Project Proposal for Integrated Control and Connection management

1
Project Proposal for Integrated Control and
Connection management

• Robby Gurdan and Richard Foss

2
Presentation Overview

• Motivation
• Protocol Overview
• Example system

3
Motivation

• Integrate control and connection management with
  a single protocol
• Full physical network independence
• Provide security via subnet access control
• Incorporate latency control
• A need for a distributed server-less system

4
Challenges

• Many incompatible network standards
• A range of devices to control with varying levels
  of complexity and capability
• Timing constraints with real time audio streaming
• Synchronization between multiple media stream
  types
• No global security standard for media and control
  data

5
Markets

• Installation market
• Live events
• MI / home studio
• offices
• residential
• telecommunication
• security related systems

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Benefits to the Industry and End User

• Full control and streaming interoperability
• Consistent user-device interaction
• Full system control is possible from small
  controllers
• Extensive parameter control is possible with
  limited messaging
• Full backward and forward compatibility
• Parameter learning capability

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XFN Protocol

• IP-based peer to peer network
• Each device will have an IP stack
• XFN protocol layer above IP stack
• A tree structured parameter hierarchy
• Hierarchy reflects structure of device, eg.
• Input section of mixing console
• Channel strip
• Parameter group
• Parameter type, eg gain
• Parameter value

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Parameter Groupings

• Groupings are natural to audio engineers
• Lowest level nodes
• Parameter values and formats
• Each parameter - a fixed number of groupings
• From parameter level
• Up to top-most tree grouping level

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Grouping level names

• SECBLK
• SECTYPE
• SECNR
• PARAMETER_BLOCK
• PAR_BLOCK_INDEX
• PAR_TYPE
• PAR_INDEX
• VALFT/VALUE

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Known Group Object IDs

• At each level
• Known group object IDs
• Each unique within the level
• Address of a particular parameter
• Constituted from seven group object IDs
• Group objects and IDs published in specification

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Gain Parameter in BBox

• SECBLK SCT_BLOCK_INPUT ID 01
• SECTYPE SCT_TYPE_ANALOG ID D4
• SECNR STREAMNUMBER ID 100001
• PARAMETER_BLOCK PRM_BLK_DGTL_AMP ID 11
• PAR_BLOCK_INDEX NUMBERENTRY ID 1
• PAR_TYPE GAIN ID 0201
• PAR_INDEX PAR_INDEX ID 1
• VALFT/VALUE 8 bit/0-255 00/0-255

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Isoch Channel Number

• SECBLK SCT_BLOCK_INPUT ID 01
• SECTYPE SCT_TYPE_1394 ID E1
• SECNR INTERFACENUMBER ID 0
• PARAMETER_BLOCK PRM_BLOCK_MULTICORE ID 11
• PAR_BLOCK_INDEX NUMBERENTRY ID 1
• PAR_TYPE IsochChannelNumber ID 201
• PAR_INDEX Dummy ID
• VALFT/VALUE 8 bit/0-255 00/0-255

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Tree Structure in each device
DEVICE
The nodes represent particular objects
relevant to the level on which they appear.
SECBLK
SECTYPE
SECNR
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . .
PARMBLOCK
PARMBLKINDEX
PARMTYPE
PARMINDEX
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Wild card IDs

• Wildcard ID may be used in place of
• An object ID
• On a particular level
• Selects all objects on next level of tree
• Allows for control of
• a large number of parameters
• with a single broadcast command

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Command Structure

• Each command comprises
• An operand (such as SET or GET)
• An operand modifier (such as VAL)
• A structured address comprising level IDs
• A format indicator and value

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Level Commands

• To trace through the tree structure
• Use Level commands
• For any node of a tree
• Return sub-nodes below the node
• Allows discovery of parameters
• Provide this address
• Return these nodes

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Parameter Index Values

• A device holds a parameter index value
• For each parameter it contains
• Controller can request index
• Via a get index command
• With an associated structure address
• Device provides index to controller
• Controller uses index instead of address

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Joins

• Parameters can be joined into groups
• Change one parameter of the group
• All other parameters of group change
• Joins can be
• Absolute or relative
• Unidirectional or bidirectional

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Join mechanism
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Modifiers

• Provide the capability to selectively modify one
  or more settings within a command
• Settings are modified at any level of command
• Command can be
• Directed at a parameter
• Emanating from a parameter

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Modifier Example
Modifier changes a command from a tactile
controller from channel -gt channel 2
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Across Bus Transmission?

• Currently the IEEE 1394.1 specification
• No implementations
• Problems
• Devices must be bridge aware
• All asynchronous packets are passed
• No control mechanisms (security)
• No re-bundling of packets

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IP and Media Stream Router
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Media Stream Routing

• Allows control over
• The receipt of isochronous multimedia streams
• Via a portal
• On same bus as transmitter
• The extraction of sequences and re-bundling of
  sequences
• For transmission over co-portal
• The configuration of transmitted isochronous
  streams

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Stream Re-Bundling
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IP Routing

• Creation of an IP address for each portal of the
  router
• Creation of an IP routing table each entry
• A subnet (corresponding to a bus)
• A subnet mask
• A router interface to send to
• IP address of gateway if address not on local bus

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IP Routing the mechanism

• All IP messages written to router portal
• Received by the firmware of the router
• Firmware views routing table
• Routes accordingly
• Routing table is set up
• Via on-device control or
• Via IP messages directed at router