Fundamentals Of Firewire

Introduction FireWire, a hardware and software standard for transporting data, is described in this paper. The questions what FireWire is, how it works, what areas it is working in and the difference between it and USB will hopefully be answered here. FireWire, or its original name IEEE 1394, is a protocol for high-speed communications between peers. There are three existing protocols 1394, 1394a and 1394b, and one on the way 1394c.

Origins of Firewire

The cross-platform implementation of the high-speed data bus that can move large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices, FireWire was originally developed by Apple Computer Inc. in 1986. The goal with the development was to find a cheap bus which could transfer digital sound. The existing solution at Apple could at this time not handle this. But to make the market more interested Apple realized the bus had to be able to handle more than just transferring digital sound fast. So the goal with the development became a bus that was very fast, easy to use and cheap to implement at the same time as it should be able to replace most other port in a PC (Personal Computer). The first specification for this link was completed in 1987 and in 1990 a prototype of the FireWire-bus was ready. In this prototype the signals was sent over optic fiber a solution that was replaced by a copper cable to make the bus cheaper. At this point a group consisting of representatives from Apple, Texas Instruments, Stewart Connector, Molex, Adaptec and Western Digital within IEEE was founded to start the standardization of FireWire. In 1992 IBM affiliated to the group and the work of the group increased. The real interest for Maharishi Arvind Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jaipur Page 1

FireWire arrived when Apple demonstrated it at a show in Las Vegas in 1993. A year later in 1994 the “1394 Trade Association” was founded, an organization to facilitate the development of FireWire products In 1995 the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers adopted FireWire as an industry standard. The FireWire technology was at that point named “IEEE 1394- 1995 Standard for a High Performance Serial Bus”. PC developers as NEC, Compaq and Sony was slower but did as well implement the IEEE 1394 technology in their computers. But the name FireWire is Apples name for the technology and there are other names for the technology as well, for example Sony’s i.Link A new version of IEEE 1394, IEEE 1394a was developed in 2000. It includes specifications for 100, 200 and 400 Mbps transfer speed, cable power, hot plugging, plug-and-play and isochronous data mediation. IEEE 1394a supports a cable length up to 60 meters. The third version of IEEE 1394, IEEE 1394b came to the market in early 2003 and supports a cable length up to 100 meters and a speed of 800, 1 600 and 3 200 Mbps. Now days Apple Computer Inc. has agreed for others to use the name FireWire, so this name is now widely spread as the name of the technology

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FUNDAMENTALS OF FIREWIR

The IEEE 1394 protocol (or Firewire, which is Apple’s trademarked term) is one of the emerging bus protocols that will be important components of the connected future. Here’s how it works. People are sharing video, still images, and audio, and are constantly searching for faster, easier ways of transferring such information. This phenomenon is driving the convergence of computers, consumer equipment, and communications. Communication is the force that draws these separate market segments together. Convergence will happen when seamless, high-speed communication becomes readily available. The IEEE 1394 protocol appears to be a strong contender for the communications channel that will make this happen. The IEEE 1394-1995 protocol had its genesis at Apple Computer, which still retains the Firewire trademark. The goal of the protocol is to provide easy-to-use, low-cost, high-speed communications. The protocol is also very scaleable,

provides

for both asynchronous and isochronous

applications, allows for access to vast amounts of memory mapped address space, and—perhaps most important for the aforementioned convergence—allows peer-to-peer communication. Maharishi Arvind Institute of Engineeringfor andthe Technology, Jaipur Some people see 1394 and USB as competitors communications Page 3

FIREWIRE

HI-SPEED USB •

Speed

• •

400Mbps (FireWire 400) 800Mbps (FireWire 800)

•

In practice, however, it comes out ahead of USB most of the time.

