Leverage PCI Express technology to connect more than one chassis to a host controller.

  • Connect two target boards simultaneously in a star topology when the host board has two MXI-Express x1 ports. An example of a host board with two MXI-Express x1 ports is the PCIe-8362. You can also connect additional PXIe chassis when the host board has multiple PCIe slots available to achieve the same star topology.
  • Daisy chain from a chassis that is already controlled by an embedded controller, host PC, or laptop to additional chassis using the PXIe-8361.
The following figure illustrates how to connect multiple expansion chassis to a PC in a star topology or a daisy-chain topology.
Figure 2. Star topology and daisy-chain topology

Star topology and daisy-chain topology

The following table list the chassis boards that you can daisy-chain to the PXIe-8361.

Table 5. PXIe-8361 daisy-chain connectivity support
Slot type Product
PXI Express or PXIe Hybrid PXIe-8364
Express Card[1]1 ExpressCard slot of an NI embedded controller that is installed in the first chassis.

ExpressCard-8360

1 ExpressCard slot of an NI embedded controller that is installed in the first chassis.