 Overview
The FarSync OEM T4P card and software is designed to provide a hardware communications solutions for companies who wish to quickly develop their own communications products without incurring the cost of having to develop and approve hardware.
The product includes support for the standard Windows SDCI API. This provides applications with direct access to the card's 4 communications ports for bit synchronous (HDLC) framing and also transparent bitstream operation for video and voice. Full documentation and a sample application demonstrating both modes of operation is provided.
Support is included for the Linux Raw Sockets API that allows HDLC frames and transparent bitstreaming data to be sent and received. Full documentation, source code for the driver and a sample application demonstrating both modes of operation is provided.
For embedded development royalty free source code is provided for the executive and synchronous line drivers together with a sample embedded application, test programs and utilities that allow you to get the card working straight out of the box.
Typical Applications
The FarSync OEM T-Series adapters are suitable for a very wide variety of applications, including for example:
- Multi-port HDLC framing support for non standard or specialist protocols
- Interfacing Audio or DAB bit streams to Servers
- Interfacing high speed MPEG Video bit streams to Servers
- Watchdog systems
- Data generators for test systems
- Engineering monitoring and control systems
FarSync OEM T4P Hardware
The card comprises a 50 MHz AMD Am186CC processor with 1 Mbyte of on board no wait state 25ns SRAM. The whole memory space may be mapped via the PCI interface to the PC. The Am186CC contains a quad embedded HDLC controller with SDMA access and a full range of timers.
Network Interfaces
The Synchronous network interfaces support 4 ports with line speeds to 8 Mbits/s per port.
The multi function line drivers available on the card supports RS232C (V.24), X.21 (RS422, V.11), V.35 and RS530. The network interfaces are all soft configurable and protected from static charges by ESD protection devices.
PC / Server PCI and PCI-X Compatibility
The FarSync OEM T4P card is suitable for single processor systems with a PCI bus. The card is PCI revision 2.1 compliant with support for 5 volt signaling, the power for the card is taken from the 5 volt supply rail. The card may be fitted to 32-bit PCI bus slots.
The PLX PCI9052 PCI controller allows interrupts generated by the card to be reset by either the PC or the card to simplify card driver design. A custom designed shared memory arbitrator permits a PC to card transfer rate of 16 Mbytes/sec whilst still supporting up to 8 Mbits/s line transfer rates.
If you require a card to be fitted in 64 bit PCI-X slots as well as 32 bit slots or if only the 3.3 volts power is available on the PCI bus then the newer and higher performance FarSync OEM T4U should be used instead.
Windows SDCI API
The FarSync OEM T-Series cards and software provides support for an enhanced SDCI (Synchronous Dumb Card Interface) API. The API allows applications to exactly control the type of data sent and received in both bit synchronous (HDLC framed) data and transparent bitstream formats. The SDCI SDK contains everything a user needs to rapidly develop and test applications for such requirements as supporting specialist synchronous protocols or transparent data requirements such as Audio, MPEG Video, DAB and DRM.
Drivers for the FarSync OEM T-Series range of cards are provided for Windows XP, 2000, Server 2003 and NT4. An easy to follow sample application with support for both modes of operation is provided complete with source code to illustrate how the interface can be used, see further information on the SDCI API.
Easy installation and fast configuration are features when using the SDCI Interface on Windows, On-line help, documentation and GUI based test utilities are provided. T-Series cards are 'plug-and-play' compatible supporting Windows XP, 2000 and Server 2003. Typically 4 or more cards can be supported on a single Server; if you require more than 4 cards to be fitted then the FarSync OEM T4U is preferred.
Linux Raw Sockets API
The Linux API allows applications to send and receive HDLC format (bitsync) frames and also transparent bit streams with the raw sockets based API. The sample application demonstrates both modes of operation.
Data rates of up to 8 Mbits/s are supported, with all the ports individually selectable for speed, clocking direction and mode of operation (HDLC or Transparent). Frame sizes up to 32 Kbytes are supported in HDLC mode to allow support for a wide variety of specialist synchronous protocols. The transparent bit stream is suitable for transparent data requirements such as Audio, MPEG Video, DAB and DRM.
The source for the application and drivers is included, with the Linux API manual provided in pdf format. The driver is supported under kernel versions 2.4 and 2.6 for single CPU 32 bit machines. Typically 4 or more cards can be supported on a single Server; if you require more than 4 cards to be fitted then the FarSync OEM T4U is preferred. For further information on the API see the Linux HDLC / Transparent API Manual (pdf).
Embedded Development
The card is supplied with a comprehensive suite of software to keep your development timescales and costs to a minimum . This includes an executive, communications drivers, sample on board application, code downloader for Windows and DOS, code relocator, event log viewer and card test program utilities.
Executive
An executive is supplied with the card, it is written in Assembler requiring no more than 4 Kbytes at run time. The executive provides the following features: CPU initialisation, interrupt vector control, memory allocation control, an event log (accessible from the PC), illegal instruction notification, undefined interrupt handling, PC controlled embedded application initiation and status notification. For configurations using a small shared memory window an executive provides an application bootstrap loader. The source code may be modified or adapted for use on the FarSync adapters on a royalty free basis.
HDLC Drivers
Drivers for the HDLC controllers are provided. The code which is written in C utilises the SDMA (Smart DMA) linked buffer list system feature of the Am186CC. The source code may be modified or adapted for use on the FarSync card on a royalty free basis.
Sample Application
A simple sample embedded application written in C is included. The application which can easily be modified uses the HDLC drivers to transmit and receive frames between ports whilst also driving the LEDs and providing status information to the event log.
Application Loaders
Windows and DOS utilities are provided to download the embedded executive and application from files on the PC. The application code is automatically initiated on completion of the download operation.
Utilities
Utility programs are provided to relocate the embedded code and view the Event Log.
Compilers
Code written for the FarSync card can be developed using a number of different compilers, the Borland C compiler and Assembler are recommended.
Test Program
A fully functional card test program is provided. The software which runs on DOS verifies all the functions of the card. The loopback connector supplied with the product is used to check for correct operation of the communications ports.
Manuals
The card's technical specification and programming guide is provided in a PDF format manual. Also included are the technical and programming details of the major chips used on the FarSync card.
Cables
Cables are available for the T4P adapters with X.21 (RS422, V.11 15 pin male D type), V.24 (RS232C 25 pin male D type), V.35 (MRAC-34 male 'brick' type), EIA430 and RS449 network interfaces. The FarSync OEM T2P and T4P Product Range and compatible Cables table lists the cables available by card type.
Product Packaging
The product includes:
Windows SDCI and Linux Raw Sockets drivers for the card,
Documentation supplied on CD-ROM,
A quick start guide,
The communications card,
Loopback connector for test use,
Developers Toolkit for the SDCI API, Raw Sockets API and embedded development.
Cables are ordered separately. |
