Chapter 1: Introduction
1-9
1-2 Chipset
Overview
The H8DAR-T/H8DAR-E serverboard is based on the AMD-8132
TM
chipset. This
chipset is composed of two main components: the AMD-8132 HyperTransport
TM
PCI-X Tunnel and the AMD-8111
TM
HyperTransport
TM
I/O Hub. The AMD-8132
chipset provides high performance and an excellent feature-set for multi-proces-
sor server solutions. Controllers for the system memory are built directly into the
processors.
8132 HyperTransport PCI-X Tunnel
This hub includes AMD-specifi c technology that provides two PCI-X bridges with
each bridge supporting a 64-bit data bus as well as separate PCI-X operational
modes and independent transfer rates. Each bridge supports up to fi ve PCI masters
that include clock, request and grant signals. This hub connects to the processors
and through them to system memory. It also interfaces directly with the Serial ATA
and Ethernet controllers.
8111 HyperTransport I/O Hub
The 8111 I/O hub provides the interface between the 8132 hub and various sub-
systems including the Winbond Super I/O functions, the onboard graphics, the IDE
controller and the USB ports.
HyperTransport Technology
HyperTransport technology is a high-speed, low latency point to point link that was
designed to increase the communication speed by a factor of up to 48x between
integrated circuits. This is done partly by reducing the number of buses in the
chipset to reduce bottlenecks and by enabling a more effi cient use of memory in
multi-processor systems. The end result is a signifi cant increase in bandwidth
within the chipset.