SDIO cards may transfer data in either a multi-byte (1 to 512 bytes) or an optional block format (1 to 511 blocks), while the SD memory cards are fixed in the block transfer mode. The TRTYP field in the HSMCI Command Register (HSMCI_CMDR) allows to choose between SDIO Byte or SDIO Block transfer.
The number of bytes/blocks to transfer is set through the BCNT field in the HSMCI Block Register (HSMCI_BLKR). In SDIO Block mode, the field BLKLEN must be set to the data block size while this field is not used in SDIO Byte mode.
An SDIO Card can have multiple I/O or combined I/O and memory (called Combo Card). Within a multi-function SDIO or a Combo card, there are multiple devices (I/O and memory) that share access to the SD bus. In order to allow the sharing of access to the host among multiple devices, SDIO and combo cards can implement the optional concept of suspend/resume (Refer to the SDIO Specification for more details). To send a suspend or a resume command, the host must set the SDIO Special Command field (IOSPCMD) in the HSMCI Command Register.