Chapter 3 Hardware Overview
© National Instruments Corporation 3-3 NI ExpressCard MXI Series User Manual
Functional Unit Descriptions

PCI Express x1 Cable Driver

This PCI Express device consists of one upstream and one downstream
PCI Express physical interface. It buffers the PCI Express signals and
drives them onto the cable.

High-Speed Cable Connector

The high-speed cable connector provides all necessary signals to connect
an NI ExpressCard-8360 and an NI PXI-8360 or NI PXIe-8360. These
signals include the PCI Express transmit and receive pair, the system clock,
a reset, and a presence-detect signal.

PCI Express-to-PCI bridge

The PCI Express Base Specification defines a PCI Express-to-PCI bridge
as a device that connects a PCI Express fabric and a PCI hierarchy. On the
NI PXI-8360, the PCI Express-to-PCI bridge connects the x1 PCI Express
link and the PCI bus in a PXI or CompactPCI chassis. A bridge on a
PXI Express backplane (not shown) connects the PCI Express link to the
PXI and hybrid slots.

PCI Express-to-PCI Express Switch

The PCI Express Base Specification defines a PCIe switch as a logical
collection of PCIe-to-PCIe bridges. For the NI PXIe-8360 the PCIe switch
fans out the front panel x1 PCIe link to four x4 PCIe links in the PXIe
chassis.
LED Indicators
The LEDs on the NI PXI-8360 and the NI PXIe-8360 provide status
information about power supplies and link state. The NI PXI-8360 and
NIPXIe-8360 have two LEDs, one for power supply status and one for link
state.