Jump to content

USB 3.0

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from USB 3.2)

USB 3.0
Deprecated SuperSpeed USB logo
Type USB
Production history
Designed November 2008; 15 years ago (2008-11)
Manufacturer USB 3.0 Promoter Group (Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, ST-Ericsson, and Texas Instruments)[1][dead link]
Superseded USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Superseded by USB 3.1, USB 3.2 (July 2013, September 2017)
General specifications
Length Standard-A plug: 12 mm
Standard-B plug: 12 mm
Type-C (USB-C) plug: 6.65 mm
Width Standard-A plug: 12 mm
Standard-B plug: 8 mm
Micro-A & Micro-B plugs: 12.2 mm
Type-C (USB-C) plug: 8.25 mm
Height Standard-A plug: 4.5 mm
Standard-B plug: 10.44 mm
Micro-A & Micro-B plugs: 1.8 mm
Type-C (USB-C) plug: 2.40 mm
Daisy chain No
Audio signal No
Video signal No
Pins 9 (Type A & B) / 24 (Type-C)
Connector (SS) USB 3.0 Standard-A,
(SS) USB 3.0 Standard-B,
(SS) USB 3.0 Micro-A,
(SS) USB 3.0 Micro-B,
(SS) USB 3.0 Micro-AB,
USB-C (USB Type-C)
Electrical
Max. voltage 5V
Max. current 900 mA
1.5 A (BC 1.1/1.2, USB 3.2 single-lane)
3 A (USB 3.2 multi-lane Type-C)
Data
Data signal Yes
Bitrate 5 Gbit/s (500 MB/s, USB 3.0)
10 Gbit/s (1.212 GB/s, USB 3.1 Gen 2)
20 Gbit/s (2.422 GB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2)
A deprecated[2] SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbit/s packaging logo

Universal Serial Bus 3.0 (USB 3.0), marketed as SuperSpeed USB, is the third major version of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard for interfacing computers and electronic devices. It was released in November 2008. The USB 3.0 specification defined a new architecture and protocol, named SuperSpeed, which included a new lane for providing full-duplex data transfers that physically required five additional wires and pins, while also adding a new signal coding scheme (8b/10b symbols, 5 Gbps; also known later as Gen 1), and preserving the USB 2.0 architecture and protocols and therefore keeping the original four pins and wires for the USB 2.0 backward-compatibility, resulting in nine wires in total and nine or ten pins at connector interfaces (ID-pin is not wired). The new transfer rate, marketed as SuperSpeed USB (SS), can transfer signals at up to 5 Gbit/s with raw data rate of 500 MB/s after encoding overhead, which is about 10 times faster than High-Speed (maximum for USB 2.0 standard). USB 3.0 Type-A and B connectors are usually blue, to distinguish them from USB 2.0 connectors, as recommended by the specification,[3] and by the initials SS.[4]

USB 3.1, released in July 2013, is the successor specification that fully replaces the USB 3.0 specification. USB 3.1 preserves the existing SuperSpeed USB architecture and protocol with its operation mode (8b/10b symbols, 5 Gbps), giving it the label USB 3.1 Gen 1.[5][6] USB 3.1 introduced an Enhanced SuperSpeed System – while preserving and incorporating the SuperSpeed architecture and protocol (aka SuperSpeed USB) – with an additional SuperSpeedPlus architecture adding and providing a new coding schema (128b/132b symbols) and protocol named SuperSpeedPlus (aka SuperSpeedPlus USB, sometimes marketed as SuperSpeed+ or SS+) while defining a new transfer mode called USB 3.1 Gen 2[5] with a signal speed of 10 Gbit/s and a raw data rate of 1212 MB/s over existing Type-A, Type-B, and USB-C connections, more than twice the rate of USB 3.0 (aka Gen 1).[7][8] Backward-compatibility is still given by the parallel USB 2.0 implementation. USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-B connectors are usually teal-colored.

USB 3.2, released in September 2017, fully replaces the USB 3.1 specification. The USB 3.2 specification added a second lane to the Enhanced SuperSpeed System besides other enhancements, so that SuperSpeedPlus USB implements the Gen 2x1 (formerly known as USB 3.1 Gen 2), and the two new Gen 1x2 and Gen 2x2 operation modes while operating on two lanes. The SuperSpeed architecture and protocol (aka SuperSpeed USB) still implements the one-lane Gen 1x1 (formerly known as USB 3.1 Gen 1) operation mode. Therefore, two-lane operations, namely USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 (10 Gbit/s with raw data rate of 1 GB/s after encoding overhead) and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbit/s, 2.422 GB/s), are only possible with Full-Featured USB Type-C Fabrics (24 pins). As of 2023, USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 and Gen 2x2 are not implemented on many products yet; Intel, however, starts to include them in its LGA 1200 Rocket Lake chipsets (500 series) in January 2021 and AMD in its LGA 1718 AM5 chipsets in September 2022, but Apple never provided them. On the other hand, USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 Gbit/s) and Gen 2x1 (10 Gbit/s) implementations have become quite common. Again, backward-compatibility is given by the parallel USB 2.0 implementation.

