JP2006094509A - Terminal adaptor apparatus capable of ieee 1394 ethernet conversion - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a protocol converting apparatus to support both IEEE 1394 and Ethernet (R). <P>SOLUTION: A terminal adaptor apparatus (22) includes a 1394 Link/PHY portion (221) to be connected to a wide area network (WAN: Wide Area Network) and to achieve an IEEE 1394 connection between a home gateway unit to process an upstream/downstream data of a network system and an external IEEE 1394 client; an Ethernet PHY/Link portion (223) for an Ethernet connection to the external Ethernet client; an Ethernet/1394 conversion portion (222) to be connected to the 1394 Link/PHY portion and the Ethernet PHY/Link portion (221) and to execute the protocol conversion; and a control portion (224) to be connected to the 1394 Link/PHY portion (223), the Ethernet PHY/Link portion (221) and the Ethernet/1394 conversion portion (222) and to execute a control for the protocol conversion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a home network system, and more particularly to a protocol converter for supporting both IEEE 1394 and Ethernet (Ethernet (registered trademark)).

  Ethernet is a network announced by Metcalf and Boggs of Xerox PARC in 1976 to provide communication functions that enable data transmission between user equipment and computers located at a short distance Since then, it has become widely used due to the development of the Internet.

  On the other hand, IEEE 1394 is a widely used protocol because it can simultaneously transmit real-time data such as broadcast data and non-isochronous data such as Internet data, and has a maximum speed of 400 Mbps. The distance can be transmitted up to 100m. In particular, recently, by utilizing IP (Internet Protocol) over 1394 technology, IP data can be transmitted through the IEEE 1394 link layer control unit (LLC) and the physical layer (PHY) instead of the Ethernet link layer. Is widely used for Internet data transmission.

  The IP over 1394 technology for transmitting IP data in IEEE 1394 was registered as an RFC 2734 standard protocol in 1999, and there is an IPv4 (IP version 4) datagram (datagram) in a system in which IEEE 1394 is a physical layer. ) Provides a protocol conversion method, a data structure, an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) method, and the like necessary for transmission.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a general IEEE 1394 software stack.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the IEEE 1394 software stack includes an IEEE 1394 application (applications) for the IEEE 1394 application layer, an RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) including a transaction layer, and an embedded CPU (including a link layer and a physical layer). Embedded CPU).

  More specifically, the IEEE 1394 application for the IEEE 1394 application layer has a configuration of software 101 for application devices such as a CD-ROM, HDD, printer, and scanner. The RTOS guarantees a reliable output within a specified time limit. The IP over 1394 (102) for connection with IP data and the SBP-2 (Serial Bus for serial bus connection) are used. Protocol-2) 103, an IEEE 1394 serial bus manager 104 for managing an IEEE 1394 serial bus, and an IEEE 1394 link driver 105 for connecting to a link layer. The embedded CPU has an IEEE 1394 link core 106 and an IEEE 1394 physical core 107.

  The IEEE 1394 software stack as described above has a number of processes including IP packet fragmentation and fragmentation processes in the IP over 1394 processing process compared to the Ethernet optimized for the IP protocol (see FIG. process) is further added. Therefore, in the IEEE 1394 software stack, even when the same microprocessor system is used, the software-like operation is performed under the same process power, compared to simply using the Ethernet protocol. There was a problem that the operating performance deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. The purpose of the present invention is to implement this in a hardware network in an IEEE 1394-based home network system when inputting / outputting Ethernet standard data. It is an object of the present invention to provide an adapter device for a terminal that enables IEEE 1394-Ethernet conversion.

  Another object of the present invention is to improve performance and reduce the burden on the CPU (Central Processing Unit) by configuring a part of the IEEE 1394 IP processing function processed in software with hardware. An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal adapter device capable of IEEE1394-Ethernet conversion.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an adapter device for a terminal of an IEEE 1394-based network system, which is connected to a wide area network (WAN) and transmits upward / downward data of the network system. 1394 Link / PHY unit for performing IEEE 1394 connection with home gateway unit to be processed and external IEEE 1394 client, Ethernet PHY / Link unit for Ethernet connection with external Ethernet client, 1394 Link / PHY unit, and Ethernet PHY / An Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit that is connected to the Link unit and performs protocol conversion; the 1394 Link / PHY unit, the Ethernet PHY / Link unit, and the Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit; A control unit that is connected and executes control for the protocol conversion.

