Organization of This Document
See Also
Note: This technology developer note describes details of Apple’s implementation of the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) local bus. Previously, information of this type was published in Apple's product developer notes (specific to particular Macintosh computers). For implementations details for Macintosh computers introduced before October of 2005, see the product developer note for that computer.
The Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) local bus is a high-performance interconnection for expansion cards, integrated I/O controller ICs, and the computer’s main memory and processor.
Developers who are designing PCI expansion cards and their associated software will find this document useful.
This document contains the following articles:
“PCI Concepts” describes Apple's implementation of PCI standards and defines key concepts you need to ensure that your device is compatible with Macintosh computers.
“PCI Product-Specific Details” provides details specific to the implementation of PCI on particular Macintosh computers.
For specific information about a particular Macintosh computer, see the product Developer Note for that computer in the Guides > Hardware & Drivers > Apple Hardware.
For a list of the standard units of measure and abbreviations used in this developer note, refer to the Hardware Developer Note Terms and Abbreviations.
Apple offers the following additional resources for PCI:
Writing PCI Drivers provides information about writing I/O Kit drivers for PCI, AGP, CardBus, and PCMCIA devices.
Designing PCI Cards & Drivers for Power Macintosh Computers provides general information about the PCI bus as implemented on PowerPC-based Macintosh computers.
The PCI-SIG website ((http://www.pcisig.com/)) has a wealth of information for implementing PCI Express support, including official specifications and discussion forums.
© 2008 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Last updated: 2008-04-28)