Chapter Overview

 Understanding Expansion Buses

 Configuring Expansion Cards
 Cables and Connectors

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Understanding Expansion Buses
 A system bus is the series of connections
between the CPU and the system memory.
 An expansion bus connects add-on devices
to the computer system.
 Expansion buses include the following types:
 Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro Channel
Architecture (MCA), Extended Industry Standard
Architecture (EISA)
 VESA local bus (VLB), Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI), Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)
 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394
(FireWire), universal serial bus (USB)

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Industry Standard Architecture
(ISA)
 Standard established by IBM
 Problems with ISA design
 Lack of speed
 Compatibility problems

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Micro Channel Architecture
(MCA)
 Was proprietary architecture designed
by IBM to defend its market position
 Was able to “self configure” devices
 Was not backward compatible with ISA
 Had a 32-bit data path
 Has been discontinued

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Extended ISA

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VESA Local Bus (VLB)

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Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI)
 Overcomes limitations of ISA, EISA,
MCA, and VLB
 Has become an unofficial industry
standard
 Has significant differences from VLB
 Are also differences in PCI versions
 Is an evolving technology

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Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)

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IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
 Interface originally developed by Apple
 High-speed interface that allows up to
62 devices on a chain
 Advantages: hot swap, inexpensive
connectors, simple cable design
 Direct path to system memory
 Not presently a widely used standard

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Universal Serial Bus (USB)
 Connects peripherals outside the computer
 Supports speeds of 1.5 Mbps for
asynchronous transfer and 12 Mbps for
isochronous transfer
 Offers the following advantages:

Hot swap

Recognition of new device by operating system
(OS)

Ease of adding new devices

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The Most Common I/O Addresses

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Setting and Managing I/O
Addresses
 Non–Plug and Play I/O addresses are set
with jumpers, dual inline package (DIP)
switches, and software drivers.
 Plug and Play devices are self-
configuring and can conflict with older
non–Plug and Play cards.
 Devices with overlapping I/O addresses
will not respond to commands.

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Interrupt Request (IRQ)

13
Cascading the 8259 Chip

14
Setting IRQs
 Set IRQs during installation.
 Use hardware, software, or a
combination of both to set IRQs.
 Document all IRQ settings.

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Direct Memory Access
 The direct memory access (DMA) chip
(8237) offloads work from the CPU.
 Each 8237 chip supports four devices.
 Two DMA chips are cascaded to provide
eight DMA channels.

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 Setting and Managing DMA
Channels

ECP = Extended Capabilities Port

SCSI = Small Computer System Interface 17
COM and Ports

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COM Ports
 COM1 and COM3 share IRQ4.
 COM2 and COM4 share IRQ3.
 COM3 uses I/O port 3E8–3EF and COM1
uses 3F8–3FF.
 COM4 uses I/O port 2E8–2EF and COM2
uses 2F8–2FF.

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LPT Ports
 You should use IRQ7 for LPT1 and IRQ5
for LPT2.
 IRQ5 is typically used by sound cards.
 Devices other than printers can use LPT
ports.
 The USB is taking over many of the
parallel designs.

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Installing Expansion Cards
 Read the documentation.
 Document addresses and DMA and IRQ
settings.
 Keep settings unique, and document
them.

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Parallel Printer Cables

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IEEE 1284 Printer Modes
 It is important to configure the correct
mode for each printer.
 Each pin assignment corresponds to a
specific function.

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Serial Port Cables

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Null Modem and SCSI Cables
 Null modem cable: used to directly
connect two computers
 SCSI cable: used to connect a variety of
internal and external devices

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Keyboard Cables

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Identifying Cables and
Connectors
 Communication
 Printer
 Monitor
 Game port
 Keyboard

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Troubleshooting Cables
 Always check the cable first.
 Always check for loose connections.
 Check for bent or broken pins.
 Do not use force.
 Check for worn or frayed cables.
 Ensure that you are using the correct
cable.
 Avoid “homemade” cables.

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Summary of Connectors
 DB-9, DB-25: used for serial and parallel
port communications, respectively
 RJ-11, RJ-12: standard telephone connectors
 RJ-45: network connector
 PS/2 (mini-DIN): supports mouse, scanners,
and some keyboards
 Centronics: supports printers
 USB: supports a variety of peripheral
devices

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Chapter Summary
 Expansion buses are standardized connections for
installing devices.
 Expansion buses have several architecture types.
 All devices require unique I/O addresses, IRQs, and
DMA channels.
 IRQ conflicts cause most problems during
installation of a new device.
 COM ports are used for serial devices, and LPT
ports are used for parallel devices.
 It is important to identify cables and connectors.
 Loose or poorly connected cables often cause
computer problems.

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