Thunderbolt - like a bolt from the blue
On Habré and other resources, it was unfairly paid little attention to the widespread sale of devices with the support of a new universal data transfer interface. Apparently, over the future development of USB 3.0 clouds are gathering.
Thunderbolt (Thunderbolt) is a computer I / O port developed by Intel. During research and engineering development was known as Light Peac . The first devices that support Thunderbolt, became a model MacBook Pro, which was announced on February 24, 2011 .
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Thunderbolt connectors are physically almost identical to DisplayPort-mini connectors. Compatibility mode supports all existing devices with a DisplayPort-mini interface. It also supports DVI, HDMI, and VGA display devices using existing adapters. The universal connector is used for both electrical and optical Thunderbolt variants. Electrical cables can be up to 3 meters long; optical cables can have a length of tens of meters.
Each port provides two full duplex channels; Each channel has a bandwidth of 10Gbit / s in both directions.
Thunderbolt has a packet transport layer with support for guaranteed quality of service (QoS). The interface allows multiplexing of PCI Express packet traffic and DisplayPort isochronous traffic in the same connection.
Its time protocol allows devices to synchronize with within 8 ns of each other. Apple: “With the new Thunderbolt port, you can daisy-chain as many as six devices, including your display, to create a complete workstation.”
PCI Express and DisplayPort protocols are transparently mapped to the underlying transport layer of the Thunderbolt interface. Devices connected by Thunderbolt can be supported by existing operating system drivers.
I think this reminds us of the invention of USB and SCSI again. From the first - versatility, scalability, the principles of serial signal transmission, from the second - the ability to create cascading connections and impressive throughput compared to existing interfaces.
www.apple.com/en/thunderbolt
www.intel.com/technology/io/thunderbolt/index.htm
PS This interface will allow, for example, to create such devices as a monitor with a built-in powerful video card. A nice bonus for ultraportable laptop owners.
Thunderbolt (Thunderbolt) is a computer I / O port developed by Intel. During research and engineering development was known as Light Peac . The first devices that support Thunderbolt, became a model MacBook Pro, which was announced on February 24, 2011 .')
Demonstration of the interface
Physical level
Thunderbolt connectors are physically almost identical to DisplayPort-mini connectors. Compatibility mode supports all existing devices with a DisplayPort-mini interface. It also supports DVI, HDMI, and VGA display devices using existing adapters. The universal connector is used for both electrical and optical Thunderbolt variants. Electrical cables can be up to 3 meters long; optical cables can have a length of tens of meters.
Each port provides two full duplex channels; Each channel has a bandwidth of 10Gbit / s in both directions.
Transport level
Thunderbolt has a packet transport layer with support for guaranteed quality of service (QoS). The interface allows multiplexing of PCI Express packet traffic and DisplayPort isochronous traffic in the same connection.
Its time protocol allows devices to synchronize with within 8 ns of each other. Apple: “With the new Thunderbolt port, you can daisy-chain as many as six devices, including your display, to create a complete workstation.”
Application layer
PCI Express and DisplayPort protocols are transparently mapped to the underlying transport layer of the Thunderbolt interface. Devices connected by Thunderbolt can be supported by existing operating system drivers.
I think this reminds us of the invention of USB and SCSI again. From the first - versatility, scalability, the principles of serial signal transmission, from the second - the ability to create cascading connections and impressive throughput compared to existing interfaces.
see also
www.apple.com/en/thunderbolt
www.intel.com/technology/io/thunderbolt/index.htm
PS This interface will allow, for example, to create such devices as a monitor with a built-in powerful video card. A nice bonus for ultraportable laptop owners.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/114456/
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