A Programmable Protocol Controller Using the Motorola 68030

The main purpose of this investigation is to explore the feasibility of using an advanced microprocessor and some general purpose shift logic to provide a programmable protocol controller. A data communication protocol is a set of predefined rules that determine how to interpret a sequence of binary digits on a digital data-link so that information is transferred between two points. The protocol controller is part of a larger data communications interface. The protocol controller handles the supervisory link functions and translates binary data stored in memory into digital bit streams on the data-links. For this study, the data communications interface discussed is assumed to be a peripheral connected to a node on a packet-switch to communicate with other switches or with data terminal equipment using standard digital data communication protocols.