Overview

[edit]

The USB 3.0 specification is similar to USB 2.0, but with many improvements and an alternative implementation. Earlier USB concepts such as endpoints and the four transfer types (bulk, control, isochronous and interrupt) are preserved but the protocol and electrical interface are different. The specification defines a physically separate channel to carry USB 3.0 traffic. The changes in this specification make improvements in the following areas:

  • Transfer speed – USB 3.0 adds a new transfer type called SuperSpeed or SS, 5 Gbit/s (electrically, it is more similar to PCI Express 2.0 and SATA than USB 2.0)[9]
  • Increased bandwidth – USB 3.0 uses two unidirectional data paths instead of only one: one to receive data and the other to transmit
  • Power management – U0 to U3 link power management states are defined
  • Improved bus use – a new feature is added (using packets NRDY and ERDY) to let a device asynchronously notify the host of its readiness, with no need for polling
  • Support for rotating media – the bulk protocol is updated with a new feature called Stream Protocol that allows a large number of logical streams within an Endpoint

USB 3.0 has transmission speeds of up to 5 Gbit/s or 5000 Mbit/s, about ten times faster than USB 2.0 (0.48 Gbit/s) even without considering that USB 3.0 is full duplex whereas USB 2.0 is half duplex. This gives USB 3.0 a potential total bidirectional bandwidth twenty times greater than USB 2.0.[10] Considering flow control, packet framing and protocol overhead, applications can expect 450 MB/s of bandwidth.[11]

Architecture and features

[edit]
Front view of a Standard-A USB 3.0 connector, showing its front row of four pins for the USB 1.x/2.0 backward compatibility, and a second row of five pins for the later (but out-of-date) USB 3.0 connectivity. The plastic insert is in the USB 3.0 standard blue color, Pantone 300C.

In USB 3.0, dual-bus architecture is used to allow both USB 2.0 (Full Speed, Low Speed, or High Speed) and USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed) operations to take place simultaneously, thus providing backward compatibility. The structural topology is the same, consisting of a tiered star topology with a root hub at level 0 and hubs at lower levels to provide bus connectivity to devices.

Data transfer and synchronization

[edit]

The SuperSpeed transaction is initiated by a host request, followed by a response from the device. The device either accepts the request or rejects it; if accepted, the device sends data or accepts data from the host. If the endpoint is halted, the device responds with a STALL handshake. If there is lack of buffer space or data, it responds with a Not Ready (NRDY) signal to tell the host that it is not able to process the request. When the device is ready, it sends an Endpoint Ready (ERDY) to the host which then reschedules the transaction.

The use of unicast and the limited number of multicast packets, combined with asynchronous notifications, enables links that are not actively passing packets to be put into reduced power states, which allows better power management.

USB 3.0 uses a spread-spectrum clock varying by up to 5000 ppm at 33 KHz to reduce EMI. As a result, the receiver needs to continually "chase" the clock to recover the data. Clock recovery is helped by the 8b/10b encoding and other designs.[12]

Data encoding

[edit]

The "SuperSpeed" bus provides for a transfer mode at a nominal rate of 5.0 Gbit/s, in addition to the three existing transfer modes. Accounting for the encoding overhead, the raw data throughput is 4 Gbit/s, and the specification considers it reasonable to achieve 3.2 Gbit/s (400 MB/s) or more in practice.[13]

All data is sent as a stream of eight-bit (one-byte) segments that are scrambled and converted into 10-bit symbols via 8b/10b encoding; this helps prevent transmissions from generating electromagnetic interference (EMI).[7] Scrambling is implemented using a free-running linear feedback shift register (LFSR). The LFSR is reset whenever a COM symbol is sent or received.[13]

Unlike previous standards, the USB 3.0 standard does not specify a maximum cable length, requiring only that all cables meet an electrical specification: for copper cabling with AWG 26 wires, the maximum practical length is 3 meters (10 ft).[14]

Power and charging

[edit]

As with earlier versions of USB, USB 3.0 provides power at 5 volts nominal. The available current for low-power (one unit load) SuperSpeed devices is 150 mA, an increase from the 100 mA defined in USB 2.0. For high-power SuperSpeed devices, the limit is six unit loads or 900 mA (4.5 W)—almost twice USB 2.0's 500 mA.[13]: section 9.2.5.1 Power Budgeting 

USB 3.0 ports may implement other USB specifications for increased power, including the USB Battery Charging Specification for up to 1.5 A or 7.5 W, or, in the case of USB 3.1, the USB Power Delivery Specification for charging the host device up to 100 W.[15]

Naming scheme

[edit]

Starting with the USB 3.2 specification, USB-IF introduced a new naming scheme.[16] To help companies with branding of the different operation modes, USB-IF recommended branding the 5, 10, and 20 Gbit/s capabilities as SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps, SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps, and SuperSpeed USB 20 Gbps, respectively.[17]

In 2023, they were replaced again,[18] removing "SuperSpeed", with USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and USB 20Gbps. With new Packaging and Port logos.[19]

Availability

[edit]
Internal circuitboard and connectors of a USB 3.0 four-port hub, using a VIA Technologies chipset

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced on 17 November 2008 that the specification of version 3.0 had been completed and had made the transition to the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the managing body of USB specifications.[20] This move effectively opened the specification to hardware developers for implementation in future products.

