Review
It's difficult to categorize
FireWire System Architecture: IEEE 1394. It's not quite technical enough to serve as a replacement for the official IEEE 1394 specification, yet it's definitely not written for laymen. My impression is that
FireWire System Architecture: IEEE 1394 was intended to replace the IEEE 1394 specification, but it doesn't ever quite get there. The purpose of a book such as this one should be, in my opinion, to supplement the official specification: To explain the parts of the specification that are ambiguous and to supply real-world technical examples of each major IEEE 1394 feature. This book doesn't do either of these things.
That said, however, the book on its own terms is well written and technically accurate. The IEEE 1394 technical details are covered well, and the diagrams are quite nicely rendered. The chapter entitled "Example 1394 Chip Solutions" (written by Texas Instruments, arguably the IEEE 1394 technology leaders) was a nice touch, and showed IEEE 1394 hardware examples, although I didn't think it was anywhere near long enough.
As an engineer who works daily with IEEE 1394 technology, I didn't really find anything in this book that I didn't find in the official specification, and I can't imagine that anyone interested enough in IEEE 1394 to buy this book wouldn't have the official IEEE 1394 specification at hand. For example, one of the most misunderstood areas of 1394 node management is the Configuration ROM and I expected to find some examples of properly formatted Configuration ROM data; however, it wasn't included. Another thing that was lacking was a detailed bibliography or detailed reference listing, which is essential in such books.
I also didn't think the title was appropriate. FireWireTM is a registered trademark of Apple Computer and virtually all companies developing IEEE 1394 products (such as Sony, Texas Instruments, Symbios Logic, Adaptec, Fujitsu, etc.) avoid the name FireWire like the plague. Sony, for example, has coined its own term -- I Link. The title should have been IEEE 1394 System Architecture instead, but I'm sure the publisher thought that FireWire was more catchy.
My criticisms notwithstanding, the book reads well, and is a good value at $34.95. Depending on the depth of your interest in IEEE 1394 technology, the book can certainly be worth having in your library. -- Thomas "Rick" Tewell, Dr. Dobb's Journal -- Dr. Dobb's Journal
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Praise for the first edition:
"Finally, a book on IEEE 1394 that's easy to understand!!! MindShare's FireWire System Architecture: IEEE 1394 provides a consolidated learning tool for 1394 hardware and software, and confirms the statement, '1394's for the fun stuff....'"
-Phil Roden, 1394 Digital Design Manager, Texas Instruments
The FireWire (IEEE 1394a) standard for high-speed serial bus communications has come to the fore as an important technology supporting today's emerging data-intensive applications.
FireWire System Architecture provides an in-depth description of the IEEE 1394a cable environment, based on the 2.0 version of the 1394a standard. Comprehensive, concise, and well-organized, this book details the specification itself and presents the architecture, features, and operations of systems developed with the FireWire bus. Completely up-to-date, this new edition covers all of the changes incorporated into the 2.0 standard, such as arbitration enhancements, improvements in bus reset timing, new PHY register definition, and port interface enhancements to support suspend/resume and port disable. In addition, it provides in-depth information on suspend/resume operation, power distribution, and power management.
FireWire System Architecture describes the various hardware and software layers that make up the FireWire serial bus and provides transaction examples to explain and illustrate the relationship between each layer.
It explores such essential topics as:
The communications model
Asynchronous and isochronous transactions
Cables and connectors
The electrical interface
Asynchronous and isochronous arbitration, including such enhancements as fly-by arbitration, acceleration control, and priority arbitration service
Packets, including the PHY packet format
Serial bus configuration and management
Control and status registers (CSRs)
Configuration ROM
Power management
Numerous sample implementations throughout the book demonstrates how theory is put to use in real-world applications. This combination of comprehensive reference, readable explanation, and examples make this guide indispensable for anyone who works with the IEEE 1394a technology.
The PC System Architecture Series is a crisply written and comprehensive set of guides to the most important PC hardware standards. Each title is designed to illustrate the relationship between the software and hardware, and thoroughly explains the architecture, features, and operation of systems built using one particular type of chip or hardware specification.
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by Don Anderson; MindShare
by Mike Jackson
