Overview
The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) interface is a platform bus specification that enables high-performance graphics capabilities, 3-D, and video—over networks as well as on individual PCs. Platform-independent, AGP is supported by numerous hardware and software vendors, and is now a standard on Intel-based platforms. Software and hardware engineers working with graphics must have a good understanding of this important technology.
AGP System Architecture, Second Edition includes all the essentials from the first edition, but has been expanded and reorganized for even better coverage. This comprehensive and concise book provides an overview of the technology, a detailed description of the specification, a discussion of AGP Pro, and a practical tutorial for mastering AGP. In particular, it focuses on 3-D graphics and video-related applications most served by AGP. It also provides a primer for the PCI bus protocol as background for a discussion on AGP and analyzes the advantages of AGP over PCI for 3-D graphics. You will find coverage of the following essential topics:
- AGP dynamic memory allocation and aperture implementation
- The relationship of the Microsoft® Windows OS to the AGP hardware environment
- AGP subsystem enumeration and configuration using the Intel 440BX chipset as the example
- AGP signaling, including North Bridge/AGP adapter interconnect examples
- AGP transfer types, transaction ordering rules, and the Fence and Flush commands
- AGP arbitration, including a discussion of grant pipelining optimization
- AGP data transactions in the 1x, 2x, and 4x data transfer modes
- FastWrite transactions
- Use of turnaround cycles to prevent bus collisions during back-to-back transactions
- The AGP Pro connector and card
This indispensable resource will enable you to understand AGP tools, design a high-quality AGP device, and support AGP in software applications.
The PC System Architecture Series is a crisply written and comprehensive set of guides to the most important PC hardware standards. Each title is designed to illustrate the relationship between the software and hardware, and thoroughly explains the architecture, features, and operation of systems built using the targeted technology.
Synopsis
The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) interface is a platform bus specification that enables high-performance graphics capabilities, 3-D, and video—over networks as well as on individual PCs. Platform-independent, AGP is supported by numerous hardware and software vendors, and is now a standard on Intel-based platforms. Software and hardware engineers working with graphics must have a good understanding of this important technology.
AGP System Architecture, Second Edition includes all the essentials from the first edition, but has been expanded and reorganized for even better coverage. This comprehensive and concise book provides an overview of the technology, a detailed description of the specification, a discussion of AGP Pro, and a practical tutorial for mastering AGP. In particular, it focuses on 3-D graphics and video-related applications most served by AGP. It also provides a primer for the PCI bus protocol as background for a discussion on AGP and analyzes the advantages of AGP over PCI for 3-D graphics. You will find coverage of the following essential topics:
- AGP dynamic memory allocation and aperture implementation
- The relationship of the Microsoft® Windows OS to the AGP hardware environment
- AGP subsystem enumeration and configuration using the Intel 440BX chipset as the example
- AGP signaling, including North Bridge/AGP adapter interconnect examples
- AGP transfer types, transaction ordering rules, and the Fence and Flush commands
- AGP arbitration, including a discussion of grant pipelining optimization
- AGP data transactions in the 1x, 2x, and 4x data transfer modes
- FastWrite transactions
- Use of turnaround cycles to prevent bus collisions during back-to-back transactions
- The AGP Pro connector and card
This indispensable resource will enable you to understand AGP tools, design a high-quality AGP device, and support AGP in software applications.
The PC System Architecture Series is a crisply written and comprehensive set of guides to the most important PC hardware standards. Each title is designed to illustrate the relationship between the software and hardware, and thoroughly explains the architecture, features, and operation of systems built using the targeted technology.
Electronic Review of Computer Books - Jack Woehr
AGP System Architecture, by Dave Dzatko, is a meaty and diligent book snapshotting a moving target -- the emerging Accelerated Graphics Port standard. This book is a good bet for your first highly technical introduction to AGP if you are poised to enter AGP development shortly.
AGP System Architecture covers the Intel Revision 2.0 specification of the Accelerated Graphics Port, an architecture designed to contain costs of 3D graphical rendering by reducing the amount of local memory required for larger and more detailed textures emerging in today's applications.
