PLX switched-PCI architecture Enables speed, expandability in new MAGMA PCI expansion system

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, July 29, 2002

PLX Technology (Nasdaq:PLXT) and MAGMA has announced that the PLX GigaBridge Switched-PCI architecture has been designed into MAGMA's new PCI expansion system. The GigaBridge Fabric PCI Expansion System, a high-speed board set for PCI expansion, features seven PCI slots, a 64-bit data path, 66MHz operation, and up to 528MB/sec throughput to applications including computing, imaging, communications and audio/video editing.

The GigaBridge-enabled PCI expansion system from MAGMA--the newest member of the PLX Partner Program--features a high-speed backplane with a single PCI bus segment supporting seven full-length PCI slots and delivering speeds up to four times faster than either Gigabit Ethernet or conventional 32-bit, 33MHz PCI. The system also includes a MAGMA daughtercard with the GigaBridge GBP Switched-PCI 64-bit, 66MHz controller; host bus adapter and cabling. The full system provides original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with a versatile PCI expansion option for a variety of applications.

"GigaBridge Switched-PCI technology continues to expand the boundaries of PCI in a broad range of applications, providing them with unprecedented performance," said Michael Sarpa, product marketing manager for Switched-PCI products at PLX Technology. "MAGMA has leveraged the power of switched-PCI in the new GigaBridge Fabric PCI Expansion System, whose speed and expandability will serve MAGMA's OEMs well."

The PLX GigaBridge Switched PCI architecture enables PCI-based telecommunications, data communications and embedded systems to incorporate 224 PCI bus segments, aggregate tens of gigabits per second, and connect two adjacent PCI devices up to 15 feet away, via a high-performance link. A cell-based architecture with independent PCI bus segments connected to each port, each GigaBridge switched PCI controller can drive up to four PCI slots and interoperates with other GigaBridge controllers as ports on the Switched PCI systems. Each GigaBridge controller is linked via two 16-bit-wide, point-to-point, low-voltage-differential links clocked at 400MHz, resulting in an aggregate bandwidth of more than 50 gigabits per second.

MAGMA is the newest member of the PLX Partner Program, which combines the expertise of a wide range of third-party suppliers to create and market development tools for new, high-performance systems using PLX's PCI interconnect chips and software.

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 switched-PCI devices are designed into a wide variety of embedded PCI communication systems, including switches, routers, line cards, media gateways, base stations, access multiplexors and remote access concentrators. PLX customers include many of the leading communications equipment companies, including 3Com, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Lucent Technologies, Marconi, Nortel Networks and Siemens.