SMBus Insights

What is SMBus?

SMBus (System Management Bus) is a single-ended, two-wire serial communication bus, typically used in computer systems for low-speed system management tasks. It is most commonly used for communication with batteries, power supplies, and embedded devices. SMBus is derived from I²C, but with stricter voltage and timing specifications.

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What other technologies are related to SMBus?

SMBus Competitor Technologies

I3C

I3C is a more advanced interface intended to replace I2C and SMBus. It offers higher speeds and more features, thus making it a direct competitor.

mentioned alongside SMBus in 9% (151) of relevant job posts

MCTP

MCTP (Management Component Transport Protocol) can use SMBus as a transport, but it is designed to be transport-agnostic and can run over other buses like PCIe or Ethernet. It provides a framework for managing components and can potentially replace some use cases of SMBus, and is hence best classified as a competitor.

mentioned alongside SMBus in 16% (60) of relevant job posts

SPI

SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) is another serial communication protocol that can be used for similar applications as SMBus, especially where higher speed is required. Although the application areas overlap, the protocols are very different. For some use cases, SPI provides a direct competitor to SMBus.

mentioned alongside SMBus in 1% (422) of relevant job posts

UART

UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) is another serial communication protocol. UART, like SPI, serves as a lower-speed alternative to SMBus in many applications.

mentioned alongside SMBus in 1% (206) of relevant job posts

CAN

CAN (Controller Area Network) is a robust communication protocol often used in automotive and industrial applications. In some of these applications, CAN could be an alternative to SMBus, though they serve different niches.

mentioned alongside SMBus in 0% (63) of relevant job posts

SMBus Complementary Technologies

PMBus

PMBus is a superset of SMBus, adding voltage-based controls. It builds upon and is compatible with SMBus. It is therefore strongly complementary.

mentioned alongside SMBus in 24% (160) of relevant job posts

I2C

SMBus is based on I2C, sharing the same underlying physical layer and protocol concepts. SMBus is a subset of I2C with stricter timing and voltage requirements. I2C is therefore considered complementary.

mentioned alongside SMBus in 1% (662) of relevant job posts

IPMI

IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) often utilizes SMBus as a communication channel for system management functions, allowing it to monitor temperatures, voltages, and other system parameters. This makes IPMI a strong complement to SMBus.

mentioned alongside SMBus in 4% (108) of relevant job posts