EDN -- 03.14.96 I<sub>2</sub>O evaluation kit appears

Out in Front: March 14, 1996

I₂O evaluation kit appears

Intel is now offering an evaluation kit for testing the I₂O concept. The Intelligent I/O (I₂O) specification, a recent initiative by Intel and others, aims at speeding I/O processing and simplifying driver development. The specification calls for inserting message- and transport-layer protocols between the operating system (OS) and hardware-dependent device drivers. The specification simplifies I/O-driver design by having the OSs provide their own I₂O driver interface. To work with any of the OSs, I/O-hardware vendors need supply only one device driver that meets the specification.

The specification speeds I/O processing by placing intelligence at the I/O site. The I/O hardware can then handle interrupt processing that the CPU normally services. In addition, the specification allows a port-to-port transfer without CPU intervention. Thus, a network interface can supply data directly to a disk drive, freeing the CPU for other tasks. Information on the specification is available on the Internet at http://www.I2OSIG.org/test.html.

The Intel kit includes an evaluation board that uses Intel's i960 processor and an I₂O operating system, IxWorks, which Wind River Systems developed. The processor handles the I₂O transport layer, and IxWorks provides the services, messaging, and management functions to which the hardware-device drivers connect. The kit costs $1960. Once you design to I₂O, Intel includes a license for IxWorks with each i960 processor you purchase.
—by Richard A Quinnell

Intel Corp, Santa Clara, CA. (800) 548-4725.

Wind River Systems, Alameda, CA. (510) 748-4100.

I2O evaluation kit appears

I₂O evaluation kit appears