Hardware Description - National Instruments MXI Getting Started

Hardware Description

D-size VXI mainframes have connections for a P3 connector. The VXI-MXI-2,
Note
however, does not have this connector and, if configured as a Slot 0 controller, cannot
provide the necessary control for VXI devices that need P3 support.
© National Instruments Corporation
The PCI-MXI-2 is a half-size, PCI-compatible plug-in circuit board that
plugs into one of the expansion slots in your PCI-based computer. The
PXI-8320 is a 3U-size, PXI/CompactPCI-compatible circuit board that
plugs into one of the peripheral slots in your PXI/CompactPCI chassis.
Both boards link your computer directly to the MXIbus and vice versa.
Because the PCI-MXI-2 and PXI-8320 use the same communication
register set that other VXIbus message-based devices use, other MXIbus
devices view your board as a VXIbus device. The PCI-MXI-2 and
PXI-8320 can also function as the MXIbus System Controller and can
terminate the MXIbus signals directly. In addition, you can have up to
16 MB of onboard DRAM on your board that can be shared with the
MXIbus and VXI/VMEbus and used as a dedicated data buffer.
The VXI-MXI-2 module is an extended-class, register-based VXIbus
device with optional VXIbus Slot 0 capability so that it can reside in any
slot in a C-size or D-size chassis. Optionally, you can use the
VXI-MXI-2/B, which can reside in any B-size VXIbus slot.
The VXI-MXI-2 uses address mapping to convert MXIbus cycles into
VXIbus cycles and vice versa. By connecting to the PCI-MXI-2 or
PXI-8320 board, the VXI-MXI-2 links the PCI bus or the PXI/CompactPCI
bus to the VXIbus. The VXI-MXI-2 can automatically determine whether
it is in VXI Slot 0 and/or if it is the MXIbus System Controller.
The VME-MXI-2 module is a single-slot, double-height VMEbus device
with optional VMEbus System Controller functions. It uses address
mapping to convert MXIbus cycles into VMEbus cycles and vice versa,
just like the VXI-MXI-2. By connecting to the PCI-MXI-2 or PXI-8320
board, the PCI bus or the PXI/CompactPCI bus is linked to the VMEbus.
The VME-MXI-2 can automatically determine if it is located in the first
slot of a VMEbus chassis and if it is the MXIbus System Controller.
Also, the VXI/VME-MXI-2 automatically terminates the MXIbus if
installed as the first or last device in the MXIbus. If installed in the middle
of the MXIbus, the VXI/VME-MXI-2 automatically disables MXIbus
termination. In addition, you can have up to 64 MB of onboard DRAM on
1-3 PCI-Based MXI-2 Interfaces for Windows 2000/NT/Me/98
Chapter 1 Introduction