PCI-SIG Board of Directors Approve PCI-X 2.0 Specification for High-Bandwidth Local I/O; PCI-X 266 and PCI-X 533 Offer a Low-Cost and Fully Backward Compatible Interconnect Solution.Business Editors and High Tech Writers PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 23, 2002 The PCI-SIG, the Special Interest Group responsible for PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). , PCI-X (PCI eXtended) An enhanced PCI bus technology originally developed by IBM, HP and Compaq that is backward compatible with existing PCI cards. PCI and 32-bit PCI-X slots are physically the same, and PCI cards can plug into PCI-X slots. and PCI Express A high-speed peripheral interconnect from Intel introduced in 2002. Note that although sometimes abbreviated "PCX," PCI Express is not the same as "PCI-X" (see PCI-SIG and PCI-X for comparison). As a result of the confusion, "PCI-E" or "PCIe" is the accepted abbreviation. (a) industry-standard I/O (Input/Output) The transfer of data between the CPU and a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input to another. See PC input/output. I/O - Input/Output technologies, announced today that its board of directors has approved the official public release of the protocol portion of the PCI-X 2.0 specification. The board also approved the posting of the `release candidate' for the electrical portion of the PCI-X 2.0 specification to the PCI-SIG web site. Together, these two specifications provide all of the information that silicon and systems engineers need to begin their PCI-X 266 and PCI-X 533 product designs today. The electrical portion of the PCI-X 2.0 specification is in the final stages of validation to ensure that the specification meets rigorous engineering standards. The PCI-SIG will release the electrical portion upon completion of this validation process in the coming weeks. The PCI-X 2.0 specification defines two new versions of PCI-X add-in cards: PCI-X 266 and PCI-X 533. The first, PCI-X 266, runs at speeds up to 266 Mega transfers per second, enabling sustainable PCI bandwidth of more than 2.1 Gigabytes/second. PCI-X 533 runs at speeds up to 533 Mega transfers per second enabling bandwidth of more than 4.2 Gigabytes/second. Such throughput rates are more than sufficient to handle current applications while also supporting future high-bandwidth add-in card connections to 10 Gigabit Ethernet An Ethernet standard that transmits at 1 Gbps. Used mostly to connect high-end workstations and servers as well as for network backbones, Gigabit Ethernet transmits full duplex from point to point using switches and half duplex in a shared environment (CSMA/CD) using a hub. , 10 Gigabit Fibre Channel, Serial Attached SCSI See SAS. , Serial ATA See SATA. Serial ATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA (Serial ATA) A serial version of the ATA (IDE) interface, which has been the de facto standard hard disk interface for desktop PCs for more than two decades. The original Parallel ATA (PATA) interface was launched in 1986. ), InfiniBand, RAID and cluster interconnects for servers and workstations. "The notion of any card, any slot, anytime has arrived," said Tony Pierce, PCI-SIG chairman. "The PCI-X 2.0 specification demonstrates the PCI-SIG's commitment to maintaining backward compatibility, while expanding the capabilities of PCI to meet future requirements. PCI-X 266 and PCI-X 533 offer an easy migration path for designers of high bandwidth applications who require maximum performance within a stable design environment." "PCI-X is established as the undisputed high-bandwidth interconnect standard for the server marketplace because it protects both the hardware and software investments already established with PCI," said Al Yanes, president of the PCI-SIG. "PCI-X 266 and PCI-X 533 boost bandwidth to levels that will support the industry's fastest add-in card connections and preserve backward compatibility for years to come." PCI-X 2.0 Preserves Hardware and Software Compatibility with PCI PCI-X 2.0 leverages the protocol enhancements used in the widely adopted PCI-X 1.0 specification, such as byte counts and split transactions, enabling maximum operational efficiency with host bridges, PCI-to-PCI bridges and main memory. The PCI-X 2.0 specification also incorporates Error Checking and Correction (ECC (1) (Error-Correcting Code) A type of memory that corrects errors on the fly. See ECC memory. (2) (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) A public key cryptography method that provides fast decryption and digital signature