[ale] Choke point (or when to bring on router)

Barlow, Jim D jim.d.barlow at intel.com
Wed Mar 20 18:18:15 EST 2002


Jeff Hubbs wrote:
>Is there a step up available regarding this PCI bottleneck?  Is 64-bit 
>PCI any help?  Are there even 64-bit-PCI-bus NICs?  If yes to both, what 
>CPU options are there?  I'm just wondering where you go from here if you 
>still want to avoid dedicated router HW but are running up against the 
>PCI bus limit.


The bus technology is something that has had to be continually expanded in
order
to keep a balanced platform with the processor advances.

The PCI Spec came out around '92 or '93 in order to consolidate and remove
the need for
multiple standards (VESA[originally video], Micro Channel Architecture,
Compaq's enhanced bus, etc.)

We went from 32 bits X 32 Mhz to 64 bits X 66 MHz (all specified in the
original spec)
Recently, PCI-X has gotten us up to 64 bits X 133 MHz.  We are back to
specialized
busses, including AGP for video, etc.

So the industry is gathering around new unifying specs, including 3GIO to
offer up to 64x the original PCI
throughput on a smaller connecter, and on simplified motherboard
layout/layering. Looks like PCI to the software...
Infiniband will carry the day between boxes.  There is a lot of 12.5 Gb/s (4
channel) Infiniband gear out there now.

In the meantime, Server NICs are available in up to 64 bits by 133 MHz for
10/100/1000 connections,
I don't know what these go for cost wise....  A Xeon based server with two
of these NICs can do
2 gigabit / second teamed when hosted on PCI-X. 

"Desktop" 10/100/1000 NICs are available 32 bit 66 MHz at < 100 USD. (This
is the point in time
in the single chip integrated MAC/PHY economic evolution at which you
traditionally see the chip become 
a part of the motherboard).

Not speaking for my employer, but I recently saw a lot of this good stuff at
the developers forum...

-jdb


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