Summary

This chapter first discussed bus architecture and explained the functions of the address bus, the data bus, and the control signals.

The discussion then focused on the factors that increase bus performance. Several key bus performance concepts were explained, including bus speed measurement, bus cycles, and maximum transfer rate.

The architecture and characteristics of PCI and PCI-X buses were described and contrasted. Emerging PCI bus technologies were then discussed. Finally, an overview of the USB was provided.