PCIe 5.0Current range
SFF-8614 host & target adapters
Cabled x16 PCIe 5.0 connection for transparent expansion or NTB-based system interconnect, according to adapter configuration.
MXH530MXH532
View adapters →
Dolphin PCIe interconnect technology
PCIe Expansion & Interconnect
PCIe adapters, switches, chassis, modular interconnects and software for extending device capacity and building high-bandwidth data paths across hosts and chassis.
PCIe Gen3–Gen5
Transparent expansion
NTB networking
Peer-to-peer
PXIe / CPCI-S
SISCI / SmartIO
Selection guidance:
Dolphin Interconnect Solutions provides transparent and non-transparent PCIe adapters, switches, modular-system interfaces and eXpressWare software. Generation, lane width, connector, cable media, clock isolation, operating-system support and topology capability depend on the selected model. Confirm current availability and configuration for MXS524, MXH54x optical adapters, MXP52x modules and MXB585-based expansion before final specification.
Dolphin hardware and eXpressWare
Product portfolio by PCIe generation and platform
Start with the PCIe generation and form factor, then select transparent expansion or non-transparent fabric operation. Product availability, connector type, lane width and operating-system support depend on the selected model.
PCIe 5.0
Gen5 products serve the highest-bandwidth host/target, CDFP copper-link and expansion requirements. Options marked for consultation require configuration and availability confirmation.
PCIe 5.0Current range
CDFP CopprLink adapters
High-density cabled PCIe 5.0 adapters for x16 host/target links using the CDFP CopprLink interface.
MXH570MXH572
View link options →PCIe 5.0Consult Primionics
Gen5 optical & expansion options
FireFly optical adapters, external switching and the MXB585-based eBox 5 platform are configuration options subject to current availability.
MXH540 / 542MXS524MXB585
Review expansion systems →PCIe 4.0
Gen4 families cover copper and optical host/target adapters plus multi-port external switching for transparent and NTB fabric topologies.
PCIe 4.0Current range
FireFly optical adapters
Optically isolated host/target links for remote PCIe resources where reach, cable density or electrical separation is required.
MXH940MXH942
View optical links →PCIe 4.0Current range
SFF-8644 copper adapters
Single-, dual- and quad-connector adapter variants provide a practical route from compact links to full x16 cabled bandwidth.
MXH914 / 915MXH918 / 919MXH916 / 917MXH930 / 932
Compare adapter families →
PCIe 4.0Current range
External PCIe switch
Multi-port switching for larger expansion trees and multi-host PCIe fabrics, with topology and partitioning defined during system design.
MXS924
View switching platforms →PCIe 3.0 & hybrid
Established Gen3 and Gen4/Gen3 hybrid hardware remains relevant for XMC, compact platforms, legacy integration and mixed-generation systems.
Gen4 / Gen3Current range
Hybrid & compact adapter families
Select half-height, XMC and optical variants where mechanical format and installed system generation govern the interconnect.
MXH950 / 952PXH830 / 832PXH820 / 822 / 824 / 826
View form factors →
PCIe 3.0Current range
Gen3 adapters & switching
Proven x16 host/target adapters and external switching support transparent I/O trees and non-transparent multi-computer fabrics.
MXH910 / 912PXH810 / 812MXH830 / 832MXS824
Review Gen3 platforms →
Supported platform
OpenVPX deployment
OpenVPX is a supported system solution using licensed eXpressWare and selected Curtiss-Wright hardware—not a separate Dolphin adapter generation.
PXH820 / 822eXpressWare
View OpenVPX solution →PXIe & CompactPCI Serial
Modular-system interfaces connect controllers, chassis and external computers. Select the role—host, target or system switch—before selecting the model.
PXIe Gen4 / Gen3Current range
PXIe controller & switch modules
Link PXIe chassis to external hosts or to other chassis while preserving the required controller ownership and PCIe topology.
MXP908 / 909MXP921MXP924
View PXIe products →
PXIe Gen5Consult Primionics
Gen5 PXIe options
Select Gen5 PXIe host, target and switching modules according to chassis compatibility, firmware and software support.
