TH-PCIE-111 128M Single-Mode Reflective Memory Card

Using a reflective memory card generally requires the following steps:

Hardware Installation:

1.Confirm that the computer has the appropriate slot, such as a PCI slot (taking the PCI5565 reflective memory card as an example). You can open the chassis to check if the motherboard has a reserved slot.

2.Set the S1 and S2 values on the reflective memory card. S1 is an 8-bit switch; for example, the first bit controls whether the reflective memory enables redundancy mode, the second bit controls whether the high-performance switch is enabled, and the third and fourth bits together control the size of the reflective memory space to be used. S2 is used to set the nodeID of the current reflective memory card. All reflective memory cards in the network must have unique nodeIDs, and a single reflective memory network can support up to 256 reflective memory cards. It is recommended to use the default settings initially.

3.Insert the reflective memory card. When connecting the fiber optic cable, note the following:

- If the reflective memory card bracket does not match the PCI slot on the chassis, you can remove the bracket with a screwdriver and insert the card directly.

- If the pins on the reflective memory card are wider than the PCI slot on the chassis, it is acceptable as long as the card can be inserted; it does not matter if some pins are not inserted.

- Before inserting the card, shut down and power off the computer to prevent electrostatic discharge.

- Ensure that when connecting the fiber optic cable, the output line is connected to the input line, and the input line is connected to the output line.

Software Installation:

Typically, the driver for the reflective memory card needs to be installed. You can download the driver from the official website. After extraction, it generally includes API (reflective memory API interface files), diags (official command-line programs for reflective memory, implemented by calling the API interface, allowing you to query and execute reflective memory data via commands), driver (driver code), include (driver header files), samples (official test samples, including files for sending data, receiving data, and mapping reflective memory data to local memory space), and rfg_load (a script called after driver installation to create device files, load driver ko files, etc.). For specific installation, refer to the install file in the extracted folder; usually, executing #make install will suffice.

During installation, note the following two points:

1.The driver downloaded from the official website may have a maximum supported Linux kernel version limit. For example, if the highest version is r09, it may support up to Linux kernel version 3.x. If the Linux kernel version is higher than this, errors are likely to occur during installation. You can search online for solutions based on the error messages. The cause of the error is often due to changes in header files and macro definitions across different Linux kernel versions, leading to compilation failures of the driver code. In such cases, you may need to use a newer driver version or modify the driver code yourself to adapt to the current kernel.

2.If you encounter issues during installation, you can also contact reflective memory technical support for the latest driver. Data Usage:

Reflective memory can be treated as a file for operations. First, open the reflective memory, then write fixed-size data to the planned address. The data will be transferred from local memory to reflective memory via a specific I/O mode (such as DMA or PIO). DMA mode does not require the computer's CPU involvement and directly transfers data to reflective memory via the PCI bus; PIO mode requires CPU involvement. Generally, DMA mode is recommended for transmission. This data will be transmitted to the next reflective memory node via fiber optic cable within tens of microseconds. Soon, all nodes in the reflective memory network will receive the data, though not all nodes may need it. In such cases, events can be sent to notify the nodes that require the data to read it. The receiving nodes read fixed-size data from the corresponding address, thereby completing rapid data exchange between two nodes.

When using it in specific projects, you can include the header files and implementation code from the driver in your code, use the corresponding API functions, and replace socket communication with reflective memory communication where previously needed.

The specific usage of reflective memory cards may vary depending on the model, brand, and application scenario. Before actual use, it is recommended to carefully read the relevant documentation and manuals of the reflective memory card you are using to ensure correct installation, configuration, and usage. If you can provide the specific model of the reflective memory card, I can offer more targeted instructions.