As Linkmeup went to visit "STC Metrotek"
for almost a week, as it was soundly done, the local population eventually moved to Gill breathing and laughing at the guests and those who have not yet developed the much needed skill here. The situation demanded decisive action and editorial Linkmeup made a strategic decision to go in for a visit. The choice fell on “STC Metrotek”, benefit of they called to him have promised. The visit was written this report, which is offered to your attention.
Attention! Under the cut text with images. The quality of the pictures can be very frustrating creative people, but we only had a long lens. Our business is to warn.
“Scientific-technical center Metrotek” — since 2003 is engaged in creation of devices for measurements on telecommunication networks, analyzers and switches, providing full cycle of development from design boards to the program filling all levels. Have a well-deserved reasons to be proud: created Russia's first compact analyzer Gigabit ethernet, and then 10G, and then came the analyzer-balancer 100G. Know about networks, almost all. Holders of OUI rooms, that in itself inspires. Revere RFC 2544 and Y. 1564 recommendation of it. Presented on the international market. Actively participate in specialized events dedicated to microcontrollers, Linux, etc., work with students, conduct training courses in programming, take the internship.
STC Metrotek is located in the business center near metro station Pionerskaya, where you can easily walk for 10 minutes at a leisurely pace. Before the visit, it was known that at the indicated address is at all, and development and production. But on arrival it turned out that STC Metrotek is surprisingly modest, for its size, square.
Main office corridor
We met the lovely Natalie first took us to the Cookie (on the door and it was written), drink coffee and buns, advertised pizza at the end of the tour and clarified for failing to see the huge production area and the actual office space. It turns out that the PostScript at the beginning of the name NTC, is there not just for beauty or solidity, and reflects the main goal of the company — carrying out scientific-research works, and in particular, to engage in small-scale manufacturing devices. Makasarili, in this case, means the party of 1000 pieces. In the case of large orders, or performing a technically complex installation, STC Metrotek has local partners. By the way, usually, the entire production cycle is closed in the limits of Saint Petersburg. Maybe that's why in the design of their devices used the whole palette of grey =)
Our guide Natalia and greeters all Julia V.
We arrived at a place on the brink of a foul, i.e. at the moment when the working day of most of the staff were already closed but we still had a chance to catch the most persistent and experienced. From the doorway noted that in the office there is the presence of force and the kind of right atmosphere of the place where it is pleasant to stay and work. A little later came the realization that this is all due to the attention to detail and desire local girls embellish this technological Paradise. Although on closer examination it turned out that half of greenery in the office blatantly plastic, but assured us that soon this attack will win, but all the buds hanging in the hallway, strictly natural and hand-assembled in the nearby woods.
Those are the most enjoyable parts
Immediately after the reception there are three sacred things — office Bulletin Board, a PCB of a stylized tree with pictures of employees and all of a sudden the server. Of the staff was gone, and without them there not allowed, but she assured us that there's just a server and nothing surprising. Did not argue, but noted that everyone in the office connected via 10G fiber. Why? Well, obviously the same office lives on diskless machines, working on the Linux terminals. The author of the review strongly endorses these decisions.
Our walk around the office, we decided to make downstream development of any local device because is it different from the usual softovoi and it is better to give a brief explanation.
got a weakness for colour and strange symbols
Self-it all starts with an idea. But here is an idea cannot exist by itself and to be divorced from the realities of the world. The idea should be immediately wrapped up in the technical capabilities of modern microelectronics, in parallel, finding the pitfalls, reflecting on solution methods and opening new interesting opportunities. The first incarnation of the ideas come from the circuitry. They are developing a circuit Board, which is produced in the workplace. Then, still warm fee, falls into the hands of design engineers that bring to mind the technical and logical stuffing, teaching fee, to interact with the operating system. But the farther into the forest, the more code and on the next stage, it is taken for FPGA programmers. From task to teach a new device to use all its power for the good of civilization, implementing logic circuits. And last on the line, but not least, it takes a development application that programmatically implements the necessary tests and makes polzovateley interface.
