The Magma ExpressBox7 (x8) Gen2 (4U) is used to extend the PCI express bus of the host PC via integration of additional 7 full length PCI Express I/O cards. Offering modularity and scalability, the expansion system provides 8 additional lanes of PCI Express connection to the host via an expansion interface card installed in 1 PCIe slot. The system allows you to replace the expansion card with an optical card, which allows connection over fiber optics. It supports hot-swapping of PCI express slot and user selectable bypass of hot-swappable feature if not supported by the BIOS of the system.
Featuring 7 built-in auxiliary power connections for the PCI cards, the 7-Slot PCI Express Expansion System is powered upon receiving control signals from the host. In addition, it allows you to turn off power to individual PCI express cards. Offering plug-n-play operation, the system supports any combination of x1, x4, x8, and x16 PCI Express cards. With a low-profile host card, the expansion system allows for easy installation in low-profile computers. It also supports peer to peer transfer in-between card slots of the expansion chassis. When used with a root complex card, the expansion system allows the expansion system to act the host computer with 8 slots.
Using LED indicators, the ExpressBox7 (x8) Gen2 (4U) indicates if the PCI express cards are attached properly. The number of PCI express slots derived is determined by the number of root complex ports supported by the host. When multiple units are connected together, the expansion system sacrifices 1 usable slot per chassis and is controlled via daisy chain protocols. It includes a 9’ (3 m) iPass cable used for a transparent connection with the host. Featuring thermister controlled fan speed regulator, the PCI expansion system includes dedicated fans for cooling of each card.