Intel Xeon X3450 BX80605X3450 Manuale Utente

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BX80605X3450
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Intel® Xeon® Processor 3400 Series Datasheet, Volume 1
2.2
PCI Express* Interface
This section describes the PCI Express interface capabilities of the processor. See the 
PCI Express Base Specification for details of PCI Express.
The number of PCI Express controllers available is dependent on the platform:
• Intel  Xeon
®
 Processor 3400 series with Intel 3400 and 3420 Chipset: 1 x16 PCI 
Express I/O, 2 x8 PCI Express I/O, or 4 x4 PCI Express I/O are supported.
2.2.1
PCI Express* Architecture
Compatibility with the PCI addressing model is maintained to ensure that all existing 
applications and drivers operate unchanged.
The PCI Express configuration uses standard mechanisms as defined in the PCI Plug-
and-Play specification. The initial recovered clock speed of 1.25 GHz results in 
2.5 Gb/s/direction which provides a 250-MB/s communications channel in each 
direction (500 MB/s total). That is close to twice the data rate of classic PCI. The fact 
that 8b/10b encoding is used accounts for the 250 MB/s where quick calculations would 
imply 300 MB/s. The PCI Express ports support 5.0 GT/s speed as well. Operating at 
5.0 GT/s results in twice as much bandwidth per lane as compared to 2.5 GT/s 
operation. When operating with more than one PCI Express controller, each controller 
can be operating at either 2.5 GT/s or 5.0 GT/s.
The PCI Express architecture is specified in three layers: Transaction Layer, Data Link 
Layer, and Physical Layer. The partitioning in the component is not necessarily along 
these same boundaries. Refer to 
 for the PCI Express Layering Diagram.
PCI Express uses packets to communicate information between components. Packets 
are formed in the Transaction and Data Link Layers to carry the information from the 
transmitting component to the receiving component. As the transmitted packets flow 
through the other layers, they are extended with additional information necessary to 
handle packets at those layers. At the receiving side the reverse process occurs and 
packets get transformed from their Physical Layer representation to the Data Link 
Layer representation and finally (for Transaction Layer Packets) to the form that can be 
processed by the Transaction Layer of the receiving device.
Figure 2-3. PCI Express Layering Diagram