FarSync T2U-PMC

The FarSync T2U-PMC adapters offer a high quality PCI Mezzanine adapter solution for business, government and military applications. They have been developed to provide high performance, versatile synchronous connectivity for Linux and Windows systems using industrial quality components providing wide temperature range operation.

The products include low level drivers that allows access to the communications features available in the hardware. The adapter can optionally use the host’s standard TCP/IP protocol stack to allow access to IP based networks such as the Internet. The FarSync SDK provides a Developers Toolkit for the product.

The PMC adapters will support 2 synchronous ports at speeds of up to 10 Mbits/s. Two versions of the adapter are available – the FarSync T2U-PMC-R supporting rear I/O and the FarSync T2U-PMC-F supporting both rear and front I/O is also available. Both the front and rear I/O connectors can support RS232, X.21, RS530 (RS422 signalling), RS449 and V.35 network interfaces.

Adapter carriers allow PMC cards to work in a cPCI or a VME based chassis.

The product is supplied with a 5 year warranty.

The FarSync adapters install easily under Windows 10, 8.1, Windows Server 2019 and 2016 on single or multi-core 32 and 64 bit systems. The FarSync drivers are signed by Microsoft for easy installation. For use on earlier Windows versions contact FarSite.

This adapter can be accessed from customers, native Windows applications as well as those using third-party frameworks such as LabVIEW.

A FsWinAPI driver is installed with the optional installation of an NDIS (LAN) driver. LabVIEW applications can access this adapter. The FsWinAPI allows applications developed using the FarSync SDK to exactly control the type of data sent and received in bit synchronous (HDLC framed) data and transparent bitstream formats.

The FsWinAPI is an extension of the MS COMM API and enables, for example, applications developed to support COM ports, to be easily ported to use FarSync support in synchronous or asynchronous modes. This standardization enables the API to also be readily accessible from higher level environments such as .NET, C#, VB etc. The API provides applications with direct access to the card’s communications port/s for bit sync (HDLC) framing, transparent bitstream operation (video and voice type applications) and also asynchronous data with FarSync adapters that support async operation.

If the host TCP/IP stack is required to be used over the FarSync adapter to allow access to IP-based networks, such as the Internet, then contact us for more information.

The product is supplied with a comprehensive configuration utility and its own Line Monitor that allows the user to record, display and store line traffic with WAN protocol decoding for fast debugging.

FarSync adapters support Linux kernel versions 2.6.12 and onwards in 32 and 64 bit formats, including the leading distributions supplied by Red Hat, SuSE, CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Slackware and more.
FarSite is committed to supporting FarSync adapters on new versions of Linux and Linux kernels as they are released.

Installation is simple, the driver is dynamically loadable so a kernel rebuild is not required for the driver to be installed. The driver acts as a dynamically loadable module. The link level protocol can be PPP, Cisco HDLC or Frame Relay with optional authentication by CHAP, MSCHAP or PAP (RFC 1334) providing a standard point-to-point network interface. The driver is supplied with source code. The driver supports both big-endian and little-endian memory storage formats.

This adapter can be accessed from customers’ native Linux applications as well as those using third-party frameworks such as LabVIEW.

The Char I/O API provides a programming language independent, high-level interface to the FarSync base driver it supports access to bit synchronous (HDLC) framed, transparent bitstream and asynchronous data with FarSync adapters that support async operation.

A configuration utility is provided to set the line speed, interface type and protocol, after which the ports may be configured with standard networking tools.

If the host TCP/IP stack is required to be used over the FarSync adapter to allow access to IP-based networks, such as the Internet, then contact us for more information.

The FarSync SDK provides a Developers Toolkit with full documentation, useful utilities, such as a line monitor, and many sample applications for Linux and Windows. Free support from FarSite’s Engineering department is provided to customers purchasing the FarSync SDK who have technical questions using the API.

The SDK includes support for writing applications on both Linux and Windows and contains documentation, working sample applications, development and test utility applications. There is everything a user needs to rapidly develop and test a wide variety of applications such as specialist synchronous (HDLC framed) protocols or transparent bitstream data requirements including Audio, MPEG Video T-DMB and DAB ETI with bitstream encoder and decoder.

