IEEE 1394 Drivers
The Microsoft® Windows® CE IEEE 1394 implementation borrows largely from the Windows-based desktop platforms. For more information about the Windows-based desktop platform implementation, see a Windows-based desktop platform driver development kit (DDK).
This IEEE 1394 documentation assumes knowledge of topics such as memory descriptor lists MDLs and the Windows Driver Model (WDM). Windows CE WDM support is strictly for IEEE 1394 support and not for general driver development.
IEEE 1394 is a high performance serial bus. It uses a small thin serial cable and does not need any terminators or device identifiers. You can add or remove devices on this bus while the bus is active. There is support for multiple speeds. You can also freely daisy chain devices together allowing for branching for peer-to-peer connections.
There are two types of IEEE 1394 cables. One is 6-pin shielded cable with two pairs of pins for data transport and one pair for peripheral power. The other type is a 4-pin cable, it is similar to the 6-pin cable, but it lacks the power pins.
IEEE 1394 supports asynchronous and isochronous data transfer. The following table shows a comparison of these two types of data transfer.
| Data transfer type | Description |
|---|---|
| Asynchronous | For traditional memory-mapped, load and store applications, asynchronous transfer is appropriate and adequate. Asynchronous transfer provides guaranteed delivery and reliability is more important than timing. |
| Isochronous | Isochronous data transfer, on the other hand, provides guaranteed data transport at a pre-determined rate. This is especially important for multimedia applications where uninterrupted transport of time-critical data and just-in-time delivery reduce the need for costly buffering. |
IEEI 1394 also supports a peer-to-peer interface. For example, this allows recording from one camcorder to another without a desktop computer. It also allows multiple computers to share a peripheral without any special support in the peripheral or the desktop computers.
The following list shows the supported IEEE 1394 modules:
- IEEE 1394 AV/C VCR Subunit Drivers
- IEEE 1394 SBP-2 Drivers
- IEEE 1394 Streaming Filter Drivers
- IEEE 1394 Unit Filter Drivers
- IEEE 1394 Virtual VCR Drivers
Last updated on Tuesday, May 18, 2004
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