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© National Instruments Corporation 3-1 MXI-Express (x1) for PXI Express Series User Manual
3
Hardware Overview
This chapter presents an overview of MXI-Express hardware functionality
and explains the operation of each functional unit.
Functional Overview
MXI-Express is based on PCI Express technology. A MXI-Express kit
uses PCI Express switches to enable control of a PXI Express or
CompactPCI Express chassis from a PC with an available PCI Express slot.
The PCI Express switch architecture is transparent to device drivers, so no
additional software is needed to support using PXI Express and
CompactPCI Express devices in a chassis connected using MXI-Express.
Note The PXI Platform Services software on the PXI Platform Services CD or driver CD
included with your PXI Express MXI-Express hardware is required to provide chassis and
controller identification for PXI features such as trigger routing and slot detection. The PXI
Platform Services software is also included with the NI-DAQmx and NI-VISA drivers. For
more information, refer to KnowledgeBase 3TJDONDS at
ni.com.
The link between the PC and the chassis is a x1 PCI Express link. This link
is a dual-simplex communication channel comprised of a low-voltage,
differentially driven signal pair. The link can transmit at a rate of 2.5 Gbps
in each direction simultaneously. This connector is not compatible with the
cabled PCI Express specification under development by the PCI-SIG.
Figure 3-1 shows the basic architecture of MXI-Express. The
NI PCIe-8361/8362 consists of a PCI Express x1 card edge connector, a
PCI Express switch, and one or two cabled MXI Express connectors. The
NI PXIe-8360 consists of one cabled MXI Express connector, a
PCI Express switch, and PXI Express connectors.