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The IEEE 1394 standard is a set of specifications for a high-performance serial bus. An IEEE 1394 bus has the following features:
Lets you connect up to 63 devices on one IEEE 1394 bus
Supports many kinds of devices (digital video cameras and recorders, hard drives, network adapters, and so forth)
Supports Plug-and-Play (no configuration except simply plugging in the device)
Supports hot-swapping (you can add and remove devices without rebooting)
Can provide power (up to certain limits) to devices
Supports peer-to-peer transfers (for example, data can be transmitted between a digital video camera and a recording device without going through a computer)
Be aware that some companies market their IEEE 1394-based products under trademarked names, most notably:
Firewire (trademarked by Apple Computers, Inc. and the basis of the IEEE 1394 standard)
iLink (trademarked by Sony Corporation)
Version
Description
1394
Supports speeds of 100, 200, 400 megabits per second
Maximum cable length is 4.5 meters (15 feet)
1394.A
Clarifies and enhances original standard.
1394.B
Under development to support speeds of 800, 1600, and 3200 megabits per second
Maximum cable length is 100 meters (328 feet)
1394.3
Supports peer-to-peer data transmission
Devices like scanners and digital cameras can send data directly to a printer (no computer involvement required)
IEEE 1394 Windows Compatible Operating Systems
Operating System
Supports IEEE-1394?
Windows 95
No
Windows 98
Yes
Windows ME
Yes
Windows NT 4.0
No
Windows 2000
Yes
Windows XP
Yes
IEEE Configuration
You should know the following facts about IEEE 1394:
An IEEE 1394 bus does not necessarily include a PC. In other words, various types of devices can potentially act as the root node. The devices on the bus decide the root node each time a device is added or removed from the bus.
The maximum number of hops (other devices) between any two devices is 16.
You cannot connect IEEE 1394 devices to form a loop.
IEEE 1394 devices can be bus powered or self powered. IEEE 1394 cables with four wires are not self-powered; IEEE 1394 cables with six wires are self-powered. Following are cross-sections and illustrations of IEEE 1394 four-pin (A/V device to A/V device) and six-pin (PC device to PC device) cables and connectors.
USB devices can be classified as bus-powered or self-powered devices depending on their source of power.
Bus-Powered Devices
USB cables have wires to carry both power and data as shown in this diagram of a USB cable.
Devices that receive power from their USB cable are called bus-powered devices. Bus-powered devices are classified as low-powered or high-powered devices depending on the amount of power they draw from the USB bus.
Device Type
Power Requirement (milliamps)
Low-powered
100 mA or less
High-powered
Between 100 and 500 mA
Self-Powered Devices
Devices that rely on their own power supply (in other words, you plug them into an AC outlet) are called self-powered devices. All devices that draw more than 500 mA of power are required to be self-powered.
You should know the following facts about USB power:
Like USB devices, USB hubs can be bus-powered or self-powered. You cannot connect high-powered devices to a bus-powered hub (you can only connect low-powered or self-powered devices to a bus-powered hub). Therefore, self-powered hubs that provide 500 mA per port are recommended to ensure an adequate power supply to all bus-powered devices that you may wish to connect to the hub.
Some USB devices have the option to be bus-powered or self-powered.
Allows 127 devices to be connected in a daisy-chain
Supports many kinds of devices (keyboards, mice, scanners, digital cameras, speakers, printers, and many others)
Supports Plug and Play (no configuration required except simply plugging in the device)
Supports hot swapping (adding and removing devices without rebooting--also known as hot plugging)
Can provide power to devices (up to certain limits)
Supports asynchronous and isochronous data transfers
OS must support USB
Plug-and-Play compliant
USB Versions
Version
Speed
Data Transfer Rate(megabits per second)
Maximum Cable Length (meters)
Example Devices
1
Low-speed
1.5 mbps
3 m
Keyboard, Mouse
Full-speed
12 mbps
5 m
Printer, Scanner
2
High-speed
480 mbps
5 m
Hard Drive, Digital Video
Note: Version 2 is backwards compatible with version 1 devices.