And now let's visit each Department for more detailed acquaintance.
a Piece of the hall of fame
So, the idea is, the theory worked, and it is time to begin to practice. The first who takes the hit, it's circuitry. Applying the magic of software to trace, they make the design of future boards. A average device is on six-layer PCB, but sometimes it comes to major developments on the 22 layer. For example, in the current main pride of STC Metrotek — switch Berkut B100, just use these boards. Actually, here it is:
Fee of 100, in the buff
A closer examination reveals that the Board has the classical structure of the motherboard General purpose — a place for the CPU (specifically here Corei7) memory So-Dimm slots, PCI-e bus, eSATA, etc. That's just a regular nurse is a 4, at least 6 layers, and there are more than twenty. Look at this mess and I want to send heartfelt greetings to all buried domestic microelectronics.
Well, not very much and wanted
Again takes the idea aside. This time I want to say a little bit about jobs. And this is a pure functionality without the frills. I want to clap her hands with delight. All the rooms are the same size (even from high authorities), each sits 3-4 people, depending on the type of activity and the need of stands. Ergonomic chairs, nobody interferes with anyone and no sacrilegious openspaces. Sit but work happily. By the way, one of the groups development leads directly to the Director of STC Metrotek because the Director is good, but remember something.
Perhaps this is the crucial circuitry Metrotech
The mind, after the circuitry has to be a story about the production, but needless to there will be a lot of pictures, so it's best to leave them for dessert, while we talk about the development. After production comes the finished Board have to do three operations: write driver and to prepare the core of the system. And at the same time to optimize.
Moved a couple of doors and you are at a group of design engineers. They are doing the greater good: embedded Wi-Fi modules, run custom software on the testers, optimize the work with batteries etc.
Having received strict orders not to go anywhere with hands for all inclusive and energised, feel free to go inside. Their office was the most vivid impression at the time. Due to the fact that the system is neatly design between hardware and software, these guys are equally cheerful and know how to solder and write code.
Typical workplace
In the Cabinet under the rhythmic crackling of the oscilloscope and the smell of rosin, there is a mystery of writing drivers, sealing-in of additional modules, the configuration of the axis of the core and dependency tracking of packages. Sometimes it leads to the creation of monsters, but that doesn't make them less attractive. And themselves here, like Qt.
But strictly speaking, the group of system development provides a calm and relaxing work programs-interfaces device management, which is responsible for the application group. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Creative mess As is
Goodbye to the designers, feel free to open the door to FPGA developers and catch them develop regular features to all the same 100.
100 clearly pleased at the new features and does not hide it
Here I want to explain why FPGA? What are they so wonderful?
Once we have dedicated to an entire issue to this topic, but for those who missed it, here is a brief distillation of meaning.
So, first and foremost, FPGA, unlike other PLD (FPGA) allows the user to configure its functional part virtually in any way, often limited only by the imagination. Want powerful colorize — realize a thousand tubes, I want network controller — please check out the new-fangled HMC memory — a flag in hands. In reality, this means that even after the release of the device, the developer reserves to itself the possibility of correcting iron bugs. There are a million and one thousand examples were produced in the party of sitework implemented on ASIC, it was small but very nasty bug that cannot be corrected at the level of the drivers and the manufacturer, blushing, has released a new revision of the devices, incurring serious losses. And don't forget to keep in mind that the timing of the release of the new revision shall be calculated in months at best. In the case of FPGA, the average error correction takes two weeks. Or faster, if the joint came out very very bad.
The second advantage, and many consider him more important than the first — the ability to huge concurrency. For example, one modest chip has a 48 transceivers, each provides a rate of transmission of 12 GB/s. Multiply the first to the second and get >500 GB/s. Very impressive figure. And then the battle comes, FPGA developer. It depends only on how to tame such a power properly routed information flow to provide maximum productivity coupled with stability.
Happy developer talks about his brainchild
Now Metrotickets actively working with a relatively new platform — SoC (System on Chip). The meaning of SoC — placement functionality of a full system in a single chip. For example, it is possible to combine ARM, FPGA and a piece of memory under the same roof. This will give a huge speed internal communication within a single crystal, get rid of bottlenecks in a variety of bus systems. The speed depends on the crystal, but the data processing speed of 560 GB/s absolutely real numbers.
they Say if you look long enough something will not be clear
Admiringly vyhodnou, we head to the final stage of application development.