AGP System Architecture is one part of the PC Architecture Series, a series which has produced a number of notable volumes. These books are more readable than standards documents or chipset documentation and are also richer in insight and theoretical background than those materials tend to be. Currently, the series comprises:
- 80486 System Architecture, Third Edition
- AGP System Architecture
- Card Bus System Architecture
- EISA System Architecture, Second Edition
- FireWire System Architecture, Second Edition: IEEE 1394A
- ISA System Architecture, Third Edition
- PCI System Architecture, Third Edition
- PCMCIA System Architcture: 16-Bit PC Cards, Second Edition
- Pentium Pro and Pentium II System Architecture, Second Edition
- Pentium Processor System Architecture, Second Edition
- Plug and Play System Architecture
- PowerPC System Architecture
- Protected Mode Software Architecture
- Universal Serial Bus System Architecture
I first became aquainted with the series about a year ago, when urgent development considerations prompted me to purchase PCI System Architecture, Third Edition, a decision I don't regret. Perhaps I am hopelessly nuts-and-bolts nerdy, but I found it thrilling bedtime reading. That particular volume is, in fact, probably a prerequisite to understanding AGP, which is sort of a cooperative peer of the PCI bus. In turn, an understanding of ISA architecture enables one to grasp the PCI volume.
The PC System Architecture series is laid out with the interdependence of the concepts in mind, in building-block style, and the reader is directed in the introduction of the relationship between the building blocks and given a map of the series and the interrelations between volumes. However, if you are already conversant in the underlying concepts (for example, PCI in the case of the AGP volume), the individual book is entirely readable on its own; there is no textual dependency between the books in the series.
It is refreshing that nowadays such excellent guides to the jungle of PC architecture are available for hardware and software engineers. This is one of those rare instances where even the cover blurbs back and front are dry and accurate. AGP System Architecture and others of this series are impressive as time-valued rush-to-press technical publishing of the first caliber. The authors, editors, and publisher have not skimped on the printing and production value, nor on the wealth of diagrams, nor on profound discussion of issues, nor even, apparently, on technical review procedures prior to publication.
The only thing better than reading AGP System Architecture for understanding AGP is to have all the source documents in front of you along with the hardware and development tools and to get busy writing the system software yourself.
Editorials
Jack Woehr
AGP System Architecture, by Dave Dzatko, is a meaty and diligent book snapshotting a moving target -- the emerging Accelerated Graphics Port standard. This book is a good bet for your first highly technical introduction to AGP if you are poised to enter AGP development shortly.
AGP System Architecture covers the Intel Revision 2.0 specification of the Accelerated Graphics Port, an architecture designed to contain costs of 3D graphical rendering by reducing the amount of local memory required for larger and more detailed textures emerging in today's applications.
AGP System Architecture is one part of the PC Architecture Series, a series which has produced a number of notable volumes. These books are more readable than standards documents or chipset documentation and are also richer in insight and theoretical background than those materials tend to be. Currently, the series comprises:
- 80486 System Architecture, Third Edition
- AGP System Architecture
- Card Bus System Architecture
- EISA System Architecture, Second Edition
- FireWire System Architecture, Second Edition: IEEE 1394A
- ISA System Architecture, Third Edition
- PCI System Architecture, Third Edition
- PCMCIA System Architcture: 16-Bit PC Cards, Second Edition
- Pentium Pro and Pentium II System Architecture, Second Edition
- Pentium Processor System Architecture, Second Edition
- Plug and Play System Architecture
- PowerPC System Architecture
- Protected Mode Software Architecture
- Universal Serial Bus System Architecture
I first became aquainted with the series about a year ago, when urgent development considerations prompted me to purchase PCI System Architecture, Third Edition, a decision I don't regret. Perhaps I am hopelessly nuts-and-bolts nerdy, but I found it thrilling bedtime reading. That particular volume is, in fact, probably a prerequisite to understanding AGP, which is sort of a cooperative peer of the PCI bus. In turn, an understanding of ISA architecture enables one to grasp the PCI volume.
The PC System Architecture series is laid out with the interdependence of the concepts in mind, in building-block style, and the reader is directed in the introduction of the relationship between the building blocks and given a map of the series and the interrelations between volumes. However, if you are already conversant in the underlying concepts (for example, PCI in the case of the AGP volume), the individual book is entirely readable on its own; there is no textual dependency between the books in the series.
It is refreshing that nowadays such excellent guides to the jungle of PC architecture are available for hardware and software engineers. This is one of those rare instances where even the cover blurbs back and front are dry and accurate. AGP System Architecture and others of this series are impressive as time-valued rush-to-press technical publishing of the first caliber. The authors, editors, and publisher have not skimped on the printing and production value, nor on the wealth of diagrams, nor on profound discussion of issues, nor even, apparently, on technical review procedures prior to publication.
The only thing better than reading AGP System Architecture for understanding AGP is to have all the source documents in front of you along with the hardware and development tools and to get busy writing the system software yourself.
— Electronic Review of Computer Books