PEX8616-AA50BCG PLX [PLX Technology], PEX8616-AA50BCG Datasheet - Page 3

• Manufacturer Part Number: PEX8616-AA50BCG
• Description: PCIe Gen2, 5.0GT/s 16-lane, 4-port Switch
• Manufacturer: PLX [PLX Technology]

Network Interface Cards
The PEX 8616 can also be utilized in communications
applications such as Network Interface Cards (NICs).
NICs, like the one shown in Figure 4, can utilize the
PEX 8616 for its fan-out capabilities. In the example
below, the PEX 8616 is being used on a Dual-port 10-
Gigabit Ethernet (GE) NIC card. The PEX 8616 utilizes
a x8 link to connect to the host and two x4 downstream
links to fan-out to the 10GE ports. The peer-to-peer
communication feature of the PEX 8616 allows the
endpoints to communicate with each other without any
intervention or management by the host.
Host Bus Adapters
The PEX 8616 is well suited for Host Bus Adapter cards
(HBAs) as well. Figure 5 shows a Quad-Port Fibre
Channel HBAs utilizing the PEX 8616 to allow
connectivity to two Fibre Channel (FC) controllers. The
PEX 8616 uses a x8 link on the upstream port and two
x4 downstream links to fan-out to the FC Controllers
Each FC controller supports two FC ports.
10 GE
10 GE
Endpoint
Endpoint
Endpoint
Endpoint
Endpoint
Endpoint
Endpoint
Endpoint
Figure 4. 10GE NIC Fan-Out
MAC/PHY
MAC/PHY
MAC/PHY
MAC/PHY
MAC/PHY
MAC/PHY
MAC/PHY
MAC/PHY
Figure 3. Fan-in/out Usage
x16
x16
PCIe Gen1 or PCIe Gen2 slots
Chipset
Chipset
Chipset
Chipset
x4
CPU
CPU
CPU
CPU
x4
x4
x4
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
CPU
CPU
CPU
CPU
x4
x4
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
Dual-Port NIC
Dual-Port NIC
Memory
Memory
Memory
Memory
Preliminary - PLX Confidential
x8
Failover Storage Systems
The PEX 8616’s Dual Cast feature proves to be very
useful in storage systems. In the example shown in
Figure 6, the Dual Cast feature enables the PEX 8616 to
copy data coming from the host to two downstream ports
(see yellow traffic patterns) in one transaction as
opposed to having to execute two separate transactions
to send data to the redundant chassis. By offloading the
task of backing up data onto the secondary system,
processor and system performance is enhanced. The
PEX 8616’s NT port is used to isolate the backup system
from the primary system.
FC
FC
FC
FC
x4
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
Chipset
Chipset
Chipset
Chipset
CPU
CPU
CPU
CPU
Figure 5. Quad-Port Fibre-Channel HBA
Figure 6. Dual Cast in Storage Systems
x4
Control
Control
Control
Control
8 Disk Chassis
x4
FC
FC
FC
FC
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
CPU
CPU
CPU
CPU
FC Cont.
FC Cont.
FC Cont.
FC Cont.
FC Cont.
FC Cont.
FC Cont.
FC Cont.
Control
Control
Control
Control
FC
FC
FC
FC
NT
NT
x4
x4
Memory
Memory
Memory
Memory
x4
x4
x4
Control
Control
Control
Control
8 Disk Chassis
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
x4
FC
FC
FC
FC
x4
NT
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
Control
Control
Control
Control
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
Chipset
Chipset
Chipset
Chipset
CPU
CPU
CPU
CPU
NT
FC
FC
FC
FC
x4
x4
CPU
CPU
CPU
CPU
Quad-Port FC HBA
Quad-Port FC HBA
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
PEX 8616
x4
x8
Memory
Memory
Memory
Memory
Backup
System