PCI Express gains momentumNews from E-InSitePCI Express gained further momentum yesterday as the next-generation interconnect of choice with the announcement of wide industry support for its standards-based extension, dubbed Advanced Switching.
Advanced Switching is designed to join together components and system boards in low-to-midrange communications and embedded applications. It is a switched interconnect and data fabric technology based on the PCI Express architecture. Both technologies use the same physical and link layers to achieve widespread interoperability and availability of technology.
Advanced Switching differs with a transaction layer that is optimised to provide specialised comms features, such as high-availability functions, peer-to-peer and multicast networking, congestion and system management, scalability, and support for virtually any networking protocol. This layer allows the equipment developer to design extra features into their communications and embedded products.
Showing their support for PCI Express and Advanced Switching, many companies today joined the consortium responsible for the specifications. New members of the Arapahoe Work Group are Agere Systems, Alcatel, Altera, EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Huawei, National Semiconductor, Nokia, Petalynx, OSE Systems, PMC-Sierra, Siemens, Sun Microsystems, Synopsys, TeraChip, Texas Instruments, Vitesse, Xyratex and ZettaCom.
They join the existing members, which include Accolade, Agilent, AMD, Ample Communications, Banderacom, Cascade, Dell, Emulex, Force Computers, IBM, Integrated Device Technology, Intel, Internet Machines, LSI Logic, Marconi, Marvell, Mellanox, Microsoft, Monta Vista, Network Appliance, Pigeon Point Systems, PLX Technology, QLogic, QNX Software Systems, Qualis, RadiSys, Sandburst, SandCraft, StarGen, TeraCross and Xilinx.
“The participation of these companies reflects the momentum that has built around the Advanced Switching specification, positioning it for broad adoption,” said Tim Parker, spokesperson for the Arapahoe Work Group and Intel Communications Group director of technology initiatives. “Their contributions will help frame a universally available switched interconnect and data fabric with the features, ecosystem support and cost efficiencies required by the communications industry to meet the demands arising from the convergence of computing and communications.”
Intel said Advanced Switching would improves costs and time-to-market for its communications products. The company plans to introduce the technology into network and storage processors, Ethernet controllers and chipsets that support embedded Intel architecture. The company's roadmap includes building blocks and development tools based on the PCI Express architecture by the end of 2003 and on the Advanced Switching specification in the first half of 2005.
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