USB Compatible Operating Systems
For USB to function, the computer's BIOS must be USB-compatible and configured to USB Enabled. A computer's operating system must also support USB before you can use USB devices on a computer. The following table summarizes USB support provided by Windows operating systems.
Operating System
Supports USB?
Windows 95 (retail version)
No
Windows 95 (OEM version, service release 2 and earlier)
No
Windows 95 (OEM version, service release 2.1)
Yes
Windows 98
Yes
Windows ME
Yes
Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 4 and earlier
No
Windows 2000
Yes
Windows XP
Yes
USB Configuration
Type A USB Connector Type B USB Connector
You can connect a USB device to a computer in two ways:
Directly to a USB port on a computer (it is common for a computer to have two USB ports)
To an external USB hub
To install a USB device:
Check USB Host Controller status in Device Manager.
If the USB Host Controller isn't present in Device Manager, install it using the Add/Remove Hardware Control Panel applet.
If you cannot install the controller, make sure USB support is enabled in the BIOS.
Plug in the USB device (you may need to restart the computer).
The Add New Hardware wizard should launch and load the drivers.
If the wizard doesn't launch automatically, install the drivers manually through the Control Panel.
IDC/UDC (IBM-type Data Connectors or Universal Data Connectors) Hermaphroditic Connector
Token Ring network
Parallel and Serial Facts
You should know the following facts about serial and parallel devices:
Serial
Data can be transferred greater distances using serial communication techniques.
The maximum length for an RS-232 serial cable is 50 feet.
Serial devices use COM ports for system resources. Remember that COM ports 1 and 3, and ports 2 and 4 are shared. If you install a serial device on both COM 1 and COM 3, the devices might cause a resource sharing problem.
Parallel
The older IBM Printer cable and the newer IEEE 1284 bi-directional printer cable are commonly sold today.
The old IBM printer cable is unidirectional from the PC to the printer and has a 25-pin male DB25 connector at one end and a 36-conductor male Centronics connector at the other end.
IEEE 1284 cables are the most common parallel printer cables.
The cables look physically similar to the older parallel port printer cables and use the same types of connectors. However, various cable configurations with different connector genders exist in the IEEE 1284 standard.
The maximum specified length of a IEEE 1284 cable is 10 meters (approx. 30 feet).
Data can be transferred at up to 2 MB/s with an IEEE 1284 cable.
Parallel devices use LPT ports for resources.
Parallel communication uses one of the following standards:
Communication Standard
Description
Standard Parallel Port (SPP)
Original parallel port standard.
Transfers data in a single direction (away from the computer).
50 to 150 kilobytes per second.
Cables should be less than 10 feet in length.
Bi-directional Parallel Port
Standard parallel port that can transfer data in two directions.
Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP)
500 kilobytes per second to 2 megabytes per second.
Extended Capabilities Port (ECP)
Requires an ECP chip on the system board.
This standard is especially good for achieving high data rates for input rather than output.
Supports DMA
Keyboard Port and Connector Types
Device
Port/Connector
Location
XT and AT motherboards
Male 5-pin DIN
Keyboard cable
Female 5-pin DIN
Computer (keyboard port)
ATX motherboards
Male 6-pin Mini-DIN
Keyboard cable
Female 6-pin Mini-DIN
Computer (keyboard port)
Mouse Port and Connector Types
Device
Port/Connector
Location
PS/2-Style Mouse
Male 6-pin Mini-DIN
Cable
Female 6-pin Mini-DIN
Computer (mouse port)
Serial Mouse
Female DB-9
Cable
Male DB-9
Serial Port
You should also know the following facts about keyboard and mice connectors:
A keyboard with a 5-pin DIN connector is sometimes called an AT keyboard, because it attaches to a computer with an AT motherboard.
A keyboard that attaches to an ATX motherboard is sometimes called a PS/2 keyboard because it has a PS/2 connector.
Many keyboards now use USB connectors to attach to the computer.