• •

Peer-to-peer technology A FireWire digital camcorder can transfer video and audio data to another FireWire device - such as a digital VCR without the need of a computer

Architecture

Availability

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Multiple computers can be networked or share a peripheral without special support - such as software drivers - in the computer or device

•

Historically, FireWire was the technology of choice for digital video gadgets like camcorders, but it's now making gains in other consumer electronics Recommended for digital video tasks such as DVD players and writers

•

•

•

Theoretically, faster than FireWire 400 (but not 800) Designed to handle up to 480Mbps

•

But USB uses more of your computer's CPU resources than FireWire so once you start using your computer for other tasks, fewer resources are available to run your USB device, and the slower it works

•

Uses a computer to control the transfer of data to and from the gadget

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You can't yet directly connect USB devices to each other and you can't use USB without a computer

•

USB models exist for all types of peripherals, especially lowerbandwidth devices, such as keyboards, mouses, hard drives and portable drives (USB keys)

Manufacturers also are supporting it for other devices,

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such as webcams, scanners, external hard drives, optical drives, digital TVs, gaming consoles and audio equipment •

•

FireWire 800 is compatible with older, FireWire 400 devices

• •

Compatibility •

•

Costs •

You'll only get faster speed of 800 is you use a compatible FireWire 800 device

FireWire requires a special inbuilt chip in the device so it's more expensive to build into products

USB 2.0 is compatible with its older counterparts, USB 1.0 and USB 1.1 It uses the same cables and connectors as USB 1.1 The problem is that the two devices won't communicate at the faster speed

•

You'll only achieve the speed benefits of Hi-Speed USB gadgets when they're plugged into a USB 2.0 port

•

Some USB-enabled devices are slightly cheaper than FireWire gadgets

Many manufacturers absorb the extra costs

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CONCLUSION Apple’s attempt to be a standard bearer on peripheral interconnection technologies has hit a significant speed bump with FireWire 800. For FireWire 800 to have been broadly successful, it should have been promoted as a consumer technology, not as a professional technology. This would have spread costs over many more platforms, and would have allowed FireWire 800 a great chance to become ubiquitous. This did not happen, and FireWire 800 is used (and will continue to be used) mostly by professionals as a result. Users have missed out on the benefits of FireWire 800, which include speed and durability. The alternatives are making a push for market share, and are having some success. NAS has great potential; but will have to work through some huge implementation issues. SATA is a hot technology and is on the upswing. Those who promote SATA correctly perceive that high speed interconnection technologies are best created and promoted as broad consumer technologies. This has lead to the promise of nearly immediate 3Ghz transfer rates at low costs. SATA will have a profound impact in the marketplace, affecting the competitive landscape across Windows and Macintosh platforms. The world is changing and consumers will benefit. Apple’s role as a storage standard bearer has been diminished because of errors in the FireWire 800 rollout. While professionals and high end consumers will continue to acquire and use FireWire 800 for a long period of time, purchasing decisions will move in other directions, starting in 2005. FireWire 400 will continue to retain market share. USB2 will be popular among cost conscious consumers. NAS will offer benefits for some, but SATA will be the biggest winner, because of its low costs and high performance. FireWire 800 is a great technology which was not supported by great planning or great marketing. It succeeded in its mission to provide a technically superior alternative to FireWire 400, but failed to gain prominence in the market. Due to a variety of errors and miscalculations in how it was marketed, it has not been a cost effective choice for consumers. It will continue to have a role of prominence for professionals, because it does work extremely well, but will be threatened by SATA and other emerging storage technologies.

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References [1]

ANDERSSON, P. Överföring av digital video via FireWire. Master’s thesis, Linköpings Tekniska Högskola, Feb. 8, 2002. LITH-ISYEX3182-2002, available at http://www.diva-portal.org/diva/getDocument?urn_nbn_se_liu_diva-1009-1__fulltext.pdf. [2] APPLE COMPUTER, INC. Web site,Mar. 19, 2009. http://www.apple.com, date visited given. [3] DHIR, A., AND MOUSAVI, S. Home networking using new wires - IEEE 1394, USB and fast Ethernet technologies. White paper, Xilinx,Mar. 21, 2001. Available at http://direct.xilinx.com/bvdocs/whitepapers/wp134.pdf. [4] GOWAN, M. How it works: IEEE 1394. PC World (Dec. 20, 1999). Also available at http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,14371,00.asp. [5] HUFFMAN, G., AND MOORE, D. IEEE 1394: A ubiquitous bus. Web page, Mar. 1995. http://www.skipstone.com/compcon.html, original article presented at COMPCON ’95 in San Francisco, CA on March 5–9, 1995. [6] IKRAM, G. Firewire vs. USB: A simplified approach. Web page, Mar. 25, 2005. http://www.directron.com/firewirevsusba.html. [7] TEENER, M. J. IEEE 1394b: Faster, longer and simpler. Electronic News (2001). http://www.reed-electronics.com/electronicnews/index.asp?layout=article&articleId=CA91031

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