Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Intrasystem connection – Bus interface architecture
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-31
2003-07-29
Ray, Gopal C. (Department: 2181)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Intrasystem connection
Bus interface architecture
C710S100000, C370S401000, C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06601127
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication control apparatus and method, a communication system, and a program storage medium. In particular, the invention relates to a communication control apparatus and method, a communication system, and a program storage medium which make it possible to reliably control a connection between devices via a plurality of networks.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a system in which data on an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394 serial bus is transferred via an ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) network, to enable exchange of data between digital AV (audio-visual) devices connected to the ATM network, it is necessary to establish a data flowing connection in advance. The present assignee proposed a method for establishing such a connection, as Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-147781 (corresponding to PCT Application No. JP 99/02864 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/463,333), for example.
FIG. 1
shows an example configuration of this network system. As shown in
FIG. 1
, an ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
1
-
1
is connected to a personal computer
1
-
1
-
1
via an IEEE 1394 serial bus
2
-
1
and also connected to an ATM network 5 via a UNI (user-network interface). Video data that is transmitted from a digital video camera (DVCAM)
3
-
1
through the IEEE 1394 serial bus
2
-
1
is transferred to the ATM network 5. An ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
2
-
1
is connected to a personal computer
1
-
2
-
1
via an IEEE 1394 serial bus
7
-
1
and also connected to the ATM network 5 via a UNI. Video data that is transmitted from the digital video camera
3
-
1
over the ATM network 5 is transferred to the IEEE 1394 serial bus
7
-
1
.
Connected to the digital video camera
3
-
1
via the IEEE 1394 serial bus
2
-
1
, the personal computer
1
-
1
-
1
transfers, to the ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
1
-
1
, through the IEEE 1394 serial bus
2
-
1
, video data that is transmitted from the video camera
3
-
1
through the IEEE 1394 serial bus
2
-
1
. That is, the digital video camera
3
-
1
, the personal computer
1
-
1
-
1
, and the ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
1
-
1
are connected to the same IEEE 1394 serial bus
2
-
1
.
Connected to the ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
2
-
1
via the IEEE 1394 serial bus
7
-
1
, the personal computer
1
-
2
-
1
transfers, to a digital video cassette recorder (DVCR)
8
-
1
, through the IEEE 1394 serial bus
7
-
1
, video data that is transmitted from the digital video camera
3
-
1
through the IEEE 1394 serial bus
7
-
1
. The ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
2
-
1
, the personal computer
1
-
2
-
1
, and the digital video cassette recorder
8
-
1
are connected to the same IEEE 1394 serial bus
7
-
1
.
To simplify the description, the above description has been made in such a manner that data is transferred from one sub-network system on the left side of the ATM network 5 to another sub-network system on the right side of the ATM network 5. However, in the example of
FIG. 1
, m sub-network systems are provided on the left side of the ATM network 5 and n sub-network systems are provided on the right side of the ATM network 5. Actually, data can be transferred from an arbitrary sub-network system among those sub-network systems to another arbitrary sub-network system.
When communication is performed between the personal computers
1
-
1
-
1
and
1
-
2
-
1
, C (control)-plane protocol stacks are laid out as shown in FIG.
2
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the C-plane protocol stack of the personal computer
1
-
1
-
1
is constituted of a 1394 PHY layer
11
-
1
, a 1394 link layer
11
-
2
, an ASEL layer
11
-
3
, an SSCF (ITU-T Q.2130)+SSCOP (ITU-T Q.2110) layer
11
-
4
, and a Q.2931 (ITU-T Q.2931) layer
11
-
5
. The personal computer
1
-
1
-
1
side of the C-plane protocol stack of the ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
1
-
1
is constituted of a 1394 PHY layer
12
-
1
, a 1394 link layer
12
-
2
, an ASEL layer
12
-
3
, an SSCF+SSCOP layer
12
-
4
, and a Q.2931 layer
12
-
5
. On the other hand, the ATM network 5 side is constituted of a PHY layer
13
-
1
, an ATM layer
13
-
2
, an AAL5 layer
13
-
3
, the SSCF+SSCOP layer
12
-
4
, and the Q.2931 layer
12
-
5
.
