M9038A PXIe High Performance Embedded Controller

Introduction

The Keysight Technologies, Inc. M9038A is a high-performance, four-slot PXIe embedded PC controller with Windows 10 operating system designed for high-performance and complex, multi-chassis systems. It is well-suited for secure environments due to its front-panel, removable solid-state drive (SSD).

The embedded controller is built upon an Intel 6-Core i7-9850HE processor with 12 threads and is an excellent choice for complex applications requiring high computing power.

Key features

• Intel® Coffee Lake 6-Core i7-9850HE processor

• 4-slot PXIe controller module 

• Up to 64 GB RAM Memory

• Front removable 512 GB solid state drive

• Front panel connections: one Gigabit Ethernet port, one 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one GPIB connector, one DisplayPort video port, and two Thunderbolt 3.0 ports

6-Core Processor

The M9038A utilizes an Intel Coffee Lake 6-Core i7-9850HE processor. The CPU can execute up to twelve threads simultaneously. The bus speed of the CPU is 8 GT/s. The M9038A has six computing engines in a single processor, allowing for the execution of independent tasks at the same time in a multitasking environment.

Memory

The M9038A has two 260-pin SODIMM memory sockets which support DDR4-2666 RAM. The standard configuration is 32 GB, with an upgrade option for 64 GB.

Solid-State Drive

Secure environments benefit from the easily accessible, front removable 512 GB solid state drive (SSD) that is secured with front panel thumb screws. The SSD provides a faster boot time and is immune to vibration damage that mechanical drives may experience.

Video

The M9038A graphics are based on the integrated UHD 630 GPU. A DisplayPort++ front panel connector is provided and offers high bandwidth monitor support. The DisplayPort++ connector can support either a DisplayPort or HDMI by using a DisplayPort adapter (user-supplied). The two Thunderbolt 3.0 ports also support display resolution up to 5K and 2x 4K (daisy-chain).

PXIe Backplane Configuration

The embedded controller PCIe backplane switch provides a flexible backplane connection that can operate in a 2- or 4-link configuration. The PCIe x16 Gen 3 link between CPU and backplane provides up to 16 GB/s data bandwidth

Security features

The M9038A has the following security features built-in:

• TPM 2.0: provides hardware-based, security related functions

• UEFI: replaces the legacy BIOS and supports Secure Boot 

Software platform

The controller supports Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit only) which is installed along with drivers (for Keysight PXIe chassis and M9038A embedded controller), Keysight I/O libraries, VISA, Keysight Connection Expert, and the I/O monitor software.