First Experience with the Scalable Coherent Interface

The research project RD24 [11] is studying applications of the Scalable Coherent Interface (IEEE-1596) standard for the large hadron collider (LHC). First SCI node chips from Dolphin were used to demonstrate the use and functioning of SCI’s packet protocols and to measure data rates. We present results from a first, two-node SCI ringlet at CERN, based on a R3000 RISC processor node and DMA node on a MC68040 processor bus. A diagnostic link analyzer monitors the SCI packet protocols up to full link bandwidth. In its second phase, RD24 will build a first implementation of a multi-ringlet SCI data merger.