INIC-850
PCI/CardBus to UltraSCSI Controller Chip
initio
Bringing Innovative Solutions to Your I/O Needs.
TM
Overview
The INIC-850 controller chip incorporates all the functional-
ity of a high-performance UltraSCSI host adapter in a single
chip solution. Suited for CardBus, motherboards and add-
on host adapter cards, the INIC-850 supports a wide range
of popular operating systems and has been extensively
tested over a large matrix of peripherals and systems. Data
transfer rates of up to 40 MB/s with PCI burst rates of up to
133 MB/s provide excellent I/O performance for laptops,
desktops, and docking stations. And with support for up to
15 devices via daisy-chain, the INIC-850 represents the most
cost-effective solution in portable data transfer.
Performance, Architecture, PCI
INIC-850 employs a wide range of I/O technologies to
improve the total system performance. Its 32-bit I/O
processor automatically handles command queuing and
DMA processing translating into reduced host CPU
utilization while requiring a maximum of only one interrupt
per I/O operation. It has an integrated Scatter/Gather
engine with caching capabilities designed to improve PCI
bus utilization.
Furthermore, the INIC-850 incorporates a SCSI protocol
sequencer to efficiently manage SCSI bus phases reducing
the SCSI overhead and increasing the total bandwidth
available for data transfer. Its SCSI protocol processor
handles all of the SCSI bus phases which is integrated into
the chip. All this while providing support for external SCSI
bus terminators and SCAM level 1.
SCSI Block Features
Initio multimode on-chip SCSI I/O cell design meets all the
requirements of the SCSI Fast-III standard. It is capable of
adjusting the slew rate on the SCSI signals to ensure signal
integrity over different cabling environments.
Software Features
INIC-850 complies with Initio I/O Interface (I
3
) specifica-
tions. I
3
is architected to significantly reduce the device
driver development time. This is accomplished in two ways.
First, the internal I/O processor, along with the I
3
, drastically
simplifies the OS driver layer necessary to operate I
3
-
compatible devices such as the INIC-850. Second, once a
driver is developed for an I
3
class of product it will largely
remain the same across future product generations that
also comply with the I
3
specifications.
INIC-850 operates at a 33 MHz PCI clock that puts it at a
maximum PCI burst rate of 133 MB/s. It comes in a 160-pin
LQFP package. With these features, the INIC-850 controller
chip delivers exceptional performance by providing fast
command processing, low SCSI overhead, and 40 MB/sec
UltraSCSI transfer rates.
40 MB/s data burst rates on the UltraSCSI bus
while supporting 15 SCSI devices
32-bit I/O processor handles command
queueing and DMA processing
Integrated Flash, Auto-termination, Scatter/
Gather engine, PCI device ID programming
functions
Copyright1999 by Initio Corporation. All rights reserved. ISGE, I-cubed, and the INIC- prefix are trademarks of Initio Corporation. All other product names that appear in this material
are for identification purposes only and are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Information supplied by Initio is believed to be accurate
and reliable, but Initio Corporation assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this material. Initio Corporation reserves the right, without notice, to make changes in
product design or specification. Printed in U.S.A. 4/1/99 P/C: D155-01
Initio Corporation
2188 Del Franco Street
San Jose, CA 95131-1575
Tel: 408.577.1919
Fax: 408.577.0640
Toll Free: 1.800.99.INITIO
Email: sales@initio.com
initio
www.initio.com
FEATURES
SCSI INTERFACE:
Data Transfer Rates up to 40 MByte/sec
Supports both auto and programmable SCSI termination
Built-in S/G execution engine and S/G cache buffer
Supports Command Tag Queuing and Disconnect/
Reconnect
PCI INTERFACE:
PCI 2.1 Compliant, 33 MHz, 32-bit PCI burst transfer
rates of 133 MB/s
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
Microsoft PC 98 Compliant
Support for FLASH and SEEPROM
Dual rail power supply
On-chip power management features to decrease the
power consumption
Programming interface specification available for OEM
Software developers (I
3
)
Provides ASPI manager for DOS
, Windows
and NetWare
BIOS support for DOS and Windows applications
without driver involvement
160-pin LQFP package
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
The INIC-850 is a highly integrated device that makes it a
very cost effective SCSI solution. It integrates Flash
logic, SCSI Auto-termination logic, and PCI ID
programming logic which otherwise would have been
necessary to implement a SCSI subsystem. Furthermore,
the internal SCSI command buffer with its associated
hardware caching scheme eliminates the need for local
RAM storage.
It is designed to be PC 98 compliant without the help of
any external logic. It supports Hot-Plug PCI and the ACPI
power management. Its PCI to SCSI engine employs a
distinctive Integrated Scatter Gather Engine (ISGE) to
provide higher performance with each operating system.
The embedded engine is a high performance RISC
processor which operates as an I/O processor to offload
the host CPU. The RISC processors SCSI protocol
handles all SCSI bus phases. Furthermore, its 32-bit
RISC handles all interupts and command queue
processing. All thanks to its advanced internal firmware.
INIC-850
"
CardBus provides the
missing link that
enables notebooks to
replace desktops as
the primary PC by
bringing the benefits
of PCI to the mobile
computing format."
INIC-850 Block Diagram
SOFTWARE SUPPORT:
Support for all major
operating systems including:
DOS
Windows
95
Windows
98
Windows NT
Novell
NetWare
SCO
Unix
OS/2
UnixWare
Linux
DEVICE SUPPORT:
Hard disk drives
CD-Recordable devices
CD-ROM devices
Scanners
Iomega
Zip/Jaz drives
Magneto-Optical drives
APPLICATIONS:
CardBus modules
Add-on host adapters
Motherboards
Initio Inside.
With all its features,
its clear to see how
the INIC-850 will
improve your overall
I/O performance.
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