Patent ID: 8693208

Claim:
In a computer system, a PCIe bus extension system for connecting a PCIe-compliant peripheral device to a PCIe bus of the computer system, the extension system comprising: a PCIe interface card within an enclosure of the computer system, the PCIe interface card having at least one interface port and an edge connector configured to interface with a PCIe expansion slot, the edge connector being functionally connected with a PCIe expansion slot on a motherboard within the enclosure, the PCIe interface card having a logic integrated circuit that functionally connects PCIe signals transmitted from the motherboard to the interface port and functionally connects PCIe signals transmitted from the interface port to the motherboard; a PCIe-compliant peripheral device having an interface port that is functionally identical to the interface port on the PCIe interface card but with a mirror-symmetric pin out to receive clock and data signals from the PCIe interface card and to send data signals to the PCIe interface card; a cable connecting the interface port of the PCIe interface card to the interface port of the PCIe-compliant peripheral device, the cable being configured for complete crossover of all of the PCIe signals, the cable being adapted to transfer multiple parallel lanes of the PCIe signals as a single channel in full duplex mode; wherein the PCIe-compliant peripheral device does not receive power through the PCIe interface card, further comprising a PCIe switch that arbitrates between the clock and data signals of the multiple parallel PCIe lanes over the channel and additional clock and data signals of additional multiple parallel PCIe lanes over at least one additional channel provided by at least one additional cable.