The computer industry is currently experiencing the ideal environment for high bandwidth server development. Here are a few technologies that are enabling the current bandwidth explosion:
PCI Express
PCI Express, which is a serial version of the previous parallel bus PCI, is standard in many modern systems. The slowest PCI Express slot (x1 or single lane) runs at 250 MB/s in transmit or receive, or bi-directionally at 500 MB/s, which is nearly four times the speed of the previous generation 32 bit PCI. The fastest generation one PCI Express slot (x16) can transfer data bi-directionally at 8,000 MB/s, or over sixty times the speed of 32 bit PCI. This quantum leap in I/O performance gain allows for bandwidth at extraordinary levels.
64 Bit and Multiple Core Processors
Both AMD and Intel are offering desktops through server grade CPU’s that are capable of both 32 and 64 Bit addressing. This enhancement allows for native addressing of memory above the 4 GB boundary, as well as a notable performance gain. Previously, this technology was limited to high end CPU’s that cost a multiple of today’s 64 Bit offerings. The latest CPU’s from both vendors also ship with dual and quad cores per processor, which allows for phenomenal multi-processing support.
New Memory Technologies
Currently a number of systems are (or soon will be) shipping with NUMA technology, while other systems allow for multiple front side busses. Both of these technologies allow for performance increases two times or greater than the previous standards in system memory architectures. These technologies open up new performance levels of data bandwidth at very attractive prices. AMD currently has the memory bandwidth lead due to their integrated memory controller (called Direct Connect), but Intel has promised to have integrated memory controllers in their processors sometime next year.
I love competition in the server and CPU markets. Competition has been a tremendous catalyst for the growth of the above bandwidth friendly technologies.
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