Data Sheet

GE
Intelligent Platforms
PEX431
Multi-Fabric Switch and XMC Carrier Card
PCIe Features
• Up to six x4 PCIe Gen 2.0 ports via
non-blocking switch
• Non-transparent bridging mode for
multi-host systems
Ethernet Features
• Up to nine ports Gigabit Ethernet
Switch (unmanaged)
Build Options Include:
– Up to 8x 1000BASE-BX with 1x 1000BaseT
– Up to 6x 1000BASE-BX with 2x 1000BaseT
– Not available with XMC option
Mezzanine Features
• Supports XMC Modules
• Mezzanine I/O routed to VPX backplane
• XMC IO via J16 (x24s+x8d+x12d)
Or via J14 (x64s)
• Not available with Ethernet switching option
The PEX431 Multi-Fabric Switch and XMC
Carrier Card allow designers to build complex
VPX systems with multiple single board
computers and multiple I/O modules. PEX431
supports PCIe switching, GigE switching or
the ability to host a XMC mezzanine.
The PCI Express switch of the PEX431 allows
up to six ports of 4-lane PCI Express to be
connected to a non-blocking line-speed
switch, such that a scalable, complex system
architecture can be created. In order to
support systems requiring interconnection of
more than six hosts, multiple PEX431 boards
may be daisy-chained together.
The PCIe switch supports non-transparent
bridging mode, allowing multiple
intelligent hosts to be connected together.
Non-transparent bridges allow systems
to isolate memory domains by presenting
the processor subsystem as an endpoint,
rather than another memory system. To
facilitate inter-processor communication,
base address registers (BARs) are used to
translate addresses, doorbell registers are
used to transmit interrupts between the
address domains, and scratchpad registers
are accessible from both address domains.
The PCIe switch also supports transparent
bridging mode in order to expand the I/O
capability of the VPX single board computers.
The PEX431 can be configured to carry an
XMC card, with eight lanes of PCI Express
routed from the PCI Express switch to the
mezzanine size.
For mezzanines that require maximum
bandwidth, the PEX431 can be configured
for 8-lane PCI Express at the VPX backplane
connector. 64 bits of XMC I/O are routed to
the VPX backplane connector.
Additionally, PEX431 has an unmanaged,
Layer 2 Gigabit Ethernet Switch that offers
up to nine ports, of which up to eight can
be in 1000BASE-BX and up to two can be
in 1000BASE-T.
From a software perspective, each PCI
Express port is a virtual PCI-to-PCI bridge
device, with its own set of PCI Express
configuration registers. The host can
configure the other ports by way of the
upstream port, using conventional PCI
enumeration. The virtual PCI-to-PCI bridges
within the PEX431 are compliant with the
PCI and PCI Express system models.