Creating multicomputer test systems using PCI and PCI Express

As test systems grow larger with higher channel counts and faster digitization, new techniques are needed for managing and processing the large amount of data being generated. One technique to handle this is with multiple computing nodes to distribute the acquisition, processing and data storage. Current communication busses exist to create a multicomputer system but must often make tradeoffs in terms of bandwidth or latency capabilities. In this paper we will look at using the PCI and PCI Express busses to create both a high bandwidth and low latency multi-computing system.