Multi-protocol tunneling over an I/O interconnect

An apparatus, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• an input-output (I/O) complex operatively coupled with the one or more processors, wherein the I/O complex includes a multi-protocol interconnect with a switching fabric comprising a plurality of switches;
• an I/O driver coupled with the multi-protocol interconnect and operable by the one or more processors, to receive, from the I/O complex, a first hot-plug indication of a plugging of a peripheral device having one or more I/O protocols into a non-protocol specific port of the apparatus, and process the first hot-plug indication, wherein to process the I/O driver is to establish a communication path between the multi-protocol interconnect and the peripheral device via the plurality of switches, in response to the receipt of the first hot-plug indication;
• a protocol-specific controller coupled with the multi-protocol interconnect and operable by the one or more processors, and having the one or more I/O protocols, to send a second hot-plug indication to a corresponding protocol-specific driver operable by the one or more processors and coupled with the protocol-specific controller, wherein the corresponding protocol-specific driver is to configure the protocol-specific controller to provide a connection between the peripheral device and the protocol-specific controller according to the one or more I/O protocols.