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Keysight M9018A PXIe 18-Slot Chassis Startup Guide
STEP 2: Prepare the Hardware and Install the Software
M9018A PCIe Link Configuration
M9018A PCIe Link Configuration
PCIe link configuration
refers to how the PXIe chassis PCIe Switch Fabric is
configured to connect PCI Express signals between slot 1, the system controller
slot, and the other chassis slots. For a review of the supported PCIe link
configurations, please refer to the M9018A User Guide.
The M9018A chassis ships from the factory in “2-Link Configuration: 1x8”. This
configuration, referred to as 1x8, provides one x8 PCIe link from the system
controller slot to the PCIe Switch Fabric. Use the 1x8 configuration with laptop
computer PCIe adapters such as the M9045A/B. This link can be routed by the
PCIe Switch Fabric to the chassis slots as either x4 or x8 links.
The other supported PCIe link configurations are:
- 2-Link Configuration:
1x8 [Limited to PCIe Gen1 speed]
—
This fabric is
specifically for use in subordinate chassis in multi-chassis configurations. For
details, refer to
Keysight's Multiple PXIe and AXIe Chassis Configuration
This tool is available on the M9018A Product information CD as well as on line
www.keysight.com/find/pxie-multichassis
.
- 2-Link Configuration:
2x8 — Referred to as 2x8, this configuration provides two
x8 links from the system controller slot to the PCIe Switch Fabric. Link 2 can
be routed by the PCIe Switch Fabric to slots 2-9, while Link 1 can be routed to
slots 10-18.
- 4-Link Configuration:
4x4 — Referred to as 4x4, this configuration provides four
x4 links from the system controller slot to the PCIe Switch Fabric. Link 1 can
be routed by the PCIe Switch Fabric to slots 10-14, Link 2 can be routed to
slots 15-18, Link 3 can be routed to slots 2-5, and Link 4 can be routed to
slots 6-9.
If your system design requires another PCIe link configuration, such as 2x8, you’ll
need to use the chassis
Configurator
utility to change the PCIe Switch Fabric from
1x8 to 2x8.
The
Configurator
utility program is available from the Windows
Start
button; select
All Programs > Keysight > M9018 > PCIe Switch Fabric Configurator
. Instructions for
using the
Configurator
program are provided in the M9018A Chassis User Guide.
For more detailed information, refer to the M9018A PXIe Chassis User Guide.