IDT rolls development kit for PCI Express switching solution

Integrated Device Technology Inc. (IDT) introduced a hardware/software development kit for its 3-port, 24-lane PRECISE PCI Express switching solution, which the company is currently sampling.

The new hardware evaluation board has been customized for product demonstrations, software development and initial system-performance benchmarking. The board includes an x8 upstream connector that allows the add-in card to be plugged into a standard PCI Express expansion slot on the designer's motherboard of choice, and features two PCI Express expansion slots to enable interfacing with off-the-shelf components for robust system emulation.

Aimed at high-performance server and storage applications, the cost-effective PRECISE family of PCI Express bridging and switching solutions has been designed to lower the overall cost of Gigabit switching, said IDT. The 3-port, 24-lane PCI Express switching solution provides I/O expansion to augment "north bridge" devices with additional high-performance I/O connectivity.

The new development kit, with the product name of 89EBPES24N3, has an estimated price of $1,250. "This development kit enables designers to experience the full bandwidth of our switching solution to evaluate performance and create models of their end system within a chosen environment," added Alex Goldhammer, product manager for the IDT serial-switching division.