New PLX Technology Rapid Development Kit Enables Easy Migration of ISA-Based Cards to PCI.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 2001

PLX Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:PLXT) today announced the PLX(R) PCI 9052RDK-LITE, a rapid development kit (RDK) allowing designers and manufacturers to migrate easily and efficiently Industry Standard Architecture (ISA)-based boards to PCI for use in the hundreds of millions of PCI slots built into today's computers and communication systems.

The PCI 9052RDK-LITE allows engineers to take advantage of the PLX PCI 9052 I/O Accelerator chip and its direct ISA-to-PCI interface for quick migration of the ISA designs to PCI with minimal risk. The PCI 9052 and PCI 9052RDK-LITE also provide a significant economic advantage to adapter-board manufacturers; hundreds of ISA designs, currently shipping in volume, can be converted easily to PCI, thus extending their product lives.

(The PLX PCI 9052 I/O Accelerator provides a PCI 2.1-compliant target interface, as well as a direct ISA interface for adapter boards, enabling rapid conversion of ISA-based cards to the PCI bus. Designers already have used the PCI 9052 to migrate nearly one thousand ISA boards to the PCI interface.)

Minimal Risk, Acceleration of Hardware and Software Development

Like all PLX RDKs, the PCI 9052RDK-LITE is designed to serve as a complete product development environment, with features and form factors similar to final product configurations. The ISA-to-PCI reference board in the PCI 9052RDK-LITE provides a versatile hardware platform for PCI 9052-based designs. The board allows a designer to plug an ISA card into the pre-wired ISA slot provided on the RDK board, then interface directly to the on-board PCI 9052 for both hardware design and software development. Additionally, the board's large and flexible prototyping area allows the designer to incorporate value-added logic.

The PCI 9052RDK-LITE includes the PLX HDK CD-ROM, providing all the RDK hardware design information, as well as many proven reusable hardware components for designers' final products. This can speed time to market and minimize the design risk.

The PCI 9052RDK-LITE also includes the PLX SDK-LITE, a complete set of Microsoft(R) Windows(R) host-side software development tools for PLX PCI I/O Accelerator devices. The SDK-LITE enables developers to create quickly Windows drivers and applications for PCI bus-master and target applications. The PLXMon(R) debug and diagnostic tool, included in the SDK-LITE, greatly simplifies the debugging process of PCI hardware and software.

Availability and Pricing

The PLX PCI 9052RDK-LITE will be available in Q4 for $299. To order, please go to the PLX Web site -- www.plxtech.com -- for the on-line purchase service, as well as the complete product information and a list of worldwide distributors.

PLX Technology Inc. (www.plxtech.com), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., USA, is the leading supplier of high-speed silicon and software solutions for the networking and communications industries. The PLX solution includes industry-standard silicon, software for managing data throughout the PCI bus, rapid development tools that minimize design risk, and third-party development tool support through the PLX Partner Program. The PLX solution enables hardware designers and software developers to maximize system input/output (I/O), lower development costs, minimize system design risk and provide faster time to market. PLX PCI I/O Accelerator chips and I/O Processor devices are designed into a wide variety of embedded PCI communication systems.

Note to Editors: PLX and PLXMon are trademarks of PLX Technology, Inc., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other product names that appear in this material are for identification purposes only and are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.