I/O Virtualization

PCI-SIG I/O Virtualization (IOV) Specifications, in conjunction with system virtualization technologies, allow multiple operating systems running simultaneously within a single computer to natively share PCI Express^® devices. These specifications are grouped into three areas:

• Address Translation Services (ATS): this specification provides a set of transactions for PCI Express components to exchange and use translated addresses in support of native I/O Virtualization.
• Single Root IOV: this specification provides native I/O Virtualization in existing PCI Express topologies where there is a single root complex.
• Multi-Root IOV: this specification builds on the Single Root IOV Specification to provide native I/O Virtualization in new topologies (such as blade servers) where multiple root complexes share a PCI Express hierarchy.

Please visit the Review Zone for I/O Virtualization documents currently under review.