MXP508 / 509MXP526 / 528
Check PXIe status →
CompactPCI SerialSelect by system
CompactPCI Serial interfaces
PCIe fabric interfaces for CompactPCI Serial systems, with generation, role and availability selected for the deployed chassis.
MXC948MXC960MXC962
View CompactPCI Serial →Expansion, backplanes & link media
Complete the architecture with powered expansion, passive fan-out and connector-matched copper or optical media. Reach is interface-specific and must be qualified as part of the complete link.
Expansion chassis
eBox expansion systems
Provide powered, cooled PCIe slots for remote GPUs, accelerators, acquisition cards and storage devices.
eBox 4eBox 5 / MXB585
View expansion systems →
Gen4 / Gen5
Passive fan-out backplanes
Fan one x16 upstream link into downstream slot arrangements for compact custom expansion systems.
IBP-G4X16IBP-G5X162 / 3 / 5 slots
View passive backplanes →Copper / optical
Connector-matched link media
Choose SFF-8614, SFF-8644, CDFP CopprLink or FireFly optical media that matches both adapters and the required distance.
1–3 m copper10 / 50 m CDFP opticalUp to 100 m FireFly
Select link media →eXpressWare software
Software is required for NTB-based multi-computer fabrics and advanced resource sharing; ordinary transparent expansion generally retains the endpoint’s native driver model.
SISCI API
Remote memory access, DMA, interrupts, multicast/reflective memory and peer-to-peer programming interfaces.
View SISCI route →SuperSockets & IPoPCIe
Socket-compatible acceleration and IP networking over supported Dolphin PCIe fabrics.
View networking route →SmartIO & Device Lending
Licensed Linux-oriented mechanisms for accessing or assigning PCIe devices across a configured fabric.
View device-access route →Engineering papers
Technical references for architecture decisions
Open the original Dolphin or Dolphin-partner paper directly as a PDF. Each reference is placed against the design decision it supports; model availability and current software compatibility must still be checked separately.
PCIe over optics in embedded applications
Explains transparent and NTB topologies, optical reach, embedded clustering and the boundary between single-root and multi-host PCIe systems.
Open PDF ↗Transparent PCIe hot-add
Use when an expansion chassis or endpoint must become available after host boot without restarting the Linux system.
Open PDF ↗Flexible device sharing with Device Lending
Covers remote PCIe-device assignment, native-driver access and the architectural considerations behind shared or borrowed devices.
Open PDF ↗PCIe reflective memory and multicast
Describes software-defined reflective memory over a switched PCIe fabric and the role of SISCI multicast.
Open PDF ↗PCIe peer-to-peer communication
Use when GPUs, FPGAs, acquisition devices or other endpoints need direct transfers without staging all payload data through host memory.
Open PDF ↗PCIe fabrics on VPX hardware — Parts 1 & 2
Two-part Curtiss-Wright and Dolphin treatment of PCIe fabric communication, latency and implementation in VPX systems.
System design patterns
Reference Architectures
Select the ownership model first, then the data path and software layer. These patterns map common PCIe system goals to the architecture that should be qualified before adapters, switches and cables are selected.
01
Define PCIe ownership
Choose one root complex for transparent expansion, or isolated root complexes connected through non-transparent bridging.
02
Define what must move
Distinguish endpoint I/O, host-to-host data, replicated state, peer transfers and managed device access.
03
Define the software contract
Confirm native drivers, SISCI, socket/IP interfaces or SmartIO—and engineer PXIe timing independently of PCIe transport.
Single-root I/O
Host
Remote I/O
Single-root expansion
Transparent PCIe Expansion
Extend native PCIe endpoints beyond the host enclosure while keeping one root complex, one hierarchy and the endpoint's supported driver model.
Explore →
Independent hosts
Host A
Host B
Host C
NTB fabric
Multi-host communication
Low-Latency PCIe Networking
Connect independent computers through NTB, then select SISCI shared-memory operations, SuperSockets or IPoPCIe for the required application interface.
