PPP, Point-to-Point Protocol, is a Datalink implementation of SLIP. PPP was designed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to improve on SLIP. PPP provides dynamic IP addressing, password support, error checking, and multiple protocols on the same link. At the Physical layer, PPP uses the same point to point-to-point connectivity as SLIP. In addition, it provides physical addressing and error checking at the Datalink layer. PPP and SLIP are futher enhanced with the introduction of IP.
Based on NEC's popular V850 microcontroller, the V850 NetChip networking solutions allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to easily connect products to the Internet via local area network (LAN) or modem over standard phone line (PSTN). Jointly developed with Innovada, an embedded communications solutions provider, the V850 NetChip module includes the hardware and software required to develop products that can access the Internet, transfer data, and send and receive e-mail. The modules are ideal for applications such as utility meters; motor control; building automation, including fire and security, heating and air conditioning; and vending machines.
"The demand for Internet connectivity has rapidly expanded beyond traditional Internet appliances to include a broad range of industrial electronic systems," said Steve Ikei, senior engineering manager at NEC Electronics Inc. "Through our joint development efforts with Innovada, which provides the Internet connectivity elements of the design, we are able to provide a cost-effective network solution for our V850 microcontroller customers. In offering a complete hardware/software module, we've taken the guesswork out of Internet access, enabling our customers to simplify their design flow and speed their time to market."
"NEC's V850 microcontroller architecture offers an ideal platform for a low-cost Internet access module," said Irving Gold, vice president of sales and marketing at Innovada. "We have unleashed the power of the V850 RISC controller and developed, together with NEC Electronics, a one-stop-shopping platform that designers can adopt without the need to negotiate additional licensing fees or royalties. Using the V850 NetChip module, our mutual customers can connect practically any product to the Internet without any additional design effort."
NEC Electronics and Innovada have developed two V850 NetChip modules: an Ethernet LAN module and a modem module for dial-up. Both V850 NetChip modules have the same industry-standard form factor, removing any network dependency from the host system. Each module is controlled using a simple serial interface, configurable up to 115 kilobits per second (Kbps), making it an easy addition to most electronic products, even for designers without specialized Internet connectivity design knowledge.
The V850 NetChip LAN module provides 10/100 Base-T Internet serial-to-LAN connectivity with built-in transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) stacks. The modem module provides dial-up connectivity up to 14,400 bps or V.21, V.22, V.22bis V.32 and V.32bis with V.42 error correction. The module also offers a software data pump and data access arrangement (DAA), as well as embedded peripherals such as an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and pulse-width modulator (PWM), that normally must be designed with expensive external hardware components. The modules are suitable for connection across a variety of Internet protocols including:
Address resolution protocol (ARP) and dynamic host control protocol (DHCP) for LAN management
Point-to-point protocol (PPP), including link control protocol (LCP); and Internet protocol control protocol (IPCP) with password authentication protocol (PAP) or challenge handshake authentication protocol (CHAP) authentication for dial-up
IP and Internet control message protocol (ICMP) for the network layer
User datagram protocol (UDP) and transmission control protocol (TCP) for application support
Telnet for serial-to-Internet conversion; simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) and post office protocol 3 (POP3) for e-mail
HTTP for Web page and Java applet support.