Hytec Electronics Ltd
Home Page CAMAC 100 Mbit Ethernet Crate Controller
ECC 1365 MK4

Product Description

This double–width CAMAC ACB Controller (Master or Slave) and Ethernet port provides a fast and efficient interface between a CAMAC crate and a 10/100Mbit UTP Ethernet Local Network (LAN).

The unit uses a 50MHz 68EC060 superscalar CPU with large instruction and data caches running comprehensive firmware in 256Kbytes of EPROM and two megabytes RAM for working space and down–loaded routines. A Tundra QSpan bridge is used to access an embedded PCI bus, which interfaces the Intel 82559 Fast Ethernet communications chip. A full 32-bit PCI slot is available as an option for other PCI cards to add functionality in the future. This new unit, the latest in the popular Hytec ECC range, is 100% compatible with Hytec’s existing Host Software Packages. The Mark 4 clearly offering a significant performance improvement over the earlier units. The ability to operate in FastCAMAC mode is an important feature that is currently under development, although the hardware is already in place.

The front panel has a LAN connectors for a 10/100 Mbit UTP network, with which the 82559 communicates and auto-negotiates the best available connection. It also has an RS232 port (9–way) Cannon for local diagnostic terminal support.

Features

  • Double–width CAMAC Controller.
  • CAMAC ACB compliant. May be either master or slave.
  • Full specification, 10/100 Mbit UTP Ethernet.
  • 50MHz 68EC060 processor.
  • ISO/IEC ISO802–2 Logical Link Control compliant.
  • ISO/IEC ISO802–3 CSMA/CD compliant.
  • UDP/IP Protocol compliant (TCP/IP Protocol family).
  • Supports multiple concurrent hosts.
  • Network time protocol support.
  • Time stamping of data.
  • Block Mode and List Mode support.
  • Security features including controller–resident access tables.
  • Standard ESONE/DOE subroutine support.
  • Software support for Microsoft Windows XP, LINUX, HP-UX, True64 Unix, Solaris, OpenVMS-Alpha, OpenVMS-Itanium
  • FastCAMAC level 1 mode option.

 
Hardware Description

Both also have 2k bytes of battery–backed static RAM (on word boundaries), a 4k x 8–bit Node Adress EPROM, two front panel mounted HEX coded switches for the CAMAC Crate Address (0–FF Hex = 0–255 decimal), a standard CAMAC Port with Memory Mapped Access, a serial port to be used mainly for test purposes, and a multiple counter/timer system to support the software real–time clock and message/task timing. An 8–bit switch port is used to set the LSAP (Link Service Access Point) address; two addresses are used; one for multicasts issued by the host and another (at switch setting plus one) for muliticasts by the Ethernet Crate Controller. There are 11 LEDs fitted on the front panel, the details are as follows:–

Firmware Description

The standard firmware supplied with the 1365 is loaded into on–board EPROMs. The major functions provided by the firmware are:–

  • Support for the QSpan/i82559 PCI-Ethernet chip set.
  • Driving the Controller’s internal CAMAC interface.
  • Driving the Logical Link Control (LLC1 and LLC3) and UDP protocols.
  • Driving the HYTEC specified CAMAC Command protocols.
  • Servicing and support for CAMAC Interrupts.
  • Support for Block Mode and List Mode commands. The controller is able to keep command lists resident in its RAM. These command lists may be selected and re–executed via a single short Ethernet command.
  • Timer support. This includes controller timekeeping, network time protocol support and data time stamping support.
  • Maintenance of booking tables. Booking tables for CAMAC station booking (booked to a single process in a multi–processing host). Also LAM booking. LAMs can be booked to a single process in a multi–processing host. Auto booking of CAMAC stations is supported.
  • Security features support. Security tables in battery–backed RAM control which hosts may access this controller. ”Promiscuous” modes are supported. ie; unrestricted access from any host.
  • Front–panel terminal handling. This allows a standard RS232 terminal to be connected to the controller to modify the security tables and examine the controllers statistics tables.
  • Statistics gathering support. The firmware will gather statistics on Ethernet messages, failures, errors, recoveries etc., as well as CAMAC statistics such as number of LAMs, double–booking attempts, security violations and dataway timeouts.