processing. (TM)), ensuring end-to-end data integrity that is critical for the server market. Additionally, the bus-per-slot provided with PCI-X 2.0 delivers excellent fault isolation and improved performance guarantees for advanced levels of reliability. PCI-X 2.0 is also fully backward compatible with previous generations of PCI, which means that motherboard and system designers can immediately deploy products that accommodate existing PCI cards, while supporting present and future low-cost, high-bandwidth PCI-X 2.0 devices. By the same token, PCI-X 2.0 adapter cards will be able to plug into any PCI slot and operate at the maximum speed of that slot. This makes PCI-X 2.0 an ideal solution for corporate customers in the server and networking markets, who place a high priority on maximizing current technology investments. PCI-X 2.0 Designed for Cost Parity and Easy Upgrade "The PCI-X 2.0 workgroup maintained a clear focus on the key issues of cost parity with PCI-X 1.0 and the ease of upgrading from an existing PCI or PCI-X design," said Dwight Riley, PCI-X 2.0 workgroup chairman. "PCI-X 2.0 builds upon all the work and development of the PCI-X 1.0 specification. As a result, PCI-X 266 and PCI-X 533 will be implemented with minimal system redesign, and PCI-X 2.0 compliance ensures that new designs are also compliant with PCI-X 1.0 and Conventional PCI. During the final stage of our electrical validation, the bulletproofing phase, we will ensure that PCI-X 2.0 will support all the worst-case design permutations." The PCI-X 2.0 workgroup was formed in October 2000, and comprised a total of 13 PCI-SIG member companies, including Adaptec, Agilent, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, www.amd.com) A major manufacturer of semiconductor devices including x86-compatible CPUs, embedded processors, flash memories, programmable logic devices and networking chips. , Emulex, HP, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) , Intel, LSI LSI: see integrated circuit. (Large Scale Integration) Between 3,000 and 100,000 transistors on a chip. See SSI, MSI, VLSI and ULSI. Logic, NEC (NEC Corporation, Tokyo, www.nec.com, www.necus.com) An electronics conglomerate known in the U.S. for its monitors. In Japan, it had the lion's share of the PC market until the late 1990s (see PC 98). NEC was founded in Tokyo in 1899 as Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. , PLX PLX Pharmacy, Laboratory, and Radiology (X-Ray) PLX Power Line Exchange , ServerWorks, Sun Microsystems and Tyco Electronics. Join PCI-SIG to Obtain the PCI-X 2.0 Specification The new PCI-X 2.0 `ratified' protocol and `release candidate' electrical specifications will be posted to the PCI-SIG web site during the week of July 22nd at www.pcisig.com. The specification will be available to PCI-SIG members free of charge. If you are not a member, PCI-SIG specifications are available as open industry standards for a fee. Ordering information is available at www.pcisig.com/specifications. For questions on ordering this specification, please contact PCI-SIG Administration at administration@pcisig.com. Note to Editors(a): On July 23rd, the PCI-SIG also announced board approval of the PCI Express specifications in a separate press release. Please see PCI-SIG web site for details. About the PCI-SIG The PCI-SIG is the Special Interest Group that owns and manages PCI specifications as open industry standards. The organization defines and implements new industry standard I/O (Input/Output) specifications as the industry's local I/O needs evolve. The PCI Special Interest Group was formed in 1992, and the organization became a nonprofit corporation nonprofit corporation n. an organization incorporated under state laws and approved by both the state's Secretary of State and its taxing authority as operating for educational, charitable, social, religious, civic or humanitarian purposes. , officially named "PCI-SIG" in the year 2000. Currently, more than 780 industry-leading companies are active PCI-SIG members. The PCI-SIG's current directors are employed by the following PCI-SIG member companies: Adaptec, AMD, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Phoenix Technologies, ServerWorks and TI. For more information about the PCI-SIG, and PCI-SIG membership benefits, contact the PCI-SIG by phone, at (800) 433-5177 (within the United States), or by fax at (503) 297-1090, or visit the PCI-SIG web site at: http://www.pcisig.com All trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. |
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