  According to the present invention, the load on the central processing unit can be reduced by converting the operation on the software stack such as IP over 1394 into a hardware device.

  Furthermore, by reducing the load on the central processing unit, a system can be realized using a low-priced central processing unit.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals and reference signs are used as much as possible for the same components. Further, from the viewpoints of clarity and conciseness, when it is determined that a specific description related to known functions and configurations related to the present invention obscures the gist of the present invention, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The present invention is an IEEE 1394-based home network system having an advantage capable of simultaneously transmitting isochronous data such as A / V (Audio / Video) data and non-isochronous data such as IP packets. Provided is a terminal adapter device for supporting a terminal having no other type of protocol.

  Generally, an Ethernet port is attached to an IP terminal, and an IEEE 1394 port is attached to an A / V device. Therefore, the adapter device for a terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention receives data according to the IEEE 1394 protocol of the home network system, and supplies the data according to two kinds of standards of the Ethernet protocol and the IEEE 1394 protocol.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an IEEE 1394 home network system including a terminal adapter device to which the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an IEEE 1394 home network system including a terminal adapter device according to the present embodiment is connected to a wide area network (WAN) and processes upward and downward data of the home network system. A home gateway network unit 21 for connecting to the home gateway network unit 21 in accordance with the IEEE 1394 system, and a terminal adapter device 22 for performing data processing with an IEEE 1394 client (terminal) or an Ethernet client (terminal). .

  Here, the home gateway network unit 21 includes an Ethernet PHY / Link unit 211 for performing Ethernet connection with a wide area network (WAN), and a 1394 Link / PHY unit 212 for performing IEEE 1394 connection in the home network system. A control unit 213 connected to the Ethernet PHY / Link unit 211 and the 1394 Link / PHY unit 212. The control unit 213 includes a 1394 stack for an IP over 1394 function for IEEE 1394-Ethernet connection, and network software for networking via Ethernet, and operates according to each protocol. The PHY / Link unit 211 and the 1394 Link / PHY unit 212 are controlled so as to execute the above.

  The terminal adapter device 22 includes a 1394 Link / PHY unit 223, an Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 222, an Ethernet PHY / Link unit 221, and a control unit 224 that controls them. Here, the 1394 Link / PHY unit 223 establishes IEEE 1394 connection with the home gateway network unit 21 and an external IEEE 1394 client, and also transmits data to the (external) Ethernet client (ie, transmits to the Ethernet client) under the control of the control unit 224. Data to be processed) is transmitted to the Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 222.

  The Ethernet PHY / Link unit 221 performs Ethernet connection with an Ethernet client. The Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 222 is connected to the 1394 Link / PHY unit 223 and the Ethernet PHY / Link unit 221, and executes protocol conversion under the control of the control unit 224. The control unit 224 controls these functional blocks in the terminal adapter device 22.

  In particular, the control unit 224 controls the 1394 Link / PHY unit 223, the Ethernet PHY / Link unit 221 and the Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 222 so that they are linked to each other.

  FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram showing details of the Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 222 in the terminal adapter device 22 of the present embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 222 includes an Ethernet-1394 conversion unit, a 1394-Ethernet conversion unit, an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) table register 306, and a PCI control unit 301.

  Here, the Ethernet-1394 conversion unit can be configured by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and the IP packet input from the Ethernet PHY / Link unit 221 is used to perform IEEE 1394 packetization of the input IP packet. IP Ingress FIFO (First In First Out) buffer 302 to be transferred (output) after buffering and IP parsing for parsing the IP packets transmitted from IP Ingress FIFO (First In First Out) buffer 302 Unit 303, and the destination IP address (IP destination address) and IP size information analyzed by IP parsing unit 303 are received, and the corresponding IP packet is converted into IEEE 1394 type. 1394 broker 304 for controlling to divide in accordance with the above, IP fragmentation unit 305 for dividing the IP packet transmitted from IP parsing unit 303 under the control of 1394 broker 304, 1394 broker 304 and PCI control unit 301 The state register 307 for controlling the access timing for outputting the divided IP packet and the divided IP packet from the IP fragmentation unit 305 are received and the received IP packet is received by the state register 307. And a first FIFO 308 that outputs to the 1394 Link / PHY unit 223 under control.

