Handling Performance Report Messages in the DS2155

Introduction

This application note gives a detailed explanation on handling a Performance Report Message (PRM) in the DS2155 and how to transmit or receive a PRM as an HDLC message over a T1 Facilities Data Link (FDL).

The FDL is used to report alarms and performance data. The report is done by passing data or information outside the communication signal. Hence, the performance monitoring data or the maintenance information is gathered and passed along without interfering with the normal operation of the T1 line. The Performance Report Message (PRM) section in this application note defines the PRM as per the ANSI T1.403 standard and explains about mapping HDLC controllers to FDL to transmit and receive PRM using the registers of the DS2155. The Configuration of the HDLC Controllers section in this application note provides the configuration flowcharts for the HDLC engines for the transmit and receive paths.

The HDLC engine configuration described in this application note is specific to DS2155, but it can also be used to configure and initialize the HDLC engines of other devices such as the DS26514, DS26518, DS26521, DS26522, and DS26528 by mapping the registers of the DS2155 to that of these devices.

Performance Report Message (PRM)

The ANSI T1.403 format offers the transmission of a PRM that permits the actual performance to be compared with established thresholds and generate an alert if abnormal conditions are detected. ANSI T1.403 uses a 4kbps channel called FDL provided by the Extended Super Frame (ESF) framing format.

NOTES:
i = i_o - 3, slip = 1, all other parameters = 0, N(t) = 1
i = i_o - 2, severely-errored framing event = 1, all other parameters = 0, N(t) = 2
i = i_o - 1, CRC error events = 1, all other parameters = 0, N(t) = 3
i = i_o, CRC error events = 320, all other parameters = 0, N(t) = 0
i = i_o + 1, CRC error events = 0, all other parameters = 0, N(t) = 1
i = i_o + 2, CRC error events = 6, all other parameters =0, N(t) = 2
i = i_o + 3, CRC error events = 40, all other parameters =0, N(t) = 3

The receive HDLC controllers can be mapped to FDL by setting bit 6 of the HxRC register to 1.

The transmit HDLC controllers can be mapped to FDL by setting bit 4 of HxTC register to 1.

Configuration of the HDLC Controllers

This device has two enhanced HDLC controllers: HDLC #1 and HDLC #2. Each controller can be configured to use with time slots, Sa4 to Sa8 bits (E1 mode), or the FDL (T1 mode). Each HDLC controller has 128-byte buffers in the transmit and receive paths. The user can select any time slot or multiple time slots besides specific bits within the time slot to assign to the HDLC controllers when used with time slots.

The HDLC controller performs the entire necessary overhead for generating and receiving PRMs as described in ANSI T1.403 and the messages as described in AT&T TR54016. The HDLC controller can automatically generate and detect flags, calculate the CRC checksum, and abort sequences. It can also automatically stuff and destuff zeros and align bytes to the datastream. The 128-byte buffers in the HDLC controller are large enough to allow a full PRM to be received or transmitted without host intervention.

The user must not map both transmit HDLC controllers to the same Sa bits, time slots or, in T1 mode, map both controllers to the FDL. HDLC #1 and HDLC #2 are identical in operation and therefore the following operational description refers only to a singular controller.

The HxTC and HxRC registers perform the basic configuration of the HDLC controllers. Operating features such as CRC generation, zero stuffer, transmit and receive HDLC mapping options, and idle flags are selected here. These registers also reset the HDLC controllers. When receiving or transmitting HDLC messages, the user can choose it to be interrupt driven, or the user can poll the desired status registers or a combination of these can also be used. See the following flowcharts for example routines for using the HDLC receiver (Figure 1) and HDLC transceiver (Figure 2).