Multicommunication protocol controller

• US 4,787,028 A
• Filed: 09/03/1985
• Issued: 11/22/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Girard, Donald J., Finfrock, Don C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Eddie P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Viet Q.
• Application Number:
  US06/772,225
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 364/300, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 710/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A data processing system which includes a host processor and a plurality of remote processing devices which are coupled to a common communication channel. The system also includes a look-up table storing the sets of instructions for a plurality of communication protocols for use with the remote processing device and a controller associated with one of the remote processing devices. A selectively actuated switch member located in the controller provides an address for the controller. During a power-up operation, the controller address is transmitted to the host processor for use in addressing the look-up table to obtain the communication protocol for the controller. This information is then loaded into the controller for controlling the transfer of data between the host processor and the remote processing device.

Claims

1. A data processing system for transmitting data between a host processor and a plurality of remote processing devices including:

a communication channel coupled between said host processor and each of the remote processing devices;

storage means coupled to said host processor for storing a plurality of sets of program instructions wherein each set controls the transmission of data between the host processor and one of said remote processing devices over said communication channel using a different communication protocol;

controller means mounted in each of the remote processing devices and coupled to said communication channel for controlling the transmission of data between the host processor and one of said remote processing devices;

manually settable switch means coupled to said controller means and manually settable during different periods of operation of the remote processing devices to one of a plurality of selected positions in which each selected position generates a different address data identifying the controller means; and

processing means coupled to said controller means enabling said controller means to transmit the address data to said host processor whereby the host processor, using the address data as an address, will retrieve one of the sets of program instructions from the storage means and transmit the set of program instructions to the controller means for enabling the controller means to control the transmission of data between the host processor and the remote processing device in accordance with the program instructions.

2. The data processing system of claim 1 in which the identifying data comprises a plurality of binary signals.

3. The data processing system of claim 2 in which the identifying data comprises a four-bit binary word.

4. The data processing system of claim 3 in which the switching member comprises sixteen position hexadecimal rotary switch member.

5. The data processing system of claim 4 in which the rotary switch member is set to a position identifying the controller means.

6. The data processing system of claim 1 in which said storage means comprises a look-up table for storing a plurality of program instructions associated with a communication protocol which controls the transmission of data over said communication channel between the host processor and one of said remote processing devices through its associated controller means.

7. A data processing system for transmitting data between a host processing device and one of a plurality of remote terminal devices comprising:

a communication channel coupled between said host processing device and each of said remote terminal devices;

a look-up table coupled to said host processing device for storing a plurality of sets of program instructions, each set controlling the transmission of data between one of said remote terminal devices and said host processing device in accordance with a different communication protocol;

a controller mounted in each of said terminal devices and coupled to said communication channel for controlling the transmission of data between said one of said remote terminal devices and said host processing device over said communication channel, said controller including a processing member; and

a manually operated hexadecimal rotary switch member mounted in said controller and coupled to said processing member, said switch member settable to one of a plurality of positions in which each position will output a plurality of different binary signals to said processing means for identifying the controller whereby said processing member transmits over the communication channel the identifying binary signals to said host processing device enabling the host processing device, using the identifying binary signals as an address, to retrieve from said look-up table a set of program instructions controlling the transmission of data between the host processing device and the remote processing terminal controlled by said controller, said host processing device transmitting the set of program instructions to said controller enabling the controller to control the transmission of data between the host processor and said one of said remote terminal devices.

8. A method for establishing the communication protocol for a data processing system which includes a host processor and a plurality of remote terminal devices comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of sets of program instructions in a look-up memory in which each set of instructions represents a different communication protocol which controls the transmission of data between the host processor and a remote terminal device;

manually setting a hexadecimal rotary switching member mounted on a remote terminal device to one of a plurality of positions enabling the switching member to generate a plurality of binary signals representing the address of the selected remote terminal device in the data processing system;

addressing the look-up memory using the binary signals generated as an address to retrieve a predetermined set of program instructions representing a communication protocol from the memory for use by the selected remote terminal device; and

transmitting the selected predetermined set of program instructions to the remote terminal device for controlling the transfer of data betwen the host processor and the selected remote terminal device.