The first USB 3.0 consumer products were announced and shipped by Buffalo Technology in November 2009, while the first certified USB 3.0 consumer products were announced on 5 January 2010, at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES), including two motherboards by Asus and Gigabyte Technology.[21][22]

Manufacturers of USB 3.0 host controllers include, but are not limited to, Renesas Electronics, Fresco Logic, ASMedia, Etron, VIA Technologies, Texas Instruments, NEC and Nvidia. As of November 2010, Renesas and Fresco Logic[23] have passed USB-IF certification. Motherboards for Intel's Sandy Bridge processors have been seen with Asmedia and Etron host controllers as well. On 28 October 2010, Hewlett-Packard released the HP Envy 17 3D featuring a Renesas USB 3.0 host controller several months before some of their competitors. AMD worked with Renesas to add its USB 3.0 implementation into its chipsets for its 2011 platforms.[needs update] At CES2011, Toshiba unveiled a laptop called "Qosmio X500" that included USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0, and Sony released a new series of Sony VAIO laptops that would include USB 3.0. As of April 2011, the Inspiron and Dell XPS series were available with USB 3.0 ports, and, as of May 2012, the Dell Latitude laptop series were as well; yet the USB root hosts failed to work at SuperSpeed under Windows 8.

Adding to existing equipment

[edit]
A USB 3.0 controller in form of a PCI Express expansion card
Side connectors on a laptop computer. Left to right: USB 3.0 host, VGA connector, DisplayPort connector, USB 2.0 host. Note the five additional pins on the underside of the tongue of the USB 3.0 port.

Additional power for multiple ports on a laptop PC may be obtained in the following ways:

  • Some ExpressCard-to-USB 3.0 adapters may connect by a cable to an additional USB 2.0 port on the computer, which supplies additional power.
  • The ExpressCard may have a socket for an external power supply.
  • If the external device has an appropriate connector, it can be powered by an external power supply.
  • USB 3.0 port provided by an ExpressCard-to-USB 3.0 adapter may be connected to a separately-powered USB 3.0 hub, with external devices connected to that USB 3.0 hub.

On the motherboards of desktop PCs which have PCI Express (PCIe) slots (or the older PCI standard), USB 3.0 support can be added as a PCI Express expansion card. In addition to an empty PCIe slot on the motherboard, many "PCI Express to USB 3.0" expansion cards must be connected to a power supply such as a Molex adapter or external power supply, in order to power many USB 3.0 devices such as mobile phones, or external hard drives that have no power source other than USB; as of 2011, this is often used to supply two to four USB 3.0 ports with the full 0.9 A (4.5 W) of power that each USB 3.0 port is capable of (while also transmitting data), whereas the PCI Express slot itself cannot supply the required amount of power.

If faster connections to storage devices are the reason to consider USB 3.0, an alternative is to use eSATAp, possibly by adding an inexpensive expansion slot bracket that provides an eSATAp port; some external hard disk drives provide both USB (2.0 or 3.0) and eSATAp interfaces.[22] To ensure compatibility between motherboards and peripherals, all USB-certified devices must be approved by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). At least one complete end-to-end test system for USB 3.0 designers is available on the market.[24]

Adoption

[edit]

The USB Promoter Group announced the release of USB 3.0 in November 2008. On 5 January 2010, the USB-IF announced the first two certified USB 3.0 motherboards, one by ASUS and one by Giga-Byte Technology.[22][25] Previous announcements included Gigabyte's October 2009 list of seven P55 chipset USB 3.0 motherboards,[26] and an Asus motherboard that was cancelled before production.[27]

Commercial controllers were expected to enter into volume production in the first quarter of 2010.[28] On 14 September 2009, Freecom announced a USB 3.0 external hard drive.[29] On 4 January 2010, Seagate announced a small portable HDD bundled with an additional USB 3.0 ExpressCard, targeted for laptops (or desktops with ExpressCard slot addition) at the CES in Las Vegas Nevada.[30][31]

The Linux kernel mainline contains support for USB 3.0 since version 2.6.31, which was released in September 2009.[32][33][34]

FreeBSD supports USB 3.0 since version 8.2, which was released in February 2011.[35]

Windows 8 was the first Microsoft operating system to offer built in support for USB 3.0.[36] In Windows 7 support was not included with the initial release of the operating system.[37] However, drivers that enable support for Windows 7 are available through websites of hardware manufacturers.

