The Datapath Express7-G3 backplane provides four x8 lane PCI Express 3.0 slots typically intended for hosting input cards, and three x16 lane PCI Express 3.0 slots targeted for hosting output cards.
The Express7-G3 can be used with a standard PICMG 1.3 single-board computer (SBC) as a stand-alone system or in combination with multiple backplanes to provide a PCI Express expansion system for a standard PC.
Connecting Multiple Express7-G3 Backplanes
Star Configuration
The four x8 PCI Express slots in the master chassis (containing the SBC) can be populated with a HLink-G3 card. Each HLink-G3 is then connected to an expansion chassis using an ExCable-G3 and SLink-G3 card. This configuration provides a high number of available PCI Express slots supporting low latency. The Express7-G3 can be used to connect a mixture of multiple Datapath Express7-G3, Express9 and Express9-G3, and Express11-G3 backplanes.
Daisy Chain Configuration
Expansion Link - HLink-G3, ExCable-G3 and SLink-G3
The SLink-G3 card can be used instead of a PICMG 1.3 SBC to configure the Express7-G3 as an expansion backplane from a standard PC or from other Datapath backplanes. The cards are available with Gen.3 compatibility, fully supporting the Datapath Express7-G3 backplane.