For RFID to fully deliver on its transformative promise, vendors must deliver scaleable, enterprise-class technology platforms that enable high level performance, enterprise-class manageability, enterprise integration and compliance with diverse regulatory requirements. Introduced with the Alien ALR-9800 Reader, the Alien Enterprise RFID Platform is such an architectural platform.

The Enterprise RFID Platform is a powerful and expandable platform for the deployment of RFID across the supply chain-meeting all present requirements and providing an evolutionary path for addressing future requirements. The architectural basis for all future Alien readers and compatible with the widely deployed Alien Reader Protocol, the Enterprise RFID Platform strengthens the three linkages crucial to RFID systems:

• Reader-Tag link
• Reader-Enterprise link
• Reader-Reader link

Flexible, High-Performance Reader-Tag Link
Among its many programmable elements, the Enterprise RFID platform leverages a powerful DSP-a special-purpose CPU for digital signal processing-that enables:

• High read performance of current and future RFID protocols
• Rapid interleaving of different protocols for continued high read rates in mixed protocol environments

The ability to rapidly deliver support for new protocols is inherent in the Platform's architecture, starting with enabling compliance with all modes of the new EPC Class I Gen 2 specification. Along with extending customers' hardware investments, this flexibility enables Alien to comply with diverse regional regulatory requirements and deliver reader products worldwide.

Intelligent, Manageable Reader-Enterprise Link
The Enterprise RFID Platform leverages an advanced Intel XScaleT microprocessor and embedded Linux OS to power a control and management link between Alien readers and enterprise systems. The ability to support future reader communications protocols ? including forthcoming EPC reader protocals ? is designed into the Platform, as is support for industry-standard management protocols such as SNMP. As user needs evolve, the Platform's open OS provides support for other standard network protocols in areas such as network security.

Just as important, the programmable architecture enables users to establish differentiating value through the inclusion of proprietary software from Alien partners on the reader. For example, a version of the Alien ALR-9800 integrates IBM's WebSphere RFID Device Infrastructure (WRDI) for integration into IBM platform environments through the WebSphere RFID Premises Server.

Collaborative Reader-Reader Link
The Enterprise RFID Platform anticipates the proliferation of RFID across the enterprise-from incoming materials management to manufacturing to shipping and logistics. This implies large numbers of readers operating collaboratively with each other and with enterprise networks. The Enterprise RFID Platform is designed to provide such "dense reader" environments with the multiple coordination methods vital to ensuring continued top RFID performance-i.e.: no degradation of read rates due to reader contention for airtime.

Among these methods is full support for the Dense Reader Mode (DRM) defined by the Class I Gen 2 specification, which minimizes interference between DRM-compliant readers. As not all readers are DRM-compliant and as DRM is not allowed in certain geographies such as Europe, the Platform also implements other reader co-existence techniques as well as a broadband listen-before-talk capability to avoid interference with close proximity readers. The flexibility of the architecture also provides an evolutionary path to the implementation of future anti-interference techniques of increasing sophistication.

An Infrastructure For Today And The Future
With the Enterprise RFID Platform, Alien has delivered a state-of-the-art infrastructure for meeting today's most challenging RFID requirements for performance, manageability and regulatory compliance. But it is also an architecture geared to ensuring these key characteristics far into the future-adapting quickly and gracefully to changes in your enterprise, the RFID industry and global regulatory environments.