Intel released its first chipset with integrated USB 3.0 ports in 2012 with the release of the Panther Point chipset. Some industry analysts have claimed that Intel was slow to integrate USB 3.0 into the chipset, thus slowing mainstream adoption.[38] These delays may be due to problems in the CMOS manufacturing process,[39] a focus to advance the Nehalem platform,[40] a wait to mature all the 3.0 connections standards (USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, SATA 3.0) before developing a new chipset,[41][42] or a tactic by Intel to favor its new Thunderbolt interface.[43] Apple, Inc. announced laptops with USB 3.0 ports on 11 June 2012, nearly four years after USB 3.0 was finalized.

AMD began supporting USB 3.0 with its Fusion Controller Hubs in 2011. Samsung Electronics announced support of USB 3.0 with its ARM-based Exynos 5 Dual platform intended for handheld devices.

Issues

[edit]

Speed and compatibility

[edit]

Various early USB 3.0 implementations widely used the NEC/Renesas μD72020x family of host controllers,[44] which are known to require a firmware update to function properly with some devices.[45][46][47]

A factor affecting the speed of USB storage devices (more evident with USB 3.0 devices, but also noticeable with USB 2.0 ones) is that the USB Mass Storage Bulk-Only Transfer (BOT) protocol drivers are generally slower than the USB Attached SCSI protocol (UAS[P]) drivers.[48][49][50][51]

On some old (2009–2010) Ibex Peak-based motherboards, the built-in USB 3.0 chipsets are connected by default via a 2.5 GT/s PCI Express lane of the PCH, which then did not provide full PCI Express 2.0 speed (5 GT/s), so it did not provide enough bandwidth even for a single USB 3.0 port. Early versions of such boards (e.g. the Gigabyte Technology P55A-UD4 or P55A-UD6) have a manual switch (in BIOS) that can connect the USB 3.0 chip to the processor (instead of the PCH), which did provide full-speed PCI Express 2.0 connectivity even then, but this meant using fewer PCI Express 2.0 lanes for the graphics card. However, newer boards (e.g. Gigabyte P55A-UD7 or the Asus P7P55D-E Premium) used a channel bonding technique (in the case of those boards provided by a PLX PEX8608 or PEX8613 PCI Express switch) that combines two PCI Express 2.5 GT/s lanes into a single PCI Express 5 GT/s lane (among other features), thus obtaining the necessary bandwidth from the PCH.[52][53][54]

Radio frequency interference

[edit]

USB 3.0 devices and cables may interfere with wireless devices operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. This may result in a drop in throughput or complete loss of response with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices.[55] When manufacturers were unable to resolve the interference issues in time, some mobile devices, such as the Vivo Xplay 3S, had to drop support for USB 3.0 just before they shipped.[56] Various strategies can be applied to resolve the problem, ranging from simple solutions such as increasing the distance of USB 3.0 devices from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, to applying additional shielding around internal computer components.[57]

Connectors

[edit]
USB 3.0 Standard-A receptacle (top, in the blue color "Pantone 300C"), Standard-B plug (middle), and Micro-B plug (bottom)

A USB 3.0 Standard-A receptacle accepts either a USB 3.0 Standard-A plug or a USB 2.0 Standard-A plug. Conversely, it is possible to plug a USB 3.0 Standard-A plug into a USB 2.0 Standard-A receptacle. This is a principle of backward compatibility. The Standard-A plug is used for connecting to a computer port, at the host side.

A USB 3.0 Standard-B receptacle accepts either a USB 3.0 Standard-B plug or a USB 2.0 Standard-B plug. Backward compatibility applies to connecting a USB 2.0 Standard-B plug into a USB 3.0 Standard-B receptacle. However, it is not possible to plug a USB 3.0 Standard-B plug into a USB 2.0 Standard-B receptacle, due to the physically larger connector. The Standard-B plug is used at the device side.

Since USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports may coexist on the same machine and they look similar, the USB 3.0 specification recommends that the Standard-A USB 3.0 receptacle have a blue insert (Pantone 300C color). The same color-coding applies to the USB 3.0 Standard-A plug.[13]: sections 3.1.1.1 and 5.3.1.3 

USB 3.0 also introduced a new Micro-B cable plug, which consists of a standard USB 1.x/2.0 Micro-B cable plug, with an additional 5-pin plug "stacked" beside it. That way, the USB 3.0 Micro-B host receptacle preserves its backward compatibility with the USB 1.x/2.0 Micro-B cable plug, allowing devices with USB 3.0 Micro-B ports to run at USB 2.0 speeds on USB 2.0 Micro-B cables. However, it is not possible to plug a USB 3.0 Micro-B plug into a USB 2.0 Micro-B receptacle, due to the physically larger connector.

