Can a PCI backplane be used on any computer?

[Kaido]

From another thread, I read about using PCI backplanes to expand your I/O capabilities. I did some googling today but there's not a lot of "howto" info on them. How do you connect them to your motherboard? Can they be used with any off-the-shelf motherboard? Do you just stick it in a case and run a cable between it and your main case? If someone could fill me in I'd appreciate it

 

[Peter]

Technically, these expansion chassis have a card you plug into the main box, with a PCI-to-PCI bridge chip on it. Devices in the expansion chassis will appear to the main system's software, no special software needed. It's a normal bridged-bus PCI setup, just with a not so normal physical implementation. No drivers needed.

There are however some mainboard BIOSes that aren't quite as ready to handle bridged busses as they should be. Particularly VGA in expansion chassis has the potential to make the BIOS scratch its head (although it's not really a problem by the PCI specification).

In short, if your mainboard has an AMI or Phoenix BIOS, you should be OK. If it has a PhoenixAward BIOS, test carefully.