JPH05292147A - Communication control processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To implement the communication using plural communication protocols with one communication control processor. CONSTITUTION:For example, three communication control sections 131-133 implementing specific protocol processing are provided in a communication control processor 13 connected to a CSMA/CD bus 20 via a transceiver 21. When packet data are received from the CSMA/CD bus 20 in the communication control processor 13, a protocol discrimination section 134 provided on the communication control processor 13 references a type field of the packet to discriminate by which protocol the packet is formed. Then the protocol of the packet is processed by the communication control section corresponding to the discriminated protocol among the communication control sections 131-133.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication control processor suitable for a system in which communication is performed using a plurality of communication protocols.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a system in which an electronic computer communicates via a LAN line using a plurality of communication protocols, the electronic computer has generally been constructed as shown in FIG.

That is, the electronic computer 30 shown in FIG. 3 has a CPU 31 for performing various data processing, arithmetic operations and communication control protocol processing, a main memory 32 for storing various data and programs, and a communication control processor 33-1.
33-2 and 33-3. These CPU 31, main memory 32 and communication control processors 33-1 and 33-2,
33-3 are mutually connected by an internal bus 34 so that data can be exchanged.

The communication control processors 33-1 to 33-3 are L
It is connected to an AN line, for example, a CSMA / CD bus 40 via transceivers 41-1, 41-2, 41-3.
Each of these communication control processors 33-1 to 33-3 has a unique MAC (Media Access Control) address.

Now, the communication control processor 33-1 in the electronic computer 30 has an interface up to the MAC level, for example, and the CPU 31 performs TCP / IP communication protocol processing to use the same protocol.
Other terminals on MA / CD bus 40 and transceiver 41-1
To communicate through.

Next, the communication control processor 33-2 supports, for example, the OSI protocol and uses another terminal (OSI) on the CSMA / CD bus 40 that uses the same protocol.
Terminal) and the transceiver 41-2.

Similarly, the communication control processor 33-3 supports a unique communication protocol different from TCP / IP and OSI, and uses the same protocol.
Other terminals on MA / CD bus 40 and transceiver 41-3
To communicate through.

[0008]

As described above, conventionally, in order for an electronic computer or the like to communicate using a plurality of communication protocols, a communication control processor, which is hardware, is required for each communication protocol. There has been a problem that the amount of hardware increases and MAC addresses are required for the number of communication control processors.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to cope with communication using a plurality of communication protocols with only one, and thus the amount of hardware can be reduced and the MAC address can be reduced. It is to provide a communication control processor that requires only one.

[0010]

A communication control processor according to the present invention discriminates a plurality of communication control means for performing unique protocol processing and a communication protocol of packet data received from a LAN based on a type field of the data. Then
It is characterized in that it is provided with a protocol discriminating means for causing the communication control means peculiar to the protocol to perform the protocol processing of the data.

[0011]

In the above configuration of the communication control processor, the protocol discriminating means is the LA in this communication control processor.
When the packet data is received from N, the protocol of the packet data is determined by the contents of the type field of the packet data. Then, the discriminating means passes the packet data to the communication control means unique to the discriminated protocol among the plurality of communication control means, and causes the protocol processing of the data to be performed.

Therefore, each of the other terminals that communicate with the electronic computer or the like having the communication control processor having the above-mentioned configuration is irrespective of the type of the communication protocol used.
It only has to communicate with the communication control processor of one unit,
An electronic computer or the like that communicates using a plurality of communication protocols may have one communication control processor.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic computer which performs communication using a plurality of communication protocols by the communication control processor of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an electronic computer 10 is provided with a CPU 11 for performing various data processing, arithmetic operations and communication control protocol processing, a main memory 12 for storing various data and programs, and a communication control processor 13. There is. The CPU 11, main memory 12, and communication control processor 13 are interconnected by an internal bus 14.
Data can be exchanged.

The communication control processor 13 is a LAN line,
For example, it is connected to the CSMA / CD bus 20 via a transceiver 21. The communication control processor 13 communicates with a terminal (not shown) corresponding to various communication protocols on the CSMA / CD bus 20, and has only one unique MAC address. Communication control processor 13
Has three communication control units 131, 132, 133 which respectively perform unique protocol processing.

