Server And Desktop Topologies Are Host-Centric

As illustrated in Figure 19-1 on page 445, a typical desktop or server platform is somewhat vertical. It has one or more processors at the top of the topology, the I/O subsystem at the bottom, and main system DRAM memory in the middle acting as a holding area for processor code and data as well as the source and destination for I/O DMA transactions performed on behalf of the host processor(s). The host processor plays the central role in both device control and in processing data; this is sometimes referred to as managing both the control plane and the data plane.

Figure 19-1. Host-Centric HyperTransport System

HyperTransport works well in this dual role because of its bandwidth and the fact that ...

Get HyperTransport™ System Architecture now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.