computer science

IEEE 1355

IEEE 1355 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IEEE 1355 rather than just read about it. In short: IEEE Standard 1355-1995, IEC 14575, or ISO 14575 is a data communications standard for Heterogeneous Interconnect (HIC). IEC 14575 is a low-cost, low latency, scalable serial interconnection system, originally intended for communication between large numbers of inexpensive computers.

Key takeaways

IEEE 1355 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IEEE 1355 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IEEE 1355 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IEEE Standard 1355-1995, IEC 14575, or ISO 14575 is a data communications standard for Heterogeneous Interconnect (HIC). IEC 14575 is a low-cost, low latency, scalable serial interconnection system, originally intended for communication between large numbers of inexpensive computers. IEC 14575 lacks a number of the complexities of other data networks. The standard defined several different types of transmission media (including wires and optic fiber), to address different applications. Since the high-level network logic is compatible, inexpensive electronic adapters are possible. IEEE 1355 is often used in scientific laboratories. Promoters include large laboratories, such as CERN, and scientific agencies. For example, the ESA advocates a derivative standard called SpaceWire.

Goals The protocol was designed for a simple, low cost switched network made of point-to-point links. This network sends variable length data packets reliably at high speed. It routes the packets using wormhole routing. Unlike Token Ring or other types of local area networks (LANs) with comparable specifications, IEEE 1355 scales beyond a thousand nodes without requiring higher transmission speeds. The network is designed to carry traffic from other types of networks, notably Internet Protocol and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), but does not depend on other protocols for data transfers or switching. In this, it resembles Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). IEEE 1355 had goals like Futurebus and its derivatives Scalable Coherent Interface (SCI), and InfiniBand. The packet routing system of IEEE 1355 is also similar to VPLS, and uses a packet labeling scheme similar to MPLS. IEEE 1355 achieves its design goals with relatively simple digital electronics and very little software. This simplicity is valued by a number of engineers and scientists. Paul Walker (see links ) said that when implemented in an FPGA, the standard takes about a third the hardware resources of a UART (a standard serial port), and gives one hundred times the data transmission capacity, while implementing a full switching network and being easier to program. Historically, IEEE 1355 derived from the asynchronous serial networks developed for the Transputer model T9000 on-chip serial data interfaces. The Transputer was a microprocessor developed to inexpensively implement parallel computation. IEEE 1355 resulted from an attempt to preserve the Transputer's unusually simple data network. This data strobe encoding scheme makes the links self-clocking, able to adapt automatically to different speeds. It was patented by Inmos under U.K. patent number 9011700.3, claim 16 (DS-Link bit-level encoding), and in 1991 under US patent 5341371, claim 16. The patent expired in 2011.

Use IEEE 1355 inspired SpaceWire. It is sometimes used for digital data connections between scientific instruments, controllers and recording systems. IEEE 1355 is used in scientific instrumentation because it is easy to program and it manages most events by itself without complex real-time software. IEEE 1355 includes a definition for cheap, fast, short-distance network media, intended as the internal protocols for electronics, including network switching and routing equipment. It also includes medium, and long-distance network protocols, intended for local area networks and wide area networks. IEEE 1355 is designed for point-to-point use. It could therefore take the place of the most common use of Ethernet, if it used equivalent signaling technologies (such as Low voltage differential signaling). IEEE 1355 could work well for consumer digital appliances. The protocol is simpler than Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) and other consumer protocols. This simplicity can reduce equipment expense and enhance reliability. IEEE 1355 does not define any message-level transactions, so these would have to be defined in auxiliary standards. A 1024 node testbed called Macramé was constructed in Europe in 1997. Researchers measuring the performance and reliability of the Macramé testbed provided useful input to the working group which established the standard.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IEEE 1355

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IEEE 1355 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IEEE 1355 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IEEE 1355 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IEEE 1355

In research: IEEE 1355 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IEEE 1355 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IEEE 1355 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer buses, Networking standards, Serial buses, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IEEE 1355 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study IEEE 1355 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IEEE 1355 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IEEE 1355 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IEEE 1355 in simple terms?

Why does IEEE 1355 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IEEE 1355?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IEEE 1355.