The System Management Interface Forum (SMIF) has made what it calls an 'important new revision' to the PMBus standard. Revision 1.3.1 includes clarifications designed to to streamline and speed implementation. According to SMIF, the clarifications relate primarily to the ZONE and the Manufacturer Specific commands.
The ZONE command structure has been updated to allow definition of an 'ALL ZONE' and a 'NO ZONE' for greater partitioning flexibility. Meanwhile, recognising the need to address greater functionality, more Manufacturer Specific selections have been added in the command space and to the WRITE_PROTECT command.
PMBus, an open standard launched in 2005, enables communication between the various components of a power system. It has been adopted by more than 30 companies.