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For the past several months, we have been telling you about our
new Cyclone Serial Expansion Units.
The core of this innovative board is the next-generation 16C654
UART chip. We call it an Intelligent UART. GTEK has been
using this technology since it became available.
What is the main advantage of the larger FIFO buffers?
What is Vertical Addressing and how do I use it?
What IRQ selections are available?
What does the built-in power supply on the Cyclone do?
What is the maximum data throughput?
I am using WindowsNT (or Windows95). Is installation easy?
What is the maximum number of ports I can install?
In what applications will you find GTEK multiport serial boards being used?
Intelligent UART is what we call the latest UART technology. The 16C654 UART has enhanced features over the 16C550 UART chip. GTEK was the first to use these next-generation UART chips. Enhanced features include:
What is the main advantage of the larger FIFO buffers?
The 16C654 is designed to work with high speed modems and shared network environments that require fast processing time. By increasing the number of characters in the FIFO, networking units can handle more data within the same time as smaller buffers. This will give additional time for the CPU to process other applications and reduce the interrupt servicing time.
What is Vertical Addressing and how do I use it?
In order to configure the Cyclone Serial Expansion Board correctly, you need to determine which base address has enough available I/O space to support it. The Cyclone is supported by 2 horizontal addressing modes and 6 vertical addressing modes. Vertical addressing is preferred for 16 or more ports because the chance of creating conflicts with other types of hardware is less likely.
Each port on the Cyclone is controlled by a UART chip, occupying 8 contiguous bytes of I/O space. Therefore, since the Cyclone16 has 16 UARTS, it requires 128 bytes of contiguous I/O addressing space. For this reason, it is preferable to use one of the vertical addressing modes, to avoid conflicts with other hardware devices. Improper selection of an appropriate base address will not only cause some of the ports to not work properly, but may also cause conflicts with other devices.
What IRQ selections are available?
Cyclone Serial Expansion Units requires only a single IRQ for up to 32 ports, and can be any one of the following: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 15.
What does the built-in power supply on the Cyclone do?
In addition to the low operating current of the 16C654 UART, GTEK has built in a -12 (volt) VDC power supply onto the interface board. This also takes the load off the host computer's -12V power supply. Other serial board manufacturers would have you purchase a separate power supply to make up for the drain their product places on the PC. With a built in power supply, there is no need to purchase an additional power supply.
What is the maximum data throughput?
Up to 460.8 Kbps transmit and receive on all ports (depending on hardware and software configuration). Meets the demands of the next generation V.34 modems, V.FAST and ISDN modems.
I am using WindowsNT (or Windows95). Is installation easy?
YES! We have improved our technical support by distributing the GTEK NT/95 Installation Program. It virtually takes care of the installation for you under WindowsNT and Windows95.
Linux users will appreciate the flexibility the Cyclone offers. A couple of command line instructions and the Cyclone is up and running. Even OS/2 is supported, using the widely distributed SIO. Our installation manual clearly outlines the steps and you should be up and running in short order.
NO! The second 16 ports are serviced by the same I/O board. All you have to do is rerun the setup program to define the other 16 ports.
What is the maximum number of ports I can install?
This is mainly limited by the number of slots available. Each slot can support up to 32 ports. As far as the operating system goes, Windows95 limits you to 128 ports, while WindowsNT supports 256 ports.
One must also consider the type of application when deciding how many ports to put on one computer. If there is a lot of high speed communications on each port, then it would probably not be advisable to go beyond, say 96 ports per computer. This depends on the efficiency of the application software that is driving the ports. Some programs are designed to handle a lot of ports with a lot of traffic very efficiently. Some are not. For example, an ISP might use a fast PC with Linux as a portmaster for up to 64 - V.34 modems quite nicely.
In what applications will you find GTEK multiport serial boards being used?