It is the Kingdom of Android, custom menus, and measuring interfaces. Everything written here is tested on live equipment. The software is developed on the platform of Apache Cordova that interacts with the system through the previously written API, using USB/IP interface. The creators of the API sit next door, so that all issues are resolved very quickly.
Maybe I was already tired, but again I remind you that the set of implemented devices and test their algorithms is not taken from the ceiling, and strictly from the RFC and additions to them.
a variant of the test stand
In the beginning of the article it was stated that STC Metrotek is not super large areas, but their production has. The power output is at the level of working samples of the designed equipment and the provision of small-scale Assembly. But sometimes, in the case involving additional factors for example fee of the same 100, just not physically placed in local brazing furnace, and to buy a larger size for single orders, devoid of meaning.
No General form not
In defiance of tradition, here in the installation are only men. This is probably a consequence of the very makasarili when not are task to sit day and night on the Assembly line and poke a soldering iron in the same place, same details.
Certainly not one a manual installation of the shop alive and they have a machine for mounting small rassypuha. He stands in a separate clean room, all quite pleasing, though not striking in performance. We got him unloaded, sad sigh and returned to the Assembly room.
Here it is, a Chinese laborer
Through further inspection of the premises, it was noticed that in addition to the classic mounting parts on the Board, there is still boiled optical time-domain reflectometer for picking testers OTDR modules. Also, out of interest, was found a workshop for making plastic housings, models of new devices or just their zapilivanija. As the proverb says — after Assembly, carefully processed with a file. Or even a circular saw.
When you see the circular saw, and behind the wall is the mounting 0.1-0.2
But moving further along the processing chain. After the device is assembled and filled firmware, all without exception sent to simple daily test — completing the loop and include the measurement test. If the day fighter held out and didn't go smoke, then fit for military service. According to statistics, the day is enough to detect all the problematic elements.
testing the testers at various stages of Assembly
Each instrument is a passport, begin simultaneously with the installation where you specify all its history, including who established what elements who carried out the testing, calibration, what firmware is installed and so on. Maintaining such strict reporting allows certified devices to use their testimony as evidence in court. Now your provider will be responsible for hindering the tanks to the fullest extent!
It should be noted that all the equipment is the most suitable for harsh environment field use. For example the eagle MMT, representing a modular configurable platform that could be two times less, but for the sake of strength I had to sacrifice miniaturization and pack it in a sturdy iron frame. But the devices are certified according to the class strength and they can safely drop on the floor several times a day.
Patient Berkut MMT
After the tests, the devices are packaged and delivered to the customer. And here we are naturally surprised. The concept of good packaging has reached a new level. The most valuable equipment STC Metrotek delivers exclusively in high impact cases, without exception. They can be safely thrown out the window or put on top of a young elephant. Inside electronics will remain intact in its foam Kingdom.
Experience has shown that good equipment is better to provide a good suitcase. Yourself and cheaper, and customers accustomed to cardboard packaging, feel a sense of genuine delight. Rumor has it that the most clever guys use these bags for travel. It is unlikely that your socks and t-shirts will feel more comfort, than in this case.
100 surrounded by the care and gentleness
Finally looked at the local Museum, which contains samples of all previously released devices. Interesting was marked BERcut-MMT, the first generation, the design of which, was made exclusively by developers.
the Design engineers. It exists.
And huddled close to a demo stand, which is in the process of rebuilding, so to not boast happened. Well, at least svetodiody upstairs included.
All editorial Linkmeup loves to tell success stories of companies of telecommunication created out of the former Soviet Union.
"STC Metrotek" can safely be called the pearl and set an example to all. The company conducts its business, rather than relying on Western giants of industry, and actively competes with them and is constantly releasing cutting-edge devices that meet the changing realities of our time.
For example, the first device, the eagle-C, compact analyzer E1, performed on the basis of iPAQ, frankly, have exceeded their time. Then each analyser must have been hard to fit into a large backpack, and maintain it should have been at least two. Operators did not believe, took the tests, was delighted and was afraid to give it field engineers in hand because or lost or stolen. And then iPAQ as a platform completely died, but engineers STC Metrotek didn't give up and continued to work hard, continuing to delight all communications with our instruments.
Therefore, I sincerely want to wish them the further development, strengthening presence in the international markets and bring us a device that will provide the first new test standard not only in CIS, but all over the world, at least.