  The 1394-Ethernet conversion unit is connected to the second FIFO 309 that stores the IEEE 1394 packet received from the 1394 Link / PHY unit 223 and the second FIFO 309, and performs the IP packetization of the transmitted IEEE 1394 packet. A control register 310 that outputs a control signal; an IP combining unit 311 that combines the IEEE 1394 packets transmitted from the second FIFO 309 into a (single) IP packet under the control of the control register 310; An IP Egress FIFO 312 for temporarily storing the received IP packet and outputting it to the Ethernet PHY / Link unit 221.

  The ARP table register 306 is connected to the 1394 broker 304 and the control register 310, and constructs an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) table for mapping between the node ID of the IEEE 1394 packet and the IP address of the Ethernet packet.

  The PCI control unit 301 is connected to the control unit 224, the Ethernet PHY / Link unit 221 and the 1394 Link / PHY unit 223, and provides a data transmission path for an interface with the outside.

  Hereinafter, an operation for processing between the Ethernet packet and the IEEE 1394 packet performed by the above configuration will be described.

  In this embodiment, first, an ARP table is constructed. That is, generally, the IEEE 1394 ARP table is generated by generating an IEEE 1394 bus reset (bus reset) when a device that is to receive an IP packet is connected through the IEEE 1394 port. On the other hand, the embodiment of the present invention aims at seamless conversion / transmission of IP packets to Ethernet, and therefore the terminal adapter device 22 does not have an IP address. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when an IP client is connected to the Ethernet PHY / Link 221 that is the Ethernet port of the terminal adapter device 22, a process of transmitting the IP address of the IP client to the home gateway network unit 21 is performed. This process is performed under the control of the control unit 224. The home gateway network unit 21 recognizes whether or not an IP device is connected to the lower cluster based on such IP information, and sequentially updates the ARP table. The updated information is transmitted again to the terminal adapter device 22 and shared through the Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 222.

  Next, the operation of converting IP packets into IEEE 1394 packets will be described.

  In the present embodiment, when the ARP table is generated or updated, a request and a process for storing the generated or updated ARP table in the Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 222 are executed. When the ARP table is stored, an enable mode is enabled in which an IP packet can be converted into an IEEE 1394 packet.

  The IP packet transmitted from the Ethernet client is input to the Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 222 via the Ethernet PHY / Link 221 and stored in the IP Ingress FIFO 302.

  The stored IP packet is input to the IP parsing unit 303, and necessary IP information is parsed (analyzed) by the IP parsing unit 303. Here, the necessary IP information includes the destination address of the IP packet and the size of the IP packet, and these pieces of information are obtained from the IP parsing unit 303.

  The IP information obtained by the IP parsing unit 303 in this way is input to a 1394 broker 304. The 1394 broker 304 determines how many IP packets are divided by comparing the speed information of the currently set IEEE 1394 transmission line with the IP size, and divides the IP packet according to the determination result (ie, the number of divisions). Thus, an instruction is issued to the IP fragmentation unit 305. Further, the 1394 broker 304 extracts the 1394 node ID mapped in the ARP table, registers the extracted 1394 node ID in the status register 307, and thus the control unit 224 can refer to the 1394 node ID. To. Furthermore, since the 1394 broker 304 can recognize whether or not the broadcasting and unicasting in the IEEE 1394 bus has been performed through the destination IP address (IP destination address). It is determined whether the IEEE 1394 packet is transmitted as an asynchronous block for unicast (Asynchronous Block) or an asynchronous stream for broadcasting (Asynchronous Stream). Information (status information) is registered in the status register 307.

  The IP packets divided through the IP fragmentation unit 305 are each numbered (numbered) by the IP fragmentation unit 305, and are sequentially transmitted to the first FIFO 308 and stored therein. Once storage of the numbered IP packets is complete, these IP packets are transferred to the status register 307. Subsequently, the status register 307 notifies the control unit 224 of the transfer of the IP packet. Under the control of the control unit 224, the 1394 Link / PHY 223 sequentially receives IEEE 1394 packets from the first FIFO 308 through the PCI control unit 301.

  On the other hand, the IP packetization operation of the IEEE 1394 packet will be described as follows.

