Product category:
Communications ICs (Wired)
News Release from: PLX Technology Europe | Subject: PEX 8114
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 06 May 2005
Versatile PCI Express bridge goes both
ways
The PEX 8114 is billed as the most versatile PCI Express bridging device in its class, capable of forward, reverse and nontransparent bridging, and features 1Gbyte/s throughput.
PLX Technology is sampling the PLX ExpressLane PEX 8114 PCI Express-to-PCI-X bridge The PEX 8114 is billed as the most versatile PCI Express (PCIe) bridging device in its class, capable of forward, reverse and nontransparent bridging, and features 1Gbyte/s throughput
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 5 Jul 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Switches and bridges ready for PCI Express growth
The new PLX PEX line of PCI Express bridges and switches is billed as the industry's most complete and flexible line of interconnect chips based on PCI Express technology.
Express bridge chip cuts package size and power
The PEX 8114 is the latest PLX ExpressLane PCIe device to reach production level, making PLX the only vendor with four PCIe bridges and switches now available in volume.
The PEX 8114 also features the industry's lowest power consumption and smallest package of any PCIe-to-PCI-X bridge.
System and board designers now can order samples of the PEX 8114, which enables them to upgrade their PCI designs to rapidly growing PCIe interconnect standard.
Designers also can order a PLX Rapid Development Kit (RDK) - PLX offers two versions, one for forward-bridging mode, the other for reverse-bridging mode - to evaluate the bridging device's features, streamline product development and quickly bring PEX 8114-based designs to market.
Further reading
Switched-PCI architecture speeds expansion
The PLX GigaBridge switched-PCI architecture has been designed into Magma's new PCI expansion system.
Switched-PCI alternative for storage
As storage-system makers begin to adopt alternative interconnect technologies, switched-PCI is providing them a means of expanding and improving the overall performance of their systems.
Interconnect devices support PCI Express
PLX Technology is developing I/O interconnect devices based on the next-generation input/output architecture PCI Express.
The PEX 8114 device bridges PCIe components to conventional PCI/PCI-X chips and subsystems.
In forward mode, the PEX 8114 allows legacy PCI or PCI-X chips and adapters to be used with new PCIe systems.
The PEX 8114 can also operate in reverse-bridging mode, a feature which PLX pioneered in the PCIe architecture, enabling the ever-expanding number of native-mode PCIe chips to bridge back to the PCI-X infrastructure.
Reverse bridging allows conventional PCI or PCI-X processors and chipsets to configure and control advanced PCIe switches and endpoints.
The PEX 8114 features a four-lane PCIe port with integrated 2.5Gbit/s serdes.
The device supports the advanced PCI-X protocol - at 64bit, 133MHz operation - but also provides full bus-backward compatibility with 32 and 64bit PCI boards and systems, which helps preserve investment in and extend the life of legacy PCI/PCI-X designs.
Although the PEX 8114 bridge provides significant performance-enhancing features, it was also designed with power and space-constrained applications in mind.
The 17 x 17mm standard BGA footprint is ideal for a wide range of adapter designs, from standard I/O cards to mezzanine and daughter boards to ExpressCard applications.
Additionally, with a maximum power consumption of less than 2W, no heatsink or special airflow is required, making it highly suitable for environments with tight thermal restrictions.
Furthermore, the small size and power characteristics allow the PEX 8114 to be easily designed into motherboards and backplane systems based on PCIe technology.
To aid designers and manufacturers, the forward- and reverse-bridging PLX PEX 8114RDK kits provide complete development support packages for the PEX 8114 device.
Each RDK includes a proven, working hardware platform incorporating the bridge chip, complete set of board schematics, symbols and layout files for hardware design, and an extensive software support package that includes a graphical utility for access to chip registers, sample drivers and support for Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems.
The forward-bridge RDK's board plugs into any standard PCIe slot compatible with the PCIe Card Electromechanical (CEM) spec 1.1, including PC motherboards with PCIe slots.
The reverse-bridge RDK board plugs into any legacy PCI-X or 64bit PCI motherboard for evaluating PCIe endpoint cards behind the reverse PEX 8114 bridge.
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