As we go is the cooling pizza and write this report.
Article based on information from habrahabr.ru
Attention! Under the cut text with images. The quality of the pictures can be very frustrating creative people, but we only had a long lens. Our business is to warn.
Historical note
“Scientific-technical center Metrotek” — since 2003 is engaged in creation of devices for measurements on telecommunication networks, analyzers and switches, providing full cycle of development from design boards to the program filling all levels. Have a well-deserved reasons to be proud: created Russia's first compact analyzer Gigabit ethernet, and then 10G, and then came the analyzer-balancer 100G. Know about networks, almost all. Holders of OUI rooms, that in itself inspires. Revere RFC 2544 and Y. 1564 recommendation of it. Presented on the international market. Actively participate in specialized events dedicated to microcontrollers, Linux, etc., work with students, conduct training courses in programming, take the internship.
Deployment
STC Metrotek is located in the business center near metro station Pionerskaya, where you can easily walk for 10 minutes at a leisurely pace. Before the visit, it was known that at the indicated address is at all, and development and production. But on arrival it turned out that STC Metrotek is surprisingly modest, for its size, square.
Main office corridor
We met the lovely Natalie first took us to the Cookie (on the door and it was written), drink coffee and buns, advertised pizza at the end of the tour and clarified for failing to see the huge production area and the actual office space. It turns out that the PostScript at the beginning of the name NTC, is there not just for beauty or solidity, and reflects the main goal of the company — carrying out scientific-research works, and in particular, to engage in small-scale manufacturing devices. Makasarili, in this case, means the party of 1000 pieces. In the case of large orders, or performing a technically complex installation, STC Metrotek has local partners. By the way, usually, the entire production cycle is closed in the limits of Saint Petersburg. Maybe that's why in the design of their devices used the whole palette of grey =)
Our guide Natalia and greeters all Julia V.
path
We arrived at a place on the brink of a foul, i.e. at the moment when the working day of most of the staff were already closed but we still had a chance to catch the most persistent and experienced. From the doorway noted that in the office there is the presence of force and the kind of right atmosphere of the place where it is pleasant to stay and work. A little later came the realization that this is all due to the attention to detail and desire local girls embellish this technological Paradise. Although on closer examination it turned out that half of greenery in the office blatantly plastic, but assured us that soon this attack will win, but all the buds hanging in the hallway, strictly natural and hand-assembled in the nearby woods.
Those are the most enjoyable parts
Immediately after the reception there are three sacred things — office Bulletin Board, a PCB of a stylized tree with pictures of employees and all of a sudden the server. Of the staff was gone, and without them there not allowed, but she assured us that there's just a server and nothing surprising. Did not argue, but noted that everyone in the office connected via 10G fiber. Why? Well, obviously the same office lives on diskless machines, working on the Linux terminals. The author of the review strongly endorses these decisions.
How it works
Our walk around the office, we decided to make downstream development of any local device because is it different from the usual softovoi and it is better to give a brief explanation.
got a weakness for colour and strange symbols
Self-it all starts with an idea. But here is an idea cannot exist by itself and to be divorced from the realities of the world. The idea should be immediately wrapped up in the technical capabilities of modern microelectronics, in parallel, finding the pitfalls, reflecting on solution methods and opening new interesting opportunities. The first incarnation of the ideas come from the circuitry. They are developing a circuit Board, which is produced in the workplace. Then, still warm fee, falls into the hands of design engineers that bring to mind the technical and logical stuffing, teaching fee, to interact with the operating system. But the farther into the forest, the more code and on the next stage, it is taken for FPGA programmers. From task to teach a new device to use all its power for the good of civilization, implementing logic circuits. And last on the line, but not least, it takes a development application that programmatically implements the necessary tests and makes polzovateley interface.
And now let's visit each Department for more detailed acquaintance.
a Piece of the hall of fame
circuit design
So, the idea is, the theory worked, and it is time to begin to practice. The first who takes the hit, it's circuitry. Applying the magic of software to trace, they make the design of future boards. A average device is on six-layer PCB, but sometimes it comes to major developments on the 22 layer. For example, in the current main pride of STC Metrotek — switch Berkut B100, just use these boards. Actually, here it is:
Fee of 100, in the buff
A closer examination reveals that the Board has the classical structure of the motherboard General purpose — a place for the CPU (specifically here Corei7) memory So-Dimm slots, PCI-e bus, eSATA, etc. That's just a regular nurse is a 4, at least 6 layers, and there are more than twenty. Look at this mess and I want to send heartfelt greetings to all buried domestic microelectronics.
