At 02:05 PM 07/18/2000 , Roberto Safora wrote:
>Someone asked me about whether LNX is a form factor, similar to ATX, or if
>it is only applied to power supplies.
>As me myself dont have it clear, I'd like to hear some comments on it.
>If posible, a site where details, images, etc. can be found.

I believe you mean NLX form factor...

They are both form factors...  but they describe different issues
in the manufacturer of motherboards and the ultimate use of a
motherboard.  ATX is a power form factor and NLX is a riser
card form factor, (and probably should be referred to as a
chassis form factor).   The major power form factors are
AT and ATX.  AT form factor is the older and has all switching
inside of the powersupply.  The switch on the case leads to
the power supply.  The ATX form factor moves the switching
to the motherboard, allowing for the Bios and Operating System
to control power, (ie: the motherboard can be powered down
to sleep mode or turned off).

The NLX specification removes I/O slots from the motherboard and
places a edge slot on the board to connect to a riser card containing
the I/O slots.

The NLX specification is designed to allow for moving the I/O
bus from the vertical position on the motherboard to a riser
card placing the I/O cards, such as network card and
so forth, into the horizontal position.  Why would you want to
do this?  It allows for the use of thin PC cases, such as the
slim line desktop and 1U or 2U rackmount cases.  The typical
ATX or AT motherboard, the common ones we see today,
require a 4U rackmount case, (in terms of rackmount space
that is four units of height).  In a server room, space is a premium
and the thinner a rackmount case the better, at least in
some instances.  Hence, using a NLX motherboard allows for
the use of a 1U or 2U case, so that you can actually have 2 or
4 servers in the space of a larger 4U server case.

Reference URLs:
    http://www.teleport.com/~ffsupprt/spec/atx/ATX_Spec_V1_0.pdf
    http://developer.intel.com/design/motherbd/nlx.htm
    ftp://download.intel.com/technology/easeofuse/ezpc-1.pdf


    Bob Wright
The NOSPIN Group

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