  First, when the divided IP packet from the 1394 Link / PHY unit 223 is received by the second FIFO 309, the second FIFO 309 transmits this information to the control register 310. The control register 310 controls the IP combining unit 311 so as to reassemble the IP packet stored in the second FIFO 309. More specifically, the control register 310 sets the last number in one complete IP packet so that an IP packet transmitted and divided in order becomes one complete IP packet. The IP coupling unit 311 is configured to reassemble the IP packet stored in the second FIFO 309 so as to be synchronized with the meaning of the node ID in accordance with the numbered procedure at the time of fragmentation (ie, division). Control.

  When the reassembly in the IP combining unit 311 is completed, the reassembled IP packet is stored in the IP Egress FIFO 312. The fact of completion and storage of the reassembly is notified to the control unit 224, and thus the completed IP packet can be read by the Ethernet PHY / Link unit 221.

  The present invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. However, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, but the scope of the description of the claims and the equivalents thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the software stack of general IEEE1394. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an IEEE 1394 home network system including a terminal adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a block block diagram which shows the detail of the Ethernet / 1394 conversion part in the adapter device for terminals of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

22 ... Adapter device for terminal 221 ... 1394 Link / PHY unit 222 ... Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit 223 ... Ethernet PHY / Link unit 224 ... Control unit

Claims (6)

An adapter device for a terminal of an IEEE 1394-based network system,
A 1394 Link / PHY unit connected to a wide area network (WAN), a home gateway unit for processing upward / downward data of the network system, and an external IEEE 1394 client to perform an IEEE 1394 connection;
An Ethernet PHY / Link unit for Ethernet connection with an external Ethernet client;
An Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit connected to the 1394 Link / PHY unit and the Ethernet PHY / Link unit to perform protocol conversion;
IEEE1394-Ethernet conversion characterized in that it includes a control unit that is connected to the 1394 Link / PHY unit, the Ethernet PHY / Link unit, and the Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit and executes control for the protocol conversion Adapter device for a simple terminal. The Ethernet / 1394 conversion unit receives an IP packet, performs IEEE 1394 packetization of the received IP packet, and outputs the packet.
An Ethernet packetizing unit for receiving a plurality of IP packets divided into IEEE 1394 packets and outputting them as one complete IP packet;
An ARP table register for constructing an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) table;
The PCI control unit connected to the control unit, the Ethernet PHY / Link unit, and the 1394 Link / PHY unit and providing a data transmission path for an interface with the outside. IEEE 1394-Adapter device for terminal capable of Ethernet conversion. 3. The adapter device for a terminal capable of IEEE 1394-Ethernet conversion according to claim 2, wherein the ARP table is for mapping between a node ID of an IEEE 1394 packet and an IP address of an Ethernet packet. The IEEE 1394 packetization unit buffers an IP packet input from the Ethernet PHY / Link unit and transfers an IP Ingress FIFO (First In First Out) buffer;
An IP parsing unit for analyzing (parsing) an IP packet transmitted from the IP Ingress FIFO (First In First Out) buffer;
A 1394 broker that receives a destination IP address (IP destination address) and IP size information analyzed by the IP parsing unit, and controls to divide the corresponding IP packet according to the IEEE 1394 format;
An IP fragmentation unit that divides the IP packet transmitted from the IP parsing unit under the control of the 1394 broker;
A state register that controls access timing for outputting the divided IP packets under the control of the 1394 broker and the control unit;
And a first FIFO that receives the IP packet divided by the IP fragmentation unit and outputs the received IP packet to the 1394 Link / PHY unit under the control of the status register. An adapter device for a terminal capable of IEEE1394-Ethernet conversion according to 2 or 3. The 1394 broker recognizes whether to perform broadcasting and unicasting in the IEEE 1394 bus of the IEEE 1394 system based on the input destination IP address (IP destination address).
Determining whether the generated IEEE 1394 packet is transmitted as an asynchronous block for unicast or an asynchronous stream for broadcasting (Asynchronous Stream); 5. The terminal adapter apparatus capable of IEEE1394-Ethernet conversion according to claim 4, wherein the determined information (status information) is registered in the status register. The Ethernet packetization unit includes a second FIFO for storing the divided IP packets;
A control register connected to the second FIFO and outputting a control signal for combining the divided IP packets;
An IP combining unit that combines the divided IP packets transmitted from the second FIFO into one IP packet under the control of the control register;
4. An adapter for a terminal capable of IEEE 1394-Ethernet conversion according to claim 2, further comprising: an IP Egress FIFO that stores the combined IP packet and outputs the IP packet to the Ethernet PHY / Link unit. .

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