National Instruments MXI-Express x4 Series User Manual

Also see for MXI PCIe-8375: Setting up

Contents

National Instruments MXI-Express x4 Series User Manual Manual pdf 11 page image

Chapter 1 IntroductionFiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 for PXI Express User Manual 1-2 ni.comBasic Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 SystemThe simplest Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 system consists of anNI PCIe-8375 in a PC connected to an NI PXIe-8375 in the controller slotof a PXI Express or CompactPCI Express chassis, as shown in Figure 1-1.Figure 1-1. Basic MXI-Express x4 ConfigurationLarger Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 SystemsIt is possible to control more than one PXI Express chassis with a single PC.There are two possible topologies: star topology or daisy-chain topology.The star topology requires the host PC to have a PCI Express x4 slotavailable for each PXI Express chassis you want to control. Each PXIExpress chassis is connected directly to an NI PCIe-8375 installed in thehost computer. This topology has the highest throughput; however, itrequires one PCI Express x4 slot and one NI PCIe-8375 for eachPXI Express chassis. Figure 1-2 shows an example of a star topology.The NI PXIe-8375 has two Fiber-Optic ports on its front panel: an upstreamport (for connecting towards the host) and a downstream port (which allowsfor daisy chaining). In the daisy-chain configuration, only a singlePCI Express x4 slot is required in the host, but the data throughput mightbe lower, especially for devices further down the chain. Figure 1-2 alsoshows an example of a daisy chain configuration.PC to PXI Express/CompactPCI Express