ARM system-on-chip architecture, 2nd edition

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protocols rather than for writing applications. That is, socketsbased programming is not included in the book. Given the close relation of the example projects to the particular simulator, the accompanyingCD-ROM includesversions of NW that run on Linux, Window,s and Solaris, while other systems can be supported by porting the source code (included as well). Of the suggested projects, a few introductory ones concern installingNW and trying an example topology. The really interesting parts start with data link protocols where bit stuffing, CRC, and ARQ protocols are presented along with a corresponding project for each. MAC protocols are represented by two chapters and an equal number of projects, one on Ethernet and one on token rings. Similarly, two chapters and two projects are related to the network layer, one dealing with shortest path calculation and one with link state updates. The transport layer includes only one project: naturally, building a reliable end-to-end protocol. The pleasant surprise is the inclusion of a project in multicasting,which boilsdownto theconstruction processof amulticast tree. The application layer chapter is accompanied by a list server project. Finally, a packet filtering project represents the security section. The appendices include a glossary, instructions for installing and using NW, and the NW header files.

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ARM System-on-ChipArchitecture, 2nd Edition Steve Furber, 2000, Addison-Wesley, 0-201475 194,419 pages, softcover

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The ideas behind the Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) have influenced the architecture of several processors, including that of ARM processors. ARM processors attempt to achieve

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improved code density over other RISC processors, an area where RISC architectures lag behind CISG architectures.In the age of mobile computing devices, less space, less memory, and simpler architecture are strong selling points. The ARM architecture is at the center of power-efficient computing. ARM processorcores are found today in cell phones, palmtops,and numerous other embedded devices. Steve Furber’s book covers the architecture, instruction set, assembly programming, and support mechanisms for high-level languages and building operating systems. However, several chapters of the book are devoted to the particular features of the ARM architecture and how they can be exploited. One such characteristic of ARM processors is the so-calledThumb instructionset, the specificinstructionset “compression” approach that gives ARM an edge over other RISC architectures.Thumbinstructionsare 16bits long.The result is a40percent faster code compared to plain ARM code and, even more important, a 30 percent less external memory power compared toplain ARMcode. TheThumbinstructionset isexplainedindetail, both at the architectural and at the coding level. Next, the particular ways of integrating ARM processors and peripherals are described, explaining the signal processing support one is likely to find in ARM applicationsrunning on mobile telephone handsets. Another property of ARM processors is that they are encountered as processor cores (the instruction fetching and execution mechanism) which can be used for integrating whatever components are necessary to produce the final “system on a chip.” The book covers the following ARM processor cores: ARM7TDM1, ARM& ARM9TDM1, and ARMlOTDMI. CPU cores also exist wherebyprocessorcores are combinedwithcachememory and memory management hardware to form a fairly self-containedCPU. The book covers the CPU cores: ARM710T, ARM720T, ARM740T, ARM810, StrongARM, ARM920T, ARM940T, ARM946E-S, ARM966E-S, and ARM1020E. A chapter is devoted to embedded ARM applications,the VLSI TechnologyInc. Ruby I1Advanced CommunicationsProcessor, and the ISDN SubscriberProcessor by the same company,OneC‘sVWS22100GSMchip, Ericsson-VLSI’s Bluetooth Baseband Controller, the ARM7500 and ARM7500FE single-chip computers (including audio and video controllers), and the SA1000 handheld application system in a chip. The final chapter presents AMULET, a fully asynchronous (and even less power-consuming)implementation of the A R M architecture developed at the University of Manchester.

The Wireless Application Protocol Steve Mann and Scott Sbihli, 2000, John Wiley & Sons, 0-47139992-2, 2 10 pages, softcover

The Wireless Application Protocol is in fact a set of protocols forming a protocol stack currently in the early stages of its use as the communication protocol in low-cost low-power mobile devices. The intended audience is nonexpert and general, maybe even new to networking. For this reason, some introductory material is provided to illustrate the technical aspects of wireless communications, describing, among other things, the existing infrastructure and the trend of integrating all kinds ofdeviceswith theInternet. Oneofthemainobjectivesofthe book is to convince the reader of the business case supporting WAP, and the strategies by which corporations may espouse it. Moreover, the general architecture of WAP-based servicesis presented, pointingout the need for the different softwarecomponents (from microbrowsers to WAP gateways). Half of the book is a high-level description of the protocols involved in WAP, with numerous references to example applications, actual devices, and software components. The second half is essentially the WML standard. WLM is a markup language,related to HTML and XML, but with the specific intent of being efficient and generally tuned to the capabilitiesof mobile devices.Unfortunately, the book

IEEE Network

NovemberDeccmber 2000