Subject: PWG> P1394> Draft of 1394 Charter

From: "gregory leclair" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Dec 96 14:29:07 PDT

Per the meeting on 12/6 at Adobe Systems, following is a proposed
     charter for the 1394 Printer Working Group.
     
     This message has been sent to both the pwg and p1394 lists in case 
     some people had not subscribed to the p1394 list.
     
     Follow-up discussion and comments should be sent to [email-masked] and 
     taken to the PWG meeting in Albuquerque.
     
     Cheers,

     Greg LeClair                      Phone: (408) 474-0500 x3610 
     EPSON Research Center             Fax:   (408) 474-0511
     2833 Junction Ave., Suite 200     Internet: [email-masked] 
     San Jose, CA 95134
     
     ================================================================

1394 Printer Working Group (p1394)
----------------------------------
     
 Charter 
     
 Current status: Proposal of charter for working group
     
 Chair(s):
     TBD
     
 Network Management Area Director(s): 
     TBD
     
 Area Advisor
     TBD
     
 Mailing lists: 
     General Discussion: [email-masked]
     To Subscribe:       [email-masked] 
     Archive:            TBD
     
Description of Working Group and it's Goals:
     
Overview:
========= 
The 1394 Printer Working Group is chartered to define a specification 
and develop a protocol layer for the IEEE-1394 High Speed Serial Bus to 
facilitate the delivery of print data from a source to a target device.
     
Details:
========
Devices using this interface will cross over between the office equipment, 
personal computer and consumer electronics marketplace. The protocol must 
address the needs of small memory constrained devices with fixed functionality 
up to high speed devices which can handle multiple data types and sources.
     
Standardization of the print data format may be considered as a 
sub-group which would make a recommendation to the main 1394 working 
group. In order to remain vendor neutral and support existing data 
streams, the protocol will not define a standard data type. The printer 
protocol itself should include a provision for identifying the data 
types supported which will enable source and target compatibility 
checking.
     
The IEEE-1394 bus has the ability to deliver data as asynchronous and 
isochronous data streams. Devices may require one or more of these 
streams in some combination along with requirements for interactive 
sessions. Implementations for the source may employ a device pull 
model where the source will notify the device of data availability 
and the device will pull data based on its requirement. The protocol 
should identify device requirements in these areas.
     
Because the IEEE-1394 bus provides multiple physical device connections, 
some form of access control must be considered for the target. Bus 
management issues such as reconnections across bus resets, power 
management and device identification will also be addressed.

Summary:
========
The working group recognizes that the issue of printing is quite 
diverse. However, the working group is specifically confined to 
defining a protocol that enables data delivery:
     
- from source to target and target to source
     
- independent of the data type
     
- via asynchronous or isochronous streams
     
- from multiple sources
     
- over the IEEE-1394 high speed serial bus
     
- with minimal changes to existing programming interfaces

Goals and Milestones:
=====================
     
     Oct 96     First meeting of a proposed Printer Working Group for 1394 
  Serial bus at Oct. 1394 TA meeting (Redmond, WA)
     
     Dec 96     First meeting of P1394 Printer Working Group at Adobe 
  Systems in San Jose, CA.
     
     Jan 97     Review proposed charter for P1394 Group at Albuquerque 
  PWG Meeting (Jan. 8, 1997) and decide following: 
     
   A. What effort is required by PWG
   B. How will effort be carried out (1394 TA?)
   C. Who is willing to participate and in what role?
     
     Jan 97     If agreement can be reached on Working Group Charter, propose
  an agreed upon charter to 1394 TA Steering Committee in Houston 
  at the 1394 TA Meeting (Jan. 13, 1997).
     
     Feb 97     Meet at PWG meeting, WG Chair to report 1394 TA
  Define major classes of support and hierarchy:
   A. One very large group covering all types of printer support.              
   B. One large group establishing guidelines with smaller groups
      focused on specific printer technologies.
   C. Establish goals (protocol, structures, classes) 
   D. Establish schedule based on goals 
     
     Mar 97     Meet at PWG meeting, WG Chair to report 1394 TA
  Establish proposal for implementing first prototypes. 
  Publish Draft Specification for comment. Begin 
  implementation of first prototypes. Discuss issues and 
  resolve problems.
     