FarSync T4Ue - The 4 Port Synchronous PCI Express Card

Overview

The FarSync T4Ue card and software is designed to provide high performance hardware communications solutions for business, government and the military who need a PCIe synchronous communications card. The product includes a low level driver that allows access to the communications features available in the hardware. The card can optionally use the host's standard TCP/IP protocol stack to allow access to IP based networks such as the Internet. The FarSync SDK provides a Developers Toolkit for the product.

The card will support a synchronous line at speeds of up to 10Mbits/s continuous. The highly flexible universal network connector supports RS232C, X.21, RS530 (RS422 signaling), RS449 and V.35 network interfaces.

The product is supplied with a 5 year warranty.

Features under Windows: The products include support for the Microsoft standard Windows SDCI API, providing applications with direct access to the card's communications port/s for bit synchronous (HDLC) framing and also transparent bitstream operation for video and voice type applications. The FarSync T4Ue+Async supports soft selectable asynchronous access as well.

The card installs seamlessly under Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Vista and Windows Server 2008 on both 32 and 64 bit, single and multi-core systems. The FarSync drivers are signed by Microsoft for easy installation.

The low level API is based on an extended SDCI interface and supports bit synchronous (HDLC) framed and transparent bit stream data.

The FarSync T4Ue can also be installed to appear as a NDIS (LAN) interface so it can simply use the TCP/IP stack to allow access to IP based networks such as the Internet.

Features under Linux: The low level API is based on the raw socket interface and supports bit synchronous (HDLC) framed and transparent bit stream data. The T4Ue card can also use the TCP/IP stack to allow access to IP based networks such as the Internet.

The T4Ue card installs seamlessly as a plug and play device under the popular Linux 32 and 64 bit distributions. The cards supports Linux kernel version 2.6 in 32 and 64 bit formats, including the leading distributions supplied by Redhat, SuSE, Mandriva, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Slackware and more. Multi-processor systems are supported.

FarSite is committed to supporting the FarSync T4Ue on new versions of Linux and Linux kernels as they are released. The source code for the driver is supplied with the product allowing rebuilding by the end user for use with almost any of the current or future Linux variants.

Developers Toolkit: The FarSync SDK provides a Developers Toolkit with full documentation, useful utilities, such as a line monitor, and many sample applications for Linux and Windows. Free support from FarSite's Engineering department is provided to customers purchasing the FarSync SDK who have technical questions using the API.

Typical Applications

The FarSync T4Ue is suitable for a very wide range of uses; some typical applications include:

• High speed multi-port HDLC framing support for non standard or specialist protocols
• Interfacing DAB ETI (Ensemble Transport Interface - ETSI EN 300 797) transparent bit streams to Servers
• Interfacing MPEG Video bit streams T-DMB ETI to Servers
• Interfacing high speed MPEG Video bit streams to Servers
• Watchdog systems
• Data generators for test systems
• Engineering monitoring and control systems
• Internet Access and remote office access over leased lines
• HDLC framing support for non standard or specialist protocols

FarSync T4Ue - Product Details

The FarSync T4Ue is supplied with software drivers for Windows and Linux. This includes a low level driver that allows access to the communications features available in the hardware and an optionally installable driver that connects with the standard TCP/IP protocol stack to allow access to IP based networks such as the Internet.

The drivers supplied with Windows and Linux allow large numbers of ports to be supported by the installation of multiple FarSync T4Ue cards in a Server. Typically 12 or more cards (48+ ports) can be supported; the card limit is only dependent on the PCI Express slot count and resources available in the host Server and the total bandwidth of the PCIe bus.

Card Hardware

The 4 port card comprises an AMD processor with SRAM. The whole memory space may be mapped via the PCIe interface to the PC/Server. The card has a quad embedded HDLC / transparent controller with SDMA access (128 buffers per port) and a full range of timers. Total bandwidth supported by the card is 64 Mbits/s.

Network Interfaces

The multi function line drivers available on all ports support X.21 (V.11), V.35, RS232C (V.24, X.21bis), RS530 (EIA530, RS422), RS449 (RS422) , network interfaces, all soft configurable and ESD protected from static charges. The maximum supported line speed is 10 Mbits/s full duplex.

Clock Generation

As well as external clocking the T4Ue supports card generated clocks at a wide range of standard frequencies from 9,600 baud to 8.192 Mbits/s and dual clocks can be generated in V.11 mode if required. The clocking speed of all ports is individually selectable.

