SFP Interfaces | |
Clock | -CLK | |
HUB
|
-EX | Ethernet HUB Module |
-Px52 | PCIe x52 Switch, 1x PCIe Gen4 x4 Front Uplink, single-width form-factor, no RTM support | |
-Px84 | PCIe x84 Switch, 2x PCIe Gen4 x8 Front Uplink, double-width form factor, with RTM support | |
Pre-Configured Combo #1 | NAT-MCH-SCIx52 | NAT-MCH-S4-0 Base Board, RJ45 Front Uplink, NAT-MCH-G4-CKL, NAT-MCH-G4-HUB-Px52, no RTM-Support |
Pre-Configured Combo #2 | NAT-MCH-SCIx84 | NAT-MCH-S4-R Base Board, RJ45 Front Uplink, NAT-MCH-G4-CKL, NAT-MCH-G4-HUB-Px84, with RTM-Support |
Solutions / Applications
The NAT-MCH-G4 Family provides central management and data switching, as well as power and system management for any MicroTCA system. It is the perfect choice for any MicroTCA system, whether the application requires Fat Pipe Ethernet or PCIe connections.