This 6U, 8-slot backplane with rear I/O is compatible with cPCI architecture computers. It works with Teknor's Pentium and Pentium II CPU boards, with the CompactPCI backplane routing I/O signals from the CPU board's J3, J4 and J5 connectors to headers on the backplane. From the backplane, the signals can be cabled to internal I/O, such as disk drives, or to a bulkhead on the front or rear panels of an enclosure. This facility greatly reduces the cost of cPCIbus systems by eliminating the CPU's transition module and reducing related hardware and enclosure requirements.