Datapath VSN900X User Manual - Page 12

Browse online or download pdf User Manual for Chassis Datapath VSN900X. Datapath VSN900X 20 pages. Expansion chassis

Print Page

Connecting a VSN1100X-Optical Expansion Chassis

The Optical Solution

The Datapath optical solution allows expansion chassis to be located up to 100m away from the main

controller. The Optical solution can support up to PCIe Gen 3 x8 bandwidths between an HLink-Optical,

located in the host machine and an SLink-Optical, located in the expansion chassis. Full bandwidth is

achieved by using two ExCable-Optical cables between each HLink and SLink-Optical card .

Alternatively, PCIe Gen3 x4 bandwidth can be achieved using only one ExCable-Optical between each

HLink-Optical and SLink-Optical. This will reduce the total amount of video signal that can be transferred

between the chassis. If x4 bandwidth is acceptable, one HLink-Optical can be connected to two

SLink-Optical cards, providing that the HLink-Optical is located in a x8 slot.

See creating the link x4 and x8 on page 15.

If your optical expansion chassis is supplied as part of a complete wall controller system the HLink-Optical

card will be pre-installed in the host machine which contains the SBC. If the expansion chassis has been

supplied separate to a host machine, the HLink-Optical card provided needs to be installed in the host PC.

You are likely to need a flat blade and/or a cross head screwdriver for the installation of the HLink-Optical

card; it would be useful to have these to hand before you begin. Power down the PC (including

peripherals), switch off at the mains and disconnect all the cables connected to the computer and

expansion chassis. Remove the PC cover. Locate a vacant PCIe slot (x8) on the motherboard and remove

the backing plate (retain all screws) .

Remove the HLink-Optical card from its packaging and secure it firmly into the empty PCIe slot. Screw the

bracket to the back panel of the PC and replace the cover.

Connect the HLink-Optical and SLink-Optical using the ExCable-Optical provided. If more than one

expansion chassis is supplied, ensure the cards are paired correctly by connecting the cards labelled

"Link1" together, the pair labelled "link2" are connected together and so on. In the event that this is not

possible i.e. the expansion chassis are shipped separately and the cards are not labelled, connect the cards

using the ExCables-Optical provided and re-install the Datapath Driver Install package to reset the

pairings.

PCI Express Gen.3 technology supports one directional data transfer speeds of up to 8GB/s of raw data

(6.4GB/s effective data rate) ensuring smooth, full frame rate video distribution over great distances.

Connecting to a VSN1170/VSN1190 Wall Controller

If the VSN1100X-Optical is being connected to a VSN1170 or VSN1190 the full bandwidth (x8) is

available in all PCIe slots. When using the Datapath VSN1170 as a host machine it is recommended to

connect multiple expansion chassis in a "Star" configuration (i.e place all HLink-Optical cards in the

VSN1170 host machine). This is because each slot of the VSN1170 is capable of supporting the full x8

Gen.3 connection to the HLink-Optical card. Other host machines that support multiple x8 or greater slots

should also be configured this way.