These features combine to provide the controller with comprehensive CAMAC functionality. This includes:–

  • Single–action CAMAC Commands.
  • Block Mode CAMAC commands including address scan modes, LAM synchronised modes, controller synchronised modes and all Q modes.
  • List Mode CAMAC Commands. Command lists may be loaded and repeatedly executed. Multiple lists are supported.
  • Full Q, X, and Timeout Error Handling (by message to host).
  • Normal CAMAC controls of Z, Clear, Inhibit, etc.
  • Full CAMAC LAM support. Host processes are notified when booked LAMs occur.
  • User defined controller commands may be down–loaded from a host and then executed (this permits applications to set up extra controller capability if needed).

Network Time Protocol

To achieve time synchronisation between multiple 1365 crate controllers and multiple hosts, a Network Time Protocol (NTP) is defined.

The protocol continually monitors and adjusts the clock times in the 1365, compensating for transmission delays, this minimises any time errors. It also ensures that the data acquisition time stamping carried out by the multiple 1365 is correct to within the error margins of the protocol. This is stated, to the first order, as equal to the transit delay being experienced on the network.

Host Software Support

Host support for OpenVMS, LINUX, UNIX and Windows XP is available from HYTEC includes protocol handlers and a system process to manage user process requests and provide the configuration and time protocol support. Each host wishing to communicate with an Ethernet Crate Controller must be running this software. Extensive use of the OpenVMS message utility has been made for error reporting and system information messages on the OpenVMS environment.
Host support in the LINUX / UNIX environment is available and uses the User Datagram Protocols (UDP) a member of the Internet Protocol (IP) suite. These systems that can access the ECC1365 with the same functionality as the OpenVMS host systems.
Host support in the PC environment is available using the User Datagram Protocols. These systems that can access the ECC1365 with the same functionality as the OpenVMS host systems.
High level language support is provided through a library of subroutines that include the standard ESONE/DOE subroutines with extra routines to support the extra functionality of the controller. A system manager tool is provided (ECCOP) to display the known configuration and individual controller statistics on a host terminal. These ESONE/DOE routines are available for all hosts.
Support for ECC1365 with LabViews is available through a set of LabViews VIs.

Security Features

The 1365 controller maintains a table containing the Ethernet address of host systems which are allowed to access it. The use of this table is enabled by a switch on the 1365 printed circuit board. For each address, a mask defines which CAMAC stations the host may access and a set of capabilities defining which crate controller–wide operations the host may perform. This table is kept in battery–backed RAM. The table is either down–line loaded by suitably privileged hosts or by a terminal connected to the RS232 port on the 1365. Controllers are supplied as standard with this feature disabled.

Power Fail

A simple circuit has been included to monitor the +6 volt CAMAC power rail inside the Ethernet Crate Controller. The output of this circuit is connected to the processor’s non–maskable interrupt line, through a gate which may be controlled by the processor via one of the Control Register output lines. The processor's response to NMI is to send messages to all hosts notifying them of the power-off event.

Software

A software licence is required for each host which controls a ECC1365. One host can control many ECC1365 units. The following software is available.

1940.1 EHS1365 Ethernet Host Software for ECC1365 - OpenVMS AXP version 7.3 & 8.1
1940.2 EHS1365 Ethernet Host Software for ECC1365 - SUN SOLARIS version 7.0
1940.3 EHS1365 Ethernet Host Software for ECC1365 - Compaq True64 UNIX
1940.4 EHS1365 Ethernet Host Software for ECC1365 - Red Hat LINUX versions and Scientific Linux 4
1941 WNT1365 Windows XP Host Software for ECC1365 with ESONE routines DLL


Note: discounts are applicable to this software 3rd - 5th copies 30%; 6th - 10th copies 60%; 11th+ copies 80%. Site licences also available.

Our policy is one of continuous product development and the right is reserved to supply equipment which may vary slightly from that described.

HYTEC


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Post : 5 Cradock Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 0JT, England.
Phone : +44 (0)118 9757770
Fax : +44 (0)118 9757566

Email : sales@hytec-electronics.co.uk

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Last modified: August 21, 2006