The communication control unit 131 has an interface up to, for example, the MAC level, and the CPU 11 uses TCP / TCP.
By performing the IP communication protocol process, communication is performed with another terminal on the CSMA / CD bus 20 using the same protocol via the transceiver 21.

The communication control unit 132 supports, for example, the OSI protocol and uses the same protocol as CSMA /
It communicates with other terminals on the CD bus 20 via the transceiver 21.

The communication control unit 133 supports a unique communication protocol other than TCP / IP and OSI, and communicates with another terminal on the CSMA / CD bus 20 using the same protocol via the transceiver 21.

The communication control processor 13 further has a protocol discriminating section 134 for discriminating the communication protocol of the packet data received by the processor 13 from the CSMA / CD bus 20. The protocol determination unit 134 performs the protocol processing of the received packet data on the communication control units 131 to 1
The communication control unit peculiar to the determined protocol among the 33 is performed.

In this embodiment, the communication control units 131 to 1
The 33 and the protocol determination unit 134 are functional blocks implemented by the firmware processing of the communication control processor 13.

Next, the operation of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described. First, when the communication control processor 13 in the electronic computer 10 receives packet data having its own unique MAC address from the CSMA / CD bus 20 via the transceiver 21, the received packet is the communication control processor 13
It is passed to the protocol discriminating unit 134 therein.

The protocol discrimination unit 134 refers to the type field of this received packet. In this type field, information indicating by which protocol the corresponding packet is communicated is set. Therefore, the protocol determination unit 134 determines, based on the type field of the received packet, by which protocol the same packet is communicated.

If the received packet is based on TCP / IP, the protocol discrimination unit 134 passes the packet to the communication control unit 131 in the communication control processor 13, and if based on the OSI protocol, the packet is communicated. It is passed to the control unit 132. In addition, the protocol discrimination unit 13
If the received packet is based on a predetermined communication protocol other than the TCP / IP and OSI protocols, 4 passes the packet to the communication control unit 133.

Of the communication control units 131 to 133, the communication control unit to which the received packet is passed from the protocol discrimination unit 134 processes the received packet according to the protocol supported by itself. Since the communication control unit 131 in this embodiment only has an interface up to the MAC level, the higher-order TCP / IP protocol processing is performed by the CPU 11 according to the program stored in the main memory 12. ..

In this way, each communication control section 131-133
Are activated in accordance with the protocol discrimination result of the protocol discriminating unit 134 and perform their own unique protocol processing, so that CSMA /
It communicates with other terminals on the CD bus 20. At this time, the other terminal is the communication control processor 13 in the electronic computer 10.
You only have to be aware of (the only MAC address of)
There is no concern about the communication control units 131 to 133.

In the above embodiment, the case where the communication control processor 13 supports three kinds of communication protocols has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the number of protocols and the types of protocols supported by the communication control processor 13 are not limited to those in the above embodiment.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been made on the assumption that communication of a plurality of protocols is performed via the CSMA / CD bus 20, but it is also applicable to communication using a LAN other than the CSMA / CD bus such as a token bus. In addition, the present invention is applicable not only to the bus LAN but also to communication using a ring LAN.

[0028]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
A single communication control processor is provided with a plurality of communication control means for performing unique protocol processing, and the communication control processor determines the communication protocol of the packet data received from the LAN based on the type field of the data by the protocol determination means. And the protocol control of the same data is performed by the communication control means peculiar to the protocol, so that it is possible to perform communication using a plurality of communication protocols even though it is one communication control processor. The amount can be reduced, and only one MAC address is required.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic computer that performs communication using a plurality of communication protocols by a communication control processor of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of a conventional electronic computer that performs communication using a plurality of communication protocols.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Computer, 11 ... CPU, 13 ... Communication control processor, 20 ... CSMA / CD bus (LAN), 21 ...
Transceiver, 131-133 ... Communication control unit, 134 ...
Protocol discriminator.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location 7341-5K H04L 11/00 320

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of communication control means for performing unique protocol processing and a communication protocol of packet data received from a LAN are discriminated based on a type field of the data, and the protocol processing of the data is unique to the protocol. 2. A communication control processor comprising: a protocol discriminating unit that is executed by the communication control unit.