Simplex synchronous protocol analyzer

• Main Authors: Momongan, Cheryl, Paggabao, Edilberto, Pontillas, Dennis, Redondo, Jacob Abraham, Tensuan, Joselito
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1993
• Subjects: Electronic analog computers; Signal processing > Digital techniques; Data transmission systems; Computer network protocols; Digital communications; x4 Protocols, Computer network; xx1 Analog electronic systems; Databases and Information Systems
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/7186
• Institution: De La Salle University

Business transactions (i.e., bank transactions), nowadays, depend more on data communication, thus, network performance and reliability become crucial areas of concern. Whether a single vendor or multi-vendor network is used, it is in the best interest of the network user to provide their own testing capability. If network downtime is to be minimized, the user must be able to quickly isolate the fault, independent of the vendor. This study deals with one such testing equipment, the Protocol Analyzer.The design was based on the existing product, the Protocol Analyzer made by Hewlett-Packard which is very sophisticated and expensive. Among the many functions of the existing product, the group decided to consider only the most used function which is to monitor the captured information transmitted between various devices. Again, at this stage, our prototype is only capable of monitoring devices with digital outputs. With the Simplex Synchronous Protocol Analyzer, we can utilize the main function of the protocol analyzer at a lesser cost.The group has chosen an 80286 PC as the hardware platform of the analyzer. The designation PC-based indicates that the analyzer is based upon a PC or compatible platform contains a PC or compatible processor and user interface. As a result, analyzers built on the PC platform can still be used for other applications, such as word processing or spreadsheets, when the analyzer is not used for network analysis. Since there was no chance for the group to tap the analyzer to an existing network, a null modem set-up is utilized to test the working condition of the device (direct PC to PC connection).In order for the PC to work as an analyzer, an interface card designed by the group was made to support synchronous protocols such as Binary Synchronous Control (BSC), Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC) and High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC). With the help of the software, the two PC's are made to talk to each other according to their specified protocol format.