With I/O-related products so varied and
prolific, designing an open, interoperable
architecture for Intelligent I/O was critical for
increasing I/O performance.
The I2O Special
Interest Group* (SIG) defines an open
architecture for standardizing and managing I/O devices that is
independent of the implementation of the devices.
The intent of the I2O SIG is to promote the
interoperability, performance and ease-of-use of
I/O subsystems.
In 1996 the I2O
SIG created the specification for an I/O
device driver architecture which is independent
of the device and the host operating system. By
separating the section of the driver responsible
for managing the device from the functions of the
operating system, the aspect of the driver that
manages the device becomes portable across
multiple operating systems.
The I2O SIG
provides developers and engineers with the
assurance of a standardized
implementation for intelligent I/O. Over 130 companies, including
server OEMs, networking companies, OS vendors,
semiconductor companies and more, are members
of the SIG. The SIG steering committee
members include Adaptec, Hewlett-Packard,
Intel, Microsoft, NetFRAME, Novell, Symbios Logic, Wind River Systems
and 3Com.
The I2O SIG Web site offers information on how to
join the SIG. You’ll also find details
on how
to obtain the spec, plus the latest news.
