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IEEE 1394

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Overview IEEE 1394 describes a high speed bus which is mainly known as FireWire, offering bandwidth up to (theoretical) 3200 Mbit/sec.

FireWire is based on three specifications:

• IEEE 1394-1995: The original specification from 1995
• IEEE 1394a: Adding clarifications to the specification from 1995
• IEEE 1394b: A compatible specification for running the bus up to 3200 Mbit/sec.

The first two versions define a maximum speed of 400 Mbit/sec, the B version up to 3200 Mbit/sec, but currently (2004) existing hardware implement 800 Mbit/sec top speed and 400 Mbit/sec devices are still common.

Note: The 1394 specifications are an extension for the FireWire specific things to the more general specification ISO/IEC 13213 (ASNI/IEEE 1212), named "Information technology, Microprocessor systems, Control and Status Registers (CSR) Architecture for microcomputer buses", which defines common features for bus systems.

Key Features

• High Speeds: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 Mbit/sec
• Hot Pluggable & Plug and Play
• Transaction Types: Both Isonchronous (8000 Hz) and Asynchronous transfers
• Support for 63 Nodes per bus (addresses 0-62, Node address 63 is a broadcast address)
• Address space of 16 exabytes total: Up to 1024 bus systems can be connected and each node has 256TB address space (64 bit address = 10 bits BusId, 6 bits NodeId and 48 bits for NodeAddress)
• Peer to Peer transfer
• Cable power

Links

• 1394 Trade Association 1394 TA
• Apple (Apple holds the trademark on the term "FireWire" as Apple began to work on it in mid 1980s)

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