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Input/output network for computer system

  • US 4,941,089 A
  • Filed: 12/12/1986
  • Issued: 07/10/1990
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1986
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. In a local area network (LAN) comprising a communication medium commonly connecting a plurality of Nodes, LAN interface means at each Node for controlling access to the medium and communicating LAN packets between predetermined selected source and destination Nodes, each LAN data packet including a LAN data field and a LAN header field containing characters which control the interface means to achieve Node to Node communications in accordance with a predetermined LAN communication protocol;

  • and in combination therewith,a character I/O channel for communicating byte stream data and control administrative information in single IONET network level data packet messages from source to destination Devices connected at the Nodes, each Device including a device interface which connects to a device which is separate from the Device, the device being one of either an I/O device which conducts I/O data transfers or a computer device including a memory and a processor means and a program code for operating the computer device, said character I/O channel comprising;

    point of use (POU) means included in the Device and connected to the LAN interface means at each Node, the POU means connected to each I/O device including a microcomputer means including a memory and a program code for operating the microcomputer means;

    the program codes for the processor means and the microcomputer means defining a predetermined IONET communication protocol for communicating with Devices and their connected device interfaces and devices, the IONET communication protocol being separate from the LAN communication protocol;

    the POU means inserting characters in the data field of LAN data packets to form the IONET network level data packet messages which have an IONET header field and an administrative field and byte stream data field, the IONET header characters including a function code specifying one of a plurality of control functions, the administrative field characters including an administrative information code for use in accomplishing the specified control function to be performed by one of the Device or its device interface, the byte stream data characters originating from a device at the source Node; and

    the POU means of the destination Node directly interpreting the function code and the administrative information code characters (a) to establish a session between the source and destination Devices for communicating IONET data packet messages therebetween without acceptance of and interference from other IONET data packet messages for the duration of the session, and (b) to perform a corresponding control function on one of the destination Device or its device interface during the session, while (c) simultaneously transferring the byte stream data characters in unmodified form directly to the device connected to the device interface of the destination Device.

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