Pinouts

[edit]
USB 3.0 Standard-A plug (top) and receptacle (bottom), with annotated pins

The connector has the same physical configuration as its predecessor but with five more pins.

The VBUS, D−, D+, and GND pins are required for USB 2.0 communication. The five additional USB 3.0 pins are two differential pairs and one ground (GND_DRAIN). The two additional differential pairs are for SuperSpeed data transfer; they are used for full duplex SuperSpeed signaling. The GND_DRAIN pin is for drain wire termination and to control EMI and maintain signal integrity.

USB 3.0 connector pinouts[58]
Pin Color Signal name Description
A connector B connector
Shell Shield Metal housing
1 Red VBUS Power
2 White D− USB 2.0 differential pair
3 Green D+
4 Black GND Ground for power return
5 Blue StdA_SSRX− StdB_SSTX− SuperSpeed receiver differential pair
6 Yellow StdA_SSRX+ StdB_SSTX+
7 GND_DRAIN Ground for signal return
8 Purple StdA_SSTX− StdB_SSRX− SuperSpeed transmitter differential pair
9 Orange StdA_SSTX+ StdB_SSRX+
The USB 3.0 Powered-B connector has two additional pins for power and ground supplied to the device.[59]
10 DPWR Power provided to device (Powered-B only)
11 DGND Ground for DPWR return (Powered-B only)

Backward compatibility

[edit]
USB Micro-B USB 2.0 vs USB Micro-B SuperSpeed (USB 3.0) (Note that “Macro-B” in the image is an error. No such term has ever existed for USB.)

USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 (or earlier) Type-A plugs and receptacles are designed to interoperate.

USB 3.0 Type-B receptacles, such as those found on peripheral devices, are larger than in USB 2.0 (or earlier versions), and accept both the larger USB 3.0 Type-B plug and the smaller USB 2.0 (or earlier) Type-B plug. USB 3.0 Type-B plugs are larger than USB 2.0 (or earlier) Type-B plugs; therefore, USB 3.0 Type-B plugs cannot be inserted into USB 2.0 (or earlier) Type-B receptacles.

Micro USB 3.0 (Micro-B) plug and receptacle are intended primarily for small portable devices such as smartphones, digital cameras and GPS devices. The Micro USB 3.0 receptacle is backward compatible with the Micro USB 2.0 plug.

A receptacle for eSATAp, which is an eSATA/USB combo, is designed to accept USB Type-A plugs from USB 2.0 (or earlier), so it also accepts USB 3.0 Type-A plugs.

USB 3.1

[edit]
A deprecated[2] SuperSpeed+ USB 10 Gbit/s packaging logo

In January 2013 the USB group announced plans to update USB 3.0 to 10 Gbit/s (1250 MB/s).[60] The group ended up creating a new USB specification, USB 3.1, which was released on 31 July 2013,[61] replacing the USB 3.0 standard. The USB 3.1 specification takes over the existing USB 3.0's SuperSpeed USB transfer rate, now referred to as USB 3.1 Gen 1, and introduces a faster transfer rate called SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps, corresponding to operation mode USB 3.1 Gen 2,[62] putting it on par with a single first-generation Thunderbolt channel. The new mode's logo features a caption stylized as SUPERSPEED+;[63] this refers to the updated SuperSpeedPlus protocol. The USB 3.1 Gen 2 mode also reduces line encoding overhead to just 3% by changing the encoding scheme to 128b/132b, with raw data rate of 1,212 MB/s.[64] The first USB 3.1 Gen 2 implementation demonstrated real-world transfer speeds of 7.2 Gbit/s.[65]

The USB 3.1 specification includes the USB 2.0 specification while fully preserving its dedicated physical layer, architecture, and protocol in parallel. USB 3.1 specification defines the following operation modes:

  • USB 3.1 Gen 1 – newly marketed as SuperSpeed or SS, 5 Gbit/s signaling rate over 1 lane using 8b/10b encoding (raw data rate: 500 MB/s); replaces USB 3.0.
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2new, marketed as SuperSpeed+ or SS+, 10 Gbit/s signaling rate over 1 lane using 128b/132b encoding (raw data rate: 1212 MB/s).

The nominal data rate in bytes accounts for bit-encoding overhead. The physical SuperSpeed signaling bit rate is 5 Gbit/s. Since transmission of every byte takes 10 bit times, the raw data overhead is 20%, so the raw byte rate is 500 MB/s, not 625. Similarly, for Gen 2 link the encoding is 128b/132b, so transmission of 16 bytes physically takes 16.5 bytes, or 3% overhead. Therefore, the new raw byte-rate is 128/132 * 10 Gbit/s = 9.697 Gbit/s = 1212 MB/s. In reality any operation mode has additional link management and protocol overhead, so the best-case achievable data rates for the Gen 2 operation mode are of roughly below 800 MB/s for reading bulk transfers only.[66][11]

