Topology in ClusterBox case

Mixtile Blade 3 (Mixtile Cluster Box)
#1

Hey, I am curious to know how devices are set up when ClusterBox is being used.

AFAIK each PCIe network has to have a Root Complex that does bus enumeration and ID assignment for the endpoints and switches on the network. Who is an RC in this case? Is it one of the Mixtile 3 boards, and the rest of the boards are Endpoints? Or each board is an RC and a switch in the ClusterBox is an NTB? Maybe Switch has its own little SoC that enumerates all of the boards that are Endpoints and later on they can do p2p transfers between each other?

Would also really appreciate knowing the model of the switch IC being used in the ClusterBox.

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#2

Hi,
One separate SoC in the ClusterBox works as PCIe Root Complex, and all the Blade 3 boards connected to ClusterBox will work as Endpoints. The PCIe switch IC is ASM2824 from ASMedia, it supports four 4-Lane downstream so four Blade 3 boards each could make the best use of x4 PCIe 3.0.

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#3

Awesome, thank you for the information!

A few more questions: will a BSP for the ClusterBox be available? And, whether it has any other interfaces to talk to the outside world.

#4

Yes, we will provide BSP for Cluster Box. One ethernet port in Cluster Box could be used to set up and control the Cluster Box and connected Blade 3 boards.

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