Programmable multi-standard MAC architecture

Details Programmable multi-standard MAC architecture Programmable multi-standard MAC architecture

2000-12-15

2004-10-26

An, Meng-Al T. (Department: 2126)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: interprogra

Miscellaneous

C710S052000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06810520

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of communication networks and, more particularly, to a programmable Media Access Control implementation method and architecture.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1
shows a diagrammatic representation of an open systems interconnection (OSI) layered model
10
developed by the International Organization for Standards (ISO) for describing the exchange of information between layers in communication networks. The OSI layered model
10
is particularly useful for separating the technological functions of each layer, and thereby facilitating the modification or update of a given layer without detrimentally impacting on the functions of neighboring layers. At a lower most layer, the OSI model
10
has a physical layer or PHY layer
12
that is responsible for encoding and decoding data into signals that are transmitted across a particular medium. Above the PHY layer
12
, a data link layer
14
is defined for providing reliable transmission of data over a network while performing appropriate interfacing with the PHY layer
12
and a network layer
16
. The Network layer
16
is responsible for routing data between nodes in a network, and for initiating, maintaining and terminating a communication link between users connected to the nodes. A. Transport layer
18
is responsible for performing data transfers within a particular level of service quality. A Session layer
20
is generally concerned with controlling when users are able to transmit and receive data. A Presentation layer
22
is responsible for translating, converting, compressing and decompressing data being transmitted across a medium. Finally, an Application layer
24
provides users with suitable interfaces for accessing and connecting to a network.
The IEEE Local Area Network (LAN) standards divide the Open System Interconnection (OSI) data link layer into two sub-layers as illustrated in FIG.
1
: the Media Access Control (MAC)
14
b
and the Logical Link Control (LLC)
14
a
. The LLC layer
14
a
is generally a software function that is responsible for attaching control information to the data being transmitted from network layer
16
to MAC layer
14
b
. The MAC layer
14
b
deals with the media access techniques utilized to control the access to a shared physical medium
26
. The MAC layer
14
b
is primarily responsible for controlling the flow of data over a network, ensuring that transmission errors are detected, and ensuring that transmissions are appropriately synchronized. Token Ring and Ethernet are two legacy implementations of a MAC layer which use different methods to share the physical media. These two MAC types are typically implemented in an integrated circuit (IC) hardwired because of its technology maturity.
With technology development in the broadband communication area, bigger and faster data communication pipes are being established from homes and small offices to network servers and the Internet. The LAN technology has been extended to cover the home and small office environment, usually called Home Networking. The most prevalent high-speed home networking technologies in the industry are: HPNA 2.0/1.0, legacy Ethernet and 802.11 wireless LAN. These three technologies use a shared media access control method to access the physical layer phone wires, Ethernet cables and wireless media.
Although the MACs of these home LANs share some common features, each MAC maintains respective specialties. HPNA 1.0 and Ethernet MAC both use standard IEEE 802.3 CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection), which uses a binary exponential backoff algorithm to defer its transmission when media is busy. HPNA 2.0 MAC added a Distributed Fair Priority Queuing (DFPQ) deferring algorithm in addition to the CSMA/CD to provide the Quality of Service (QOS) guarantee at the physical layer. The HPNA 2.0 also generally allows two types of MAC architectures: a CSMA/CD with DFPQ type MAC and a standard 802.3 MAC with DFPQ Enhanced MAC (EMAC) or two layer MAC. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN uses Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) and NAV (Network Access Vector) technologies in the MAC layer for the assumption that each station cannot be guaranteed to be able to detect other stations in the wireless communications network.
In addition to the current requirements of the different MAC architectures and MAC implementations for various standards, development of the new home LAN technology, for example, is causing existing MAC standards to evolve and/or new MAC standards to emerge. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a new software based or programmable MAC implementation architecture which would speed up MAC implementation development, MAC/PHY and MAC/host integration, enable multiple MAC implementations, and increase MAC portability for different applications and platforms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention achieves technical advantages as a method, system and apparatus for managing data flow over an open system interconnection type network which includes a physical layer and media access control layer. The invention implements a plurality of operating modules each enabling a respective media access control layer operating function in which at least a portion of the operating modules are implemented in independent software. The invention further implements a host interface module for communication between a host processor and the media access control layer, a physical layer interface for communication between the physical layer and media access control layer, and an inter-module programming interface for communication between the respective operating modules.


REFERENCES:
patent: 6108713 (2000-08-01), Sambamurthy et al.
patent: 6167032 (2000-12-01), Allison et al.
patent: 6373848 (2002-04-01), Allison et al.
World Moves, San Francisco-Feb. 1, 1997.

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