The re-specification of USB 3.0 as "USB 3.1 Gen 1" was misused by some manufacturers to advertise products with signaling rates of only 5 Gbit/s as "USB 3.1" by omitting the defining generation.[67]

USB 3.2

[edit]
A deprecated[2] SuperSpeed+ USB 20 Gbit/s packaging logo
USB 20Gbps port logo

On 25 July 2017, a press release from the USB 3.0 Promoter Group detailed a pending update to the USB Type-C specification, defining the doubling of bandwidth for existing USB-C cables. Under the USB 3.2 specification, released 22 September 2017,[11] existing SuperSpeed certified USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 cables will be able to operate at 10 Gbit/s (up from 5 Gbit/s), and SuperSpeed+ certified USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 cables will be able to operate at 20 Gbit/s (up from 10 Gbit/s). The increase in bandwidth is a result of multi-lane operation over existing wires that were intended for flip-flop capabilities of the USB-C connector.[68][69]

The USB 3.2 standard includes the USB 2.0 specification with four dedicated wires on the physical layer. The Enhanced SuperSpeed System encompasses both, but separated – and in parallel to the USB 2.0 implementation:[70]

  • SuperSpeed USB (based on SuperSpeed-architecture and -protocols):
    • USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 – newly marketed as SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps (replaces SuperSpeed or SS), 5 Gbit/s signaling rate over 1 lane using 8b/10b encoding (raw data rate: 500 MB/s); replaces USB 3.1 Gen 1, or USB 3.0, respectively.
  • SuperSpeedPlus USB (based on SuperSpeedPlus-architecture and -protocols):
    • USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 – newly marketed as SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps (replaces SuperSpeed+ or SS+),[63] 10 Gbit/s signaling rate over 1 lane using 128b/132b encoding (raw data rate: 1212 MB/s); replaces USB 3.1 Gen 2.
    • USB 3.2 Gen 1x2new, 10 Gbit/s signaling rate over 2 lanes using 8b/10b encoding (raw data rate: 1000 MB/s).
    • USB 3.2 Gen 2x2new, marketed as SuperSpeed USB 20 Gbps, 20 Gbit/s signaling rate over 2 lanes using 128b/132b encoding (raw data rate: 2424 MB/s).

As with the previous version, the same considerations around encoding and raw data rates apply. Although both Gen 1x2 and Gen 2(x1) signal at 10 Gbit/s, Gen 1x2 uses the older, less efficient 8b/10b line coding which results in a lower raw data rate compared with Gen 2(x1), though both using the newer SuperSpeedPlus protocol.[70]

In May 2018, Synopsys demonstrated the first USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 operation mode, where a Windows PC was connected to a storage device, reaching an average data rate of 1600 MB/s for reading bulk transmissions,[71][72] which is 66% of its raw throughput.

USB 3.2 is supported with the default Windows 10 USB drivers and in Linux kernels 4.18 and onwards.[71][72][73]

In February 2019, USB-IF simplified the marketing guidelines by excluding Gen 1x2 mode and required the SuperSpeed trident logos to include maximum transfer speed.[74][75]

Two-lane operation (USB 3.2 Gen 1x2, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) is only possible with Full-Featured USB-C Fabrics.[76]

USB 3.2 specification operation modes
USB-IF recommended
marketing name[77]
Logo[19] USB 3.2 specification operation mode[11] Older operation mode names
(first publication)[78][79]
Dual lane Encoding Nominal signal rate[11] Raw data rate[11] Measured real-world throughput[80] Supporting connectors[81]
SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 USB 3.0,
USB 3.1 Gen 1
(USB 3.0)
No 8b/10b 5 Gbit/s 0.5 GB/s ≤ 0.45 GB/s A, B, Micro-[A, B, AB], C
SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 USB 3.1 Gen 2
(USB 3.1)
128b/132b 10 Gbit/s 1.2 GB/s ≤ 0.8 GB/s
USB 3.2 Gen 1x2
(USB 3.2)
Yes 8b/10b 1 GB/s ≤ 0.70 GB/s C
SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 128b/132b 20 Gbit/s 2.4 GB/s ≤ 1.6 GB/s

