NextIO and Denali Team to Enable First I/O Virtualization Designs for PCI Express

-- Denali Software and NextIO today announced the availability of verification intellectual property (IP) products that support NextIO's virtual I/O design IP and Shared PCI Express Switch. Virtual I/O technology is the hardware complement to software server virtualization products, like VMware, enabling more virtual servers to share a single physical I/O controller. Shared I/O technology allows multiple blade servers to share a single physical I/O controller, which lowers the cost and increases the flexibility of blade servers.

This collaboration brings together two leaders in PCI Express (PCIe) technology with experience in providing design and verification solutions to enable the successful deployment of PCIe technology. Denali provides the de facto standard verification IP products used by hardware developers to ensure compliance and interoperability of PCIe designs. NextIO is a recognized leader in I/O virtualization technology. Both Denali and NextIO are active and contributing members of the PCI-SIG, the industry organization chartered to develop and manage the PCI Express standard.

"The PCI-SIG's I/O Virtualization Working Group is progressing nicely, and the ecosystem for virtual I/O is beginning to gel," said Rich Warwick, Vice President of Engineering and Operations at NextIO. "As a clear leader in PCIe compliance verification, Denali plays an important role in the Shared I/O ecosystem. NextIO partnered with Denali to extend the PureSpec™ product to support Shared I/O, and enable high-quality verification of Shared I/O designs. The availability of robust verification solutions like PureSpec is critical in deploying enhanced PCIe technologies. Denali's verification IP was tremendously helpful in ensuring compatibility between NextIO's Shared PCIe and our I/O partners' Shared PCIe implementations, and the success of this effort was recently on display at Microsoft's WinHEC conference in May."

"I/O virtualization is key to enabling PCI Express based hardware in the blade server market," said David Lin, Vice President of Product Marketing for Denali. "NextIO is a leader in this technology, and they have demonstrated the potential of PCIe combined with their switch modules to reduce the cost and complexity in these server applications. We worked closely with NextIO to extend our PureSpec products to support Shared PCI Express technology. Our role is to enable efficient deployment of this technology in the industry; Shared PCI Express is the first step, and we will continue to support the ongoing I/O virtualization developments from the PCI-SIG."

About PureSpec Verification IP for PCI Express Technology
PureSpec is the most comprehensive verification IP solution for standard interfaces, including: PCI Express, Advanced Switching, Ethernet, USB, SATA, CE-ATA, PLB and AMBA 3 AXI. For PCI Express, over 80 customers are using PureSpec for functional verification of PCI Express 1.1 and Gen II designs. PureSpec includes a configurable bus functional model (BFM), protocol monitor, and complete assertion library for all components in the topology, including the root complex, switch, endpoint and PCIe to PCI bridge. The highly integrated nature of PureSpec's configurable model behavior and data monitoring engine provides a sophisticated approach to functional verification. This enables direct translation from test plan definition to implementation, greatly accelerating the verification task and overall system-level verification productivity. More information about PureSpec is available online at: http://www.denali.com/PureSpec

About Denali
Denali Software Inc. is the world's leading provider of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and Intellectual Property (IP) products for design and verification of semiconductor chip interfaces. Denali's Databahn™ products provide optimal control and data throughput for external DRAM and Flash memory devices. Spectra™ is a fully featured flash file system for NAND and NOR memory systems. PureSpec™ and MMAV™ verification IP products support all standard interfaces, including DRAM, Flash, PCI Express, ASI, AMBA, USB, Ethernet, Serial ATA, and CE-ATA. Denali's Blueprint™ SystemRDL compiler provides a complete solution for on-chip register design and management. For more information, visit Denali at http://www.denali.com or call (650) 461-7200.

About Shared PCIe Switches
NextIO has developed Shared PCIe Switch Modules for blade servers. The inexpensive Switch Modules can include any I/O technology (e.g., Fibre Channel, Ethernet, InfiniBand, SAS … ) The Modules replace traditional technology specific switch modules. The Switch Modules fit into off-the-shelf blade servers from leading blade server OEMs.

About NextIO
NextIO, Inc. is the recognized leader in I/O virtualization and Shared I/O technology. Led by a team of industry veterans, NextIO is based in Austin, Texas and is a privately held company funded by Adams Capital Management, Crescendo Ventures JK&B Capital, VentureTech Alliance (TSMC) and Dell. For more information visit NextIO at www.NextIO.com or call (512) 439-5350