Explore →
Replicated state
Source region
Node B
Node C
Node D
Replicated application state
PCIe Reflective Memory
Replicate application-defined memory regions through SISCI broadcast segments and a supported multicast-capable PCIe fabric.
Explore →
Direct device movement
DAQ
FPGA
GPU
NVMe
Endpoint-to-endpoint transfer
Peer-to-Peer PCIe Data Paths
Move data directly between compatible DAQ, FPGA, GPU, NIC or NVMe endpoints where the full route supports peer transactions.
Explore →
Scalable instrumentation
Controller
PXIe 1
PXIe 2
PCIe data path
Modular instrumentation
PXIe Multi-Chassis Systems
Scale PXIe slots and processing through either one transparent hierarchy or independent NTB domains, with timing and triggers engineered separately.
Explore →
Managed resources
Host A
Host B
Host C
Device pool
Composable device access
Shared PCIe Device Access
Access compatible remote PCIe devices through exclusive Device Lending with native Linux drivers or application-managed SISCI SmartIO.
Explore →
Architecture selection is a system-level decision.
PCIe generation and lane width alone do not establish compatibility. Confirm enumeration, address-window resources, peer-to-peer routing, ACS and IOMMU policy, operating-system and driver support, reset behaviour, cable topology and the required failure-recovery model for the complete path.
System architecture
System Capabilities
The available products support several system approaches, from transparent device expansion to independent-host communication and direct device data paths.
Additional PCIe capacity
Connect more devices, slots or modular chassis when the host platform alone is insufficient.
Native device access
Retain compatible PCIe drivers, endpoint behaviour and DMA where the selected topology supports them.
Independent-host communication
Use NTB hardware and fabric software to exchange data between separate computers without merging their root complexes.
Configurable data paths
Select shared memory, sockets, IP, multicast or peer-to-peer transfers according to the application and supported hardware.
Dolphin PCIe technology
PCIe interconnect hardware and eXpressWare software
Dolphin Interconnect Solutions combines PCIe adapters, switches, modular-system interfaces and software for transparent I/O expansion, NTB communication and managed PCIe fabrics.
One PCIe hierarchy across cable or backplane
Transparent host and target adapters extend a root complex to compatible remote endpoints. Driver, BAR allocation, reset, hot-plug and peer-to-peer behaviour must be validated through the complete topology.
Independent hosts with translated PCIe windows
Non-transparent bridging keeps root complexes independent while enabling translated memory windows, DMA and interrupts. Switches add fan-out, multi-host and modular-system topologies.
Shared memory, sockets, IP and device access
Supported software components include SISCI, SuperSockets, IPoPCIe, reflective memory and SmartIO or device lending. Availability depends on the hardware family, operating system and license.
Current product families span PCIe Gen3, Gen4 and Gen5 adapters, PXIe and CompactPCI Serial modules, external switches and expansion systems. Model-specific links use SFF-8614, SFF-8644, CDFP CopprLink or FireFly optical interfaces; supported cable reach ranges from short passive-copper links to optical configurations of up to 200 metres.
Application areas
Applications
PCIe interconnect is used where endpoint bandwidth, latency, native driver access or system scalability is a primary design constraint.
HPC & accelerated computing
Increase accelerator and storage capacity while reducing data movement between compute, FPGA, GPU and NVMe stages.
Test & measurement
Scale instruments and acquisition across chassis without replacing the complete controller and software environment.
Automotive & EV
Connect HIL, simulation, logging and accelerator platforms for high-rate validation workflows with defined latency and bandwidth.
Machine vision
Create direct camera, FPGA, GPU and storage pipelines that reduce host-copy overhead and processing delay.
Semiconductor test
Expand instrumentation and move device data efficiently into processing and storage for characterization and production test.
Aerospace & defence
Build modular multi-node processing and remote-I/O systems with controlled ownership, isolation and deterministic data paths.