The FarSync SDK is ordered separately from the FarSync adapter.

Our Engineering department provides free email and telephone assistance to application developers using the API as part of the package provided when the FarSync SDK is purchased.

See details on the FarSync SDK Developers Toolkit and the APIs supported.

The FarSync cards are suitable for a very wide range of uses; some typical applications include:

• High speed multi-port HDLC framing support for non standard or specialist protocols
• Interfacing DAB ETI (Ensemble Transport Interface – ETSI EN 300 799) transparent bit streams to Servers
• Interfacing MPEG Video bit streams T-DMB ETI to Servers
• Interfacing high speed MPEG Video bit streams to Servers
• Watchdog systems
• Data generators for test systems
• Engineering monitoring and control systems
• Line connection card for LabVIEW applications
• Use of bitstreaming for the implementation of non standard or specialist protocols
• Multi purpose multi port communication card supplying a wide range of card generated clock speeds, FarSync T4Ee especially recommended for this function
• Manchester Encoding or Conditioned Diphase for long, reliable, high speed self clocking lines, FarSync Flex, FarSync T2Ee or FarSync T4Ee recommended for this requirement

The adapter comprises an AMD processor with no wait state SRAM. The whole memory space may be mapped via the PMC interface to the PC/Server. The PMC bus from the Server connects to the AMD processor contains a dual embedded HDLC / transparent controller with SDMA access (128 buffers per port) and a full range of timers.

Network Interfaces

The multi function line drivers available on all the ports support X.21 (V.11), V.35, RS232 (V.24, X.21bis), RS530 (EIA530, RS422) and RS449 network interfaces, all soft configurable and ESD protected from static charges.

The 2 synchronous ports which can run to speeds of up to 10 Mbits/s full duplex internally clocked and 10 Mbits/s externally clocked. Total bandwidth supported by the adapter is 40 Mbits/s. Line termination resistors are software selectable.

Terminal Timing

Terminal Timing is supported on the network interfaces to enable system-wide clock synchronisation.

Clock Generation

Internally generated clocks to drive a serial communications port can be derived from an on-board 8.192MHz clock (25ppm) and can be set to hundreds of different frequencies between 100 baud and 10 Mbits/s, 160 are preset, many other frequencies can be synthesized to order, contact us to discuss your requirements.

Multiple Cards

The drivers supplied with Windows and Linux allow large numbers of ports to be supported by the installation of multiple FarSync cards in a Server. Typically 12 or more cards (24+ ports) can be supported; the card limit is only dependent on the resources available in the host Server and the total bandwidth of the PCIe/PCI/PMC bus.

PMC Specification

The FarSync T2U-PMC (PCI Mezzanine card) cards are suitable for systems with a PMC connector, covering single processor and multi-processor systems. The adapter is 33/66Mhz PCI bus revision 2.2 compliant with support for both 3.3 and 5 volt signalling, the power for the adapter is taken from the 3.3 volt supply rail.

Cables

Cables can be supplied to connect to the Front I/O connector (FarSync T2U-PMC-F) to support RS232, X.21, RS422, RS530, RS449 and V.35 connections, see the order information for details on the last page. Cables are not supplied for the Rear I/O only version (FarSync T2U-PMC-R), full connection details on the IEEE 1386 connector for operation with RS232, X.21, RS422, RS530, RS449 and V.35 are supplied.

For Windows, configuration is by a GUI application. A typical screen is shown below.

The port can be reconfigured and restarted without reloading the software.

There is context sensitive help and an on-line manual should it be required. An advanced tab permits users to further specify the configuration of the port if necessary.

For Linux, a configuration utility is provided; alternatively text files can be used.

The software firmware, drivers, utilities are included with the FarSync adapter. Cables are ordered separately.

The software and documentation is downloaded from this website using a code supplied with the FarSync adapter, it includes:

• Drivers for Linux and Windows
• Source code for Linux drivers
• Network monitor and various useful utility programs

New releases of the software with enhancements and fixes are made available for free download from the Download page in the Support section of this web site.

The Developer’s Toolkit is ordered separately and supplied as a download