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Related Documentation
The following documents contain information you may find helpful as you read this manual:
•
PICMG EXP.0 R2.0 CompactPCI Express Specification, PCI Industrial Computers
Manufacturers Group
•
IEEE Standard P1284.1-1997 (C/MM) Standard for Information Technology for
Transport Independent Printer/System Interface
•
PCI Express Base Specification, PCI Special Interest Group
•
PXI-5 PXI Express Hardware Specification, PXI Systems Alliance
•
PXI-6 PXI Express Software Specification, PXI Systems Alliance
•
Serialized IRQ Support for PCI Systems Specification, Compaq Computer et al.
•
ExpressCard Standard, PCMCIA
PXI Express Features
Benefits of PXI Express
The PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) industry standard, an open specification
governed by the PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA), has quickly gained adoption and grown in
prevalence in test, measurement, and control systems since its release in 1998. One of the key
elements driving the rapid adoption of PXI is its use of PCI in the communication backplane.
As the commercial PC industry has improved the available bus bandwidth by evolving PCI to
PCI Express, PXI is now able to meet even more application needs by integrating PCI Express
into the PXI standard. By taking advantage of PCI Express technology in the backplane, PXI
Express increases the available PXI bandwidth from up to 132 MB/s to up to 8 GB/s for a
more than 60x improvement in bandwidth.
PXI Express maximizes both hardware and software compatibility with PXI modules. PXI
Express hybrid slots deliver both PCI and PCI Express signaling to accept devices that use
PXI communication and triggering or the newer PXI Express standard. Software compatibility
is maintained because PCI Express uses the same OS and driver model as PCI, resulting in
complete software compatibility among PCI-based systems, for example PXI, and PCI
Express-based systems such as PXI Express.
PXI Express, like PXI, leverages from the CompactPCI specification to define a rugged,
modular form factor that offers superior mechanical integrity and easy installation and removal
of hardware components. PXI Express products offer higher and more carefully defined levels
of environmental performance required by the shock, vibration, temperature, and humidity
extremes of industrial environments. Mandatory environmental testing and active cooling is
added to the CompactPCI mechanical specification to ease system integration and ensure
multivendor interoperability.
2 | ni.com | PXIe-8821 User Manual
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