The C-plane protocol stack of the ATM network 5 is constituted of a PHY layer
14
-
1
, an ATM layer
14
-
2
, an AAL5 layer
14
-
3
, an SSCF+SSCOP layer
14
-
4
, and a Q.2931 layer
14
-
5
.
The ATM network 5 side of the C-plane protocol stack of the ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
2
-
1
is constituted of a PHY layer
15
-
1
, an ATM layer
15
-
2
, an AAL5 layer
15
-
3
, an SSCF+SSCOP layer
15
-
4
, and a Q.2931 layer
15
-
5
. On the other hand, the personal computer
1
-
2
-
1
side is constituted of a 1394 PHY layer
16
-
1
, a 1394 link layer
16
-
2
, an ASEL layer
16
-
3
, the SSCF+SSCOP layer
15
-
4
, and the Q.2931 layer
15
-
5
.
The C-plane protocol stack of the personal computer
1
-
2
-
1
is constituted of a 1394 PHY layer
17
-
1
, a 1394 link layer
17
-
2
, an ASEL layer
17
-
3
, an SSCF+SSCOP layer
17
-
4
, and a Q.2931 layer
17
-
5
.
The ASEL layers
11
-
3
and
12
-
3
allow application of a signaling protocol that is used in the UNIs (user-network interfaces) of the ATM network 5 to interfacing between the personal computer
1
-
1
-
1
and the ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
1
-
1
, and the ASEL layers
16
-
3
and
17
-
3
allow application of the same signaling protocol to interfacing between the ATM/1394 bridge
4
-
2
-
1
and the personal computer
1
-
2
-
1
.
A description will now be made of the ASEL (ATM over IEEE 1394 serial bus emulation layer) layer for emulating an AAL5 (ATM adaptation layer type 5)/ATM layer (ITU-T I.363/ITU-T I.361) on the IEEE 1394 link layer of each of the ATM/1394 bridges
4
-
1
-
1
to
4
-
1
-m and
4
-
2
-
1
to
4
-
2
-n and the personal computers
1
-
1
-
1
to
1
-
1
-m and
1
-
2
-
1
to
1
-
2
-n.
The ASEL conceals the IEEE 1394 serial bus from software of the apparatus concerned above the ASEL and emulates AAL and ATM layers. Therefore, in an apparatus incorporating the ASEL, multiplexing and demultiplexing on the same UNI with a plurality of VPCs (virtual path connections)/VCCs (virtual channel connections) in an ATM communication are enabled in its own IEEE 1394 serial bus interface. Further, network access protocol software that is compatible with the ATM network 5 and various kinds of application software can be used as they are.
FIG. 3
is a layer relationship diagram showing the position of the ASEL. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the ASEL provides, as a primitive (transmission/reception information for a communication between layers) for the upper layer, a primitive that is similar to ones provided by various AALs. That is, the ASEL receives AAL_UNITDATA.req (request) from the upper layer and supplies it with AAL_UNITDATA.ind (indicate). The ASEL receives AAL_U_ABORT.req from the upper layer and supplies it with AAL_U_ABORT.ind. Further, the ASEL supplies the upper layer with AAL_P_ABORT.ind. In this manner, software of the upper layer of the ASEL behaves in the same manner as in a case where its lower layer is an AAL.
The ASEL uses, as a primitive for the lower layer, a primitive itself that is provided by the IEEE 1394 link layer. That is, the ASEL supplies the lower layer with LK_ISO_CONT.req and receives LK.CYCLE.ind from it. The ASEL supplies the lower layer with LK_ISO.req and receives LK_ISO.ind from it. Further, the ASEL supplies the lower layer with LK_DATA.req and receives LK_DATA.conf and LK_DATA.ind from it, and supplies the lower layer with LK_DATA.resp.
Further, the ASEL exchanges, with its own (local) ASEL layer management entity (peer interface), an ASEL management primitive including various kinds of management information relating to configuration, faults, performance, alarming, etc. of a counterpart ASEL entity and the ASEL entity itself. For example, when an abnormality has been detected, prescribed management information is supplied to the peer interface and output to the counterpart ASEL entity via a system interface. C
Nomura Takashi
Tamori Hirofumi
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ray Gopal C.
Sony Corporation
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