Well, not very much and wanted
Again takes the idea aside. This time I want to say a little bit about jobs. And this is a pure functionality without the frills. I want to clap her hands with delight. All the rooms are the same size (even from high authorities), each sits 3-4 people, depending on the type of activity and the need of stands. Ergonomic chairs, nobody interferes with anyone and no sacrilegious openspaces. Sit but work happily. By the way, one of the groups development leads directly to the Director of STC Metrotek because the Director is good, but remember something.
Perhaps this is the crucial circuitry Metrotech
Development in three steps
The mind, after the circuitry has to be a story about the production, but needless to there will be a lot of pictures, so it's best to leave them for dessert, while we talk about the development. After production comes the finished Board have to do three operations: write driver and to prepare the core of the system. And at the same time to optimize.
Moved a couple of doors and you are at a group of design engineers. They are doing the greater good: embedded Wi-Fi modules, run custom software on the testers, optimize the work with batteries etc.
Having received strict orders not to go anywhere with hands for all inclusive and energised, feel free to go inside. Their office was the most vivid impression at the time. Due to the fact that the system is neatly design between hardware and software, these guys are equally cheerful and know how to solder and write code.
Typical workplace
In the Cabinet under the rhythmic crackling of the oscilloscope and the smell of rosin, there is a mystery of writing drivers, sealing-in of additional modules, the configuration of the axis of the core and dependency tracking of packages. Sometimes it leads to the creation of monsters, but that doesn't make them less attractive. And themselves here, like Qt.
But strictly speaking, the group of system development provides a calm and relaxing work programs-interfaces device management, which is responsible for the application group. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Creative mess As is
Goodbye to the designers, feel free to open the door to FPGA developers and catch them develop regular features to all the same 100.
100 clearly pleased at the new features and does not hide it
Here I want to explain why FPGA? What are they so wonderful?
Once we have dedicated to an entire issue to this topic, but for those who missed it, here is a brief distillation of meaning.
So, first and foremost, FPGA, unlike other PLD (FPGA) allows the user to configure its functional part virtually in any way, often limited only by the imagination. Want powerful colorize — realize a thousand tubes, I want network controller — please check out the new-fangled HMC memory — a flag in hands. In reality, this means that even after the release of the device, the developer reserves to itself the possibility of correcting iron bugs. There are a million and one thousand examples were produced in the party of sitework implemented on ASIC, it was small but very nasty bug that cannot be corrected at the level of the drivers and the manufacturer, blushing, has released a new revision of the devices, incurring serious losses. And don't forget to keep in mind that the timing of the release of the new revision shall be calculated in months at best. In the case of FPGA, the average error correction takes two weeks. Or faster, if the joint came out very very bad.
The second advantage, and many consider him more important than the first — the ability to huge concurrency. For example, one modest chip has a 48 transceivers, each provides a rate of transmission of 12 GB/s. Multiply the first to the second and get >500 GB/s. Very impressive figure. And then the battle comes, FPGA developer. It depends only on how to tame such a power properly routed information flow to provide maximum productivity coupled with stability.
Happy developer talks about his brainchild
Now Metrotickets actively working with a relatively new platform — SoC (System on Chip). The meaning of SoC — placement functionality of a full system in a single chip. For example, it is possible to combine ARM, FPGA and a piece of memory under the same roof. This will give a huge speed internal communication within a single crystal, get rid of bottlenecks in a variety of bus systems. The speed depends on the crystal, but the data processing speed of 560 GB/s absolutely real numbers.
they Say if you look long enough something will not be clear
Admiringly vyhodnou, we head to the final stage of application development.
It is the Kingdom of Android, custom menus, and measuring interfaces. Everything written here is tested on live equipment. The software is developed on the platform of Apache Cordova that interacts with the system through the previously written API, using USB/IP interface. The creators of the API sit next door, so that all issues are resolved very quickly.
Maybe I was already tired, but again I remind you that the set of implemented devices and test their algorithms is not taken from the ceiling, and strictly from the RFC and additions to them.
a variant of the test stand
And finally production
In the beginning of the article it was stated that STC Metrotek is not super large areas, but their production has. The power output is at the level of working samples of the designed equipment and the provision of small-scale Assembly. But sometimes, in the case involving additional factors for example fee of the same 100, just not physically placed in local brazing furnace, and to buy a larger size for single orders, devoid of meaning.
No General form not
In defiance of tradition, here in the installation are only men. This is probably a consequence of the very makasarili when not are task to sit day and night on the Assembly line and poke a soldering iron in the same place, same details.
Certainly not one a manual installation of the shop alive and they have a machine for mounting small rassypuha. He stands in a separate clean room, all quite pleasing, though not striking in performance. We got him unloaded, sad sigh and returned to the Assembly room.
Here it is, a Chinese laborer
Through further inspection of the premises, it was noticed that in addition to the classic mounting parts on the Board, there is still boiled optical time-domain reflectometer for picking testers OTDR modules. Also, out of interest, was found a workshop for making plastic housings, models of new devices or just their zapilivanija. As the proverb says — after Assembly, carefully processed with a file. Or even a circular saw.
When you see the circular saw, and behind the wall is the mounting 0.1-0.2
But moving further along the processing chain. After the device is assembled and filled firmware, all without exception sent to simple daily test — completing the loop and include the measurement test. If the day fighter held out and didn't go smoke, then fit for military service. According to statistics, the day is enough to detect all the problematic elements.
testing the testers at various stages of Assembly
Each instrument is a passport, begin simultaneously with the installation where you specify all its history, including who established what elements who carried out the testing, calibration, what firmware is installed and so on. Maintaining such strict reporting allows certified devices to use their testimony as evidence in court. Now your provider will be responsible for hindering the tanks to the fullest extent!
It should be noted that all the equipment is the most suitable for harsh environment field use. For example the eagle MMT, representing a modular configurable platform that could be two times less, but for the sake of strength I had to sacrifice miniaturization and pack it in a sturdy iron frame. But the devices are certified according to the class strength and they can safely drop on the floor several times a day.
Patient Berkut MMT
After the tests, the devices are packaged and delivered to the customer. And here we are naturally surprised. The concept of good packaging has reached a new level. The most valuable equipment STC Metrotek delivers exclusively in high impact cases, without exception. They can be safely thrown out the window or put on top of a young elephant. Inside electronics will remain intact in its foam Kingdom.
Experience has shown that good equipment is better to provide a good suitcase. Yourself and cheaper, and customers accustomed to cardboard packaging, feel a sense of genuine delight. Rumor has it that the most clever guys use these bags for travel. It is unlikely that your socks and t-shirts will feel more comfort, than in this case.
100 surrounded by the care and gentleness
output
Finally looked at the local Museum, which contains samples of all previously released devices. Interesting was marked BERcut-MMT, the first generation, the design of which, was made exclusively by developers.
the Design engineers. It exists.
And huddled close to a demo stand, which is in the process of rebuilding, so to not boast happened. Well, at least svetodiody upstairs included.
Farewell and conclusions from what they saw
All editorial Linkmeup loves to tell success stories of companies of telecommunication created out of the former Soviet Union.
"STC Metrotek" can safely be called the pearl and set an example to all. The company conducts its business, rather than relying on Western giants of industry, and actively competes with them and is constantly releasing cutting-edge devices that meet the changing realities of our time.
For example, the first device, the eagle-C, compact analyzer E1, performed on the basis of iPAQ, frankly, have exceeded their time. Then each analyser must have been hard to fit into a large backpack, and maintain it should have been at least two. Operators did not believe, took the tests, was delighted and was afraid to give it field engineers in hand because or lost or stolen. And then iPAQ as a platform completely died, but engineers STC Metrotek didn't give up and continued to work hard, continuing to delight all communications with our instruments.
Therefore, I sincerely want to wish them the further development, strengthening presence in the international markets and bring us a device that will provide the first new test standard not only in CIS, but all over the world, at least.
As we go is the cooling pizza and write this report.
Комментарии
Отправить комментарий