Processor-processor dialogue through existing input-output channels

Abstract

The multitude of computer input-output devices currently marketed, and their decreasing cost, often raises problems of transfer of information between different media. These are aggravated by the ready availability of low-cost processing power in the form of mini- and micro-computers, which encourage the development of many separate computer configurations, each with their own input-output facilities. Processor-processor links using existing input-output channels constitute a cheap and simple way of overcoming these incompatibilities. This paper discusses the software and hardware technology for handling such links, placing emphasis on simple, easily-implementable protocols and hardware rather than on maximum bandwidth utilisation and automatic error correction.