To help provide system versatility, standards-based operation and cost savings in data center and storage applications, Microchip Technology (Nasdaq: MCHP) has launched the EEC1005-UB2 Universal Backplane Management (UBM) controller family. The generic, easily configurable UBM devices can be used on hard drive backplanes to provide storage enclosure management and reporting to computing host systems using industry standard communication protocols. ECC1005-UB2 devices are compliant with the latest SFF-TA-1005 version 1.4 specifications and are downward compatible with systems currently using the EEC1005-UB1 UBM to enable easy migration and quick time to market.

Easily configurable to support different drive types, EEC1005 UBM controllers are interchangeable with a variety of backplanes, including NVM Express^® (NVMe^®), Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) and Serial ATA (SATA) drives. The controllers support tri-mode operation, which enables them to work with all three types of drives simultaneously. The use of a standard connector between NVMe, SAS and SATA drives can help reduce cable and connector pin requirements, lowering the overall Bill of Materials (BOM) costs. Additionally, Field Replaceable Units (FRUs) allow for fast and easy in-field updates to the backplane configuration.

Key Features:

Easy-to-use solution with out-of-box configurations
Integrated UBM, FRU and controller
Support for UBM, Intel^® Virtual Pin Port (VPP) and Serial General Purpose Input/Output (SGPIO) for drive management
Support for SAS/SATA and NVMe with U.2, U.3 and EDSFF drive types
Optional sideband I²C bus for aggregated BMC direct access
Customizable LED patterns including test modes
Secure boot and firmware update (over UBM or BMC)

“The updated EEC1005 family of UBMs is well suited to support a variety of data center applications,” said Nuri Dagdeviren, corporate vice president of Microchip’s secure computing group. “Designed to be highly integrated, flexible and secure, EEC1005 devices help lower system costs and reduce development time.”

To support easy development, an EEC1005 development board offers several storage headers to allow customers to validate the device and test many of the out-of-box configurations it offers. Download the EEC1005-UB2 data sheet to learn more.

Pricing and Availability
The EEC-1005-UB2 product line is available starting at $7.33 each in 10,000-unit quantities. For additional information and to purchase, contact a Microchip sales representative, authorized worldwide distributor or visit Microchip’s Purchasing and Client Services website, www.microchipdirect.com.