MAGMA-PE6R4
The link from PCI Express architecture to PCI hardware.

Common Applications:
• Storage (SAN, NAS)
• Medical Imaging
• Video Processing
• Military Industrial
• Automation/Control
• Test & Measurement
• Audio Editing 
  (Digidesign Pro Tools)

Enjoy the benefit of a PCI Express computer while protecting your investment in PCI hardware.

Benefits:
• Provides a link from PCI 
Express based computers to legacy PCI hardware.

• Provides 6 PCI slots through a single PCI Express slot.
• Uses two flexible x4 Infiniband™ cables.
• No software is required. PCI Express computer will automatically 
  detect PCI slots in expansion chassis.
• Non-Enclosed Board Sets are available for OEMs and System Integrators.

The Magma PCI Express-to-PCI Expansion System provides a simple, economical solution for expanding the capability of your PCI Express-based computer. As computer manufacturers migrate to PCI Express, the number of available PCI slots has been reduced or completely eliminated. In addition, many companies have invested a substantial amount of capital on solutions built around conventional PCI and PCI-X hardware. The Magma expansion system provides a migration path to PCI Express while protecting your PCI hardware investment.

The Magma PCI Express-to-PCI Expansion System is designed to match the through-put required by the majority of PCI cards on the market today. The expansion chassis contains six 64-bit/66MHz PCI slots which are connected to the host computer through a 4 lane (x4) PCI Express host interface card and a pair of high-performance Infiniband® cables.

Cost-Effective Migration and Increased I/O Capacity

The Magma PCI Expansion solution provides a cost-effective migration path to new PCI Express-based computers while maintaining a consistent PCI configuration. In addition, Magma products significantly increase Input/Output (I/O) capacity and scalability. Multiple expansion systems can be combined to provide an almost unlimited number of PCI slots* to a single computer. This type of scalability is especially useful in industries such as telecom, data acquisition, video monitoring, server storage and manufacturing test fixtures.

*As defined by the PCI Local Bus Specification, the theoretical maximum per computer is 255 PCI buses.

Easy Installation

The Magma 6 Slot PCI Express-to-PCI Expansion System consists of a PCI Express host card, a pair of high-speed cables and a PCI expansion chassis. The host card relays signals from the PCI Express slot inside the computer motherboard to a PCI backplane inside the expansion chassis. The system is automatically configured by the BIOS system and all six high-performance PCI slots within the expansion chassis appear transparent to the host computer.

PCI Express® to PCI Expansion Link:
Host Connection: PCI Express Interface card (4 lanes or x4)
Standard Cable Length: 1 meter or optional 3 meter
Backplane: Six 64-bit/66MHz PCI slots
PCI Express Bus Specification: Revision 1.0
PCI Local Bus Specification: Revision 2.3
PCI Bridge Architecture Specification: Revision 1.2
Backplane Bandwidth: 528MB/sec (Theoretical Max. of PCI 64/66)
Operating Environment: 0º to 50º C Operating Temperature, -20º to 60ºC Storage Temperature , 5% to 85% Relative Humidity, Non-condensing

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. I already own a Magma expansion chassis. Can it be converted to work with PCI Express computers? We are developing an conversion path to the PCI Express expansion chassis. Information about the PCI Express conversion will be posted soon.

2. What is the form factor of the host card, standard or low-profile? The initial release includes a standard height PCI Express host interface card.

3. What kind of cable is used to connect the host system to the expansion system? The expansion system includes two x4 InfiniBand™ cables.

4. What is the maximum cable length? We expect the maximum cable length to be 3 meters (approximately 10 feet).

5. What is the expected bandwidth between the host computer and the expansion system? The speed of the configuration highly dependant on the combination of third-party hardware and software used. The expansion system is capable of handling approximately 512MB/sec on each expansion cable.

6.. Is the PCI Express to PCI Expansion System a Parallel or Serial link? It is a serial link. The bridge chip on the backplane de-serializes the PCI Express data to PCI.

7.. What type of PCI slots are used on the PCI expansion backplane? The expansion system includes 64/66 PCI slots.

8. What about latency?We have noticed improved latency with PCI Express to PCI when compared to traditional PCI to PCI Expansion.

9. What if I need more than 6 PCI slots? The Magma PCI Express to PCI Expansion System can be configured in a daisy-chain configuration. It is unknown at this time what the maximum daisy-chain configurations can be.

10. What operating systems are supported? Windows XP is supported today. We expect support for Mac OS, RedHat Linux and Solaris soon.

11. What types of applications have been tested for compatibility? During prototype development, we have tested the following applications: Audio Editing, Video Editing, Video Capture, Multiple Monitors and Server/Storage. All testing was performed under the Windows operating system only.