PCI Express Bus Specification

The FarSync T4Ue complies with the PCI Express Base Specification Revision 1.0a

Key Features supported on Linux

The FarSync T4Ue installs seamlessly under Linux kernel series 2.6 on both single and multi-core 32 and 64 bit systems. All the popular distributions are supported including Red Hat, SuSE, Slackware, Ubuntu, Mandriva, Debian and Fedora.

Installation is simple, the driver is dynamically loadable so a kernel rebuild is not required for the driver to be installed. The driver acts as a dynamically loadable module. The link level protocol can be PPP, Cisco HDLC or Frame Relay with optional authentication by CHAP, MSCHAP or PAP (RFC 1334) providing a standard point-to-point network interface. The driver is supplied with source code.

The Raw Sockets API allows applications developed using the FarSync SDK to access the full feature set of the hardware, these include bit synchronous (HDLC framed) data, and transparent bitstream data in signal mode NRZ.

A configuration utility is provided to set the line speed, interface type and protocol, after which the ports may be configured with standard networking tools.

Key Features supported on Windows

The FarSync T4Ue installs easily under Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 on single or multi-core 32 and 64 bit systems. A low level SDCI driver is installed with the optional installation of an NDIS (LAN) driver. The NDIS driver supports TCP/IP running over PPP with optional authentication by CHAP or PAP (RFC 1334) providing a standard point-to-point network interface. The drivers are signed by Microsoft for easy installation.

The product is supplied with a comprehensive configuration utility and its own Line Monitor that allows the user to record, display and store line traffic with WAN protocol decoding for fast debugging.

The FarSync T4Ue enhanced SDCI API allows applications developed using the FarSync SDK to exactly control the type of data sent and received in bit synchronous (HDLC framed) data and transparent bitstream formats in NRZ signal mode.

FarSync SDK - The Developers Toolkit

The SDK includes support for writing applications on both Linux and Windows and contains documentation, working sample applications, development and test utility applications. There is everything a user needs to rapidly develop and test a wide variety of applications such as specialist synchronous (HDLC framed) protocols or transparent bitstream data requirements including Audio, MPEG Video T-DMB and DAB ETI. The FarSync SDK is ordered separately from the FarSync T4Ue.

Our Engineering department provides free email and telephone assistance to application developers using the API as part of the package provided when the FarSync SDK is purchased.

Windows SDCI API

The SDCI API allows applications to exactly control the type of data sent and received in both bit synchronous data and transparent bitstream formats. The SDCI API manual in Adobe PDF format provides a comprehensive set of function call definitions and helpful advice on the best way to utilise the interface. The sample applications for HDLC and bitstream operation are written in C.

Synchronous data

The SDCI API has been extended to allow 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 T-DMB and DAB ETI. The unique clocking options are selectable and configurable from the API.

Asynchronous Data

To operate a port with asynchronous data under Windows, the FarSync driver supports a subset of the standard Win32 COMM API as detailed in Microsoft's MSDN Documentation. This enables applications that currently interface to standard serial ports on Windows to be easily ported to use FarSync ports in asynchronous mode. As an alternative to using the Win32 COMM interface, SDCI clients also have the option of using much of the same code to support FarSync ports in either asynchronous or synchronous modes e.g. the same data transfer IOCTLs. Asynchronous mode access is available purchasers of the FS4451.

Sample Applications

A number of easy to follow sample applications are provided demonstrating the wide variety of features available with the card. This includes a kernel mode sample for those customers who require the ultimate performance. GUI based demonstration and test utilities are supplied capable of utilizing the wide range of features supported by the card.

Further information on the SDCI API

 

Screenshot of SDCIDemo utility program supplied with the FarSync SDK that tests and demonstrates the FarSync T4Ue capabilities

 

Linux Raw Sockets API

The Linux API allows applications to send and receive HDLC format (bitsync) frames and also transparent bitstreams with the raw sockets based API. The sample application supplied with the Developers Toolkit demonstrates both modes of operation.

Data rates of up to 10 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 T-DMB and DAB ETI. Asynchronous operation is not available from the Raw Sockets API.

The source for the application and drivers is included, with the Linux API manual provided in Adobe PDF format. The driver is supported under kernel version 2.6 for both single CPU and multi-processor 32 and 64 bit machines. Typically 12 or more cards (48+ ports) can be supported on a single Server; the card limit is only dependent on the PCI Express slots resources available in the Server, the maximum within Linux is 32.

Configuration

For Windows configuration is by a GUI application, a typical screen is shown on the right.

The line can be reconfigured and restarted without reloading the software.

There is context sensitive help and an on-line manual should it be required. An advanced tab permits users to further specify the configuration of the line if necessary.

For Linux a configuration utility is provided; alternatively text files can be used.