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Intel Universal Serial Bus (USB) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". Intel.com. Intel Corporation. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b c USB Implementers Forum (20 September 2023). "USB-IF Licensed Mark(s) Requirements". USB Implementers Forum. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Universal Serial Bus Revision 3.1 Specification". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. pp. 5–20. Archived from the original (ZIP) on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  4. ^ McFedries, Paul (2013). "Connecting USB Devices". PCs for Grown-Ups: Getting the Most Out of Your Windows 8 Computer. Indianapolis: Que Publishing. ISBN 978-0-13-303501-8. Retrieved 18 February 2016 – via Internet Archive. Most PC manufacturers label each USB port using the logo for USB type ... the USB 2.0 logo is a trident, while the USB 3.0 logo is a similar trident with the letters 'SS' (which stands for SuperSpeed) attached.
  5. ^ a b "USB 3.1 Specification Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF" (PDF). USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. 28 May 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  6. ^ "USB 3.1 Gen 1 & Gen 2 explained". MSI.com. Micro-Star International. 5 August 2015.
  7. ^ a b "USB 3.2 Specification". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Universal Serial Bus Revision 3.1 Specification". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. Archived from the original (ZIP) on 21 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  9. ^ Engbretson, Mike (January 2009). "USB 3.0 Physical Layer Measurements". Evaluation Engineering. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  10. ^ "USB 3.0 Technology" (PDF). hp.com. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "The USB 3.2 Specification released on September 22, 2017 and ECNs". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. September 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  12. ^ "The USB 3.0 physical layer". www.techdesignforums.com.
  13. ^ a b c d "Universal Serial Bus Revision 3.0 Specification". Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  14. ^ Axelson, Jan. "USB 3.0 Developers FAQ". JanAxelson.com. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  15. ^ "USB Power Delivery Specification 1.0" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  16. ^ "USB 3.2 Specification Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF" (PDF). usb.org. 26 February 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  17. ^ Ravencraft, Jeff (19 November 2019). "USB DevDays 2019 – Branding Session" (PDF). USB Implementers Forum (Presentation). p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  18. ^ USB Data Performance Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF
  19. ^ a b Trademark Requirements Chart
  20. ^ "USB-IF" (PDF). USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. 17 November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  21. ^ "First Certified USB 3.0 Products Announced". PC World. 7 January 2010. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  22. ^ a b c "SuperSpeed USB Consumer Cert Final 2" (PDF). USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  23. ^ "USB-IF announces second certified USB 3.0 host controller" (Press release). USB Implementers Forum, Inc. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  24. ^ "USB 3". Lecroy. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  25. ^ "First Certified Superspeed USB Consumer Products Announced" (PDF) (Press release). USB Implementers Forum. 5 January 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2010.
  26. ^ "USB 3.0 Motherboards". Gigabyte.com. Indianapolis: Gigabyte Technology. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2019..
  27. ^ Kerr, Rob (28 July 2009). "Asus cancels its first usb 3.0 motherboard". The Inquirer. Archived from the original on 30 July 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  28. ^ "Digitimes". 15 March 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  29. ^ "Freecom.com". Archived from the original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  30. ^ Ngo, Dong (5 January 2010). "Seagate ships USB 3.0-based external hard-drive kit for laptops | CES". CNET. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  31. ^ "BlackArmor PS 110 with USB 3.0 | Portable Hard Drive for Business with Backup Software". Seagate. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  32. ^ "Kernel newbies". 9 September 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  33. ^ "Erste USB 3.0 Treiber" [First USB 3 drivers coming with Linux 2.6.31]. Heise Online (in German). Germany: Heise Medien. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  34. ^ "First driver for USB 3.0". Linux magazine. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  35. ^ "FreeBSD 8.2-RELEASE Release Notes". FreeBSD.org. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  36. ^ McVay, Bob (15 September 2011). "Understanding USB 3.0 in Windows 8 | Build2011 | Channel 9". Channel9.MSDN.com. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  37. ^ "USB in MS Windows 7 more reliable, but no 3.0 speed boost". APCMag.com. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  38. ^ Crothers, Brooke (7 March 2010). "Long delay expected for Intel support of USB 3.0 | Nanotech – The Circuits Blog". CNet News. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  39. ^ "Spekulationen über Verzögerungen bei USB 3.0". Heise Online (in German). Germany: Heise Medien. 21 October 2009.
  40. ^ Mah, Paul (23 October 2009). "Fiercecio.com". Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  41. ^ "FAQ — PCI Express 3.0". PCISIG.com. Peripheral Component Interconnect Special Interest Group. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  42. ^ "PCIe 3.0 Specification Coming Soon". Enterprise Storage Forum. 5 May 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  43. ^ "Intel delays USB 3.0 support until 2011". TechSpot. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  44. ^ TeamVR (23 August 2011). "USB 3.0 Speed Tests: 7-way Host Controllers Roundup – Page 5 of 11". VR-Zone.com. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  45. ^ "USB 3.0: Renesas Electronics USB 3.0 Firmware Updates". DownloadCenter.Intel.com. Intel Corporation. Retrieved 19 January 2014. These firmware updates resolve the following issues related to the USB 3.0 ports on these boards: • BIOS and operating system do not detect devices attached to the USB 3.0 ports. • System hangs on POST code 58 for one minute if any device is attached to USB 3.0 ports, and then continues the boot process. • In Device Manager, the Renesas USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller is shown with a yellow bang and the error message 'Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. Code 43'.
  46. ^ "NEC uPD720200 USB 3.0 not working on Ubuntu 12.04". Ask Ubuntu. Stack Exchange Network. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  47. ^ "How to improve the compatibility of USB3.0 devices?". Gigabyte.com. Gigabyte Technology. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  48. ^ Nilsson, Lars-Göran (30 July 2010). "Gigabyte adds UASP support to its USB 3.0 motherboards". SemiAccurate. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  49. ^ Nilsson, Lars-Göran (11 August 2010). "Gigabyte's UASP USB 3.0 driver boosts USB 2.0 performance". SemiAccurate. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  50. ^ Ku, Andrew (19 June 2012). "USB Attached SCSI (UAS): Enabling Even Better USB 3.0 Performance – Faster USB 3.0 Performance: Examining UASP And Turbo Mode". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  51. ^ Hamid, Adnan (18 March 2012). "What's the Difference Between USB UASP And BOT | Embedded content from". Electronic Design. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  52. ^ Soderstrom, Thomas (9 December 2009). "New Motherboards from Asus and Gigabyte – USB 3.0 Performance: Two Solutions from Asus and Gigabyte". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  53. ^ Schmid, Patrick; Roos, Achim (26 August 2010). "Gigabyte P55A-UD6 and UD7 (NEC PD720200) – Not All USB 3.0 Implementations Are Created Equal". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  54. ^ PLX model numbers are from the P55A-UD7 manual, page 7 and Asus P7P55D-E Premium manual p. 2-2; the P55A-UD7 has a block diagram on page 8
  55. ^ "USB 3.0 Radio Frequency Interference Impact on 2.4 GHz Wireless Devices" (PDF). USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. April 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  56. ^ "手机厂商阉割Type-C接口的真相:影响手机信号!-科技频道-手机搜狐" [The Truth About Mobile-Phone Manufacturers Cutting the Type-C Interface: Affecting Cell Phone Signals!]. Sohu.com (in Japanese). 2017.
  57. ^ Lynn, Samara (5 September 2013). "Wireless Witch: The Truth About USB 3.0 and Wi-Fi Interference". PC Magazine. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  58. ^ "USB 3.0 Interface Bus, Cable Diagram". 100806 interfacebus.com
  59. ^ "USB Background". TotalPhase.com. Total Phase Corporation. Retrieved 11 September 2016. USB 3.0 includes a variant of the Standard-B connectors which has two additional conductors to provide power to USB adapters. Image courtesy of USB Implementers Forum
  60. ^ "SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) Performance to Double with New Capabilities" (PDF). Implementers Forum (Press release). 6 January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2013.
  61. ^ "SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps – Ready for Development" (PDF) (Press release). Hillsboro, Oregon. 31 July 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2016.
  62. ^ "USB 3.1 Specification Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  63. ^ a b "USB Logo Usage Guideline" (PDF). USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  64. ^ "SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps – Ready for Development". Rock Hill Herald. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  65. ^ "Synopsys Demonstrates Industry's First SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps Platform-to-Platform Host-Device IP Data Transfer". News.Synopsis.com (Press release). Mountain View, California: Synopsys. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013. As measured by the Ellisys USB Explorer Protocol Analyzer, the IP realized 10 Gbps USB 3.1 nominal data rates of more than 900 MBps between two Synopsys HAPS-70 FPGA-based prototyping systems while using backward compatible USB connectors, cables and software.
  66. ^ Real-World USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 throughput Everything USB, October 2022
  67. ^ Bright, Peter (26 February 2019). "USB 3.2 is going to make the current USB branding even worse". Ars Technica. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  68. ^ Saunders, Brad; Nardozza, Liz (25 July 2017). "USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB 3.2 Update" (PDF) (Press release). USB 3.0 Promoter Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017 – via USB.org.
  69. ^ Bright, Peter (26 July 2017). "USB 3.2 will make your cables twice as fast ... once you've bought new devices". Ars Technica. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  70. ^ a b USB 3.2 Specification. Figure 3-2
  71. ^ a b 20gbps,37124.html "Synopsys Shows World's First USB 3.2 Demo With 20Gbps Speeds". Tom's Hardware. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  72. ^ a b "World's First USB 3.2 Demonstration". Synopsys. 18 May 2018. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via YouTube.
  73. ^ "USB 3.2 Work Is On the Way for the Linux 4.18 Kernel". Phoronix.com. Phoronix. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  74. ^ "USB 3.2 standard gets new, even more confusing names ahead of its mainstream debut". 27 February 2019.
  75. ^ USB 3.2 Specification Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF
  76. ^ Universal Serial Bus Type-C Cable and Connector Specification, Release 2.2. USB Implementers Forum (Technical report). USB 3.0 Promoter Group. October 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  77. ^ USB Data Performance Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF
  78. ^ Cite error: The named reference 30Spec was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  79. ^ Cite error: The named reference 31Spec was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  80. ^ Real-world USB 3.2 throughput Everything USB, February 2022
  81. ^ "USB 3.1 Legacy Connectors and Cable Assemblies Compliance Document Rev 1.1". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
[edit]