MXI-Express Gen 2 x8 Theory of Operation

MXI-Express Gen 2 x8 is based on PCI Express technology. A MXI-Express Gen 2 x8 kit uses PCI Express switches to enable control of a PXI Express or CompactPCI Express chassis from a PC with an available PCI Express slot, or from a PXI Express chassis with an available PXI Express slot. The switch architecture is transparent to device drivers, so no additional software is needed for CompactPCI Express level support for PXI Express devices in connected chassis.

Note For full PXI/PXI Express functionality such as chassis and controller identification, trigger routing, and slot detection, download and install the PXI Platform Services driver from ni.com/downloads.

The link between the PC and the chassis is a Gen 2 x8 cabled PCI Express link. This link is a dual-simplex communication channel comprised of eight low-voltage, differentially driven signal pairs. The link can transmit at a rate of 40 Gb/s in each direction simultaneously.

Note This link is compatible with the cabled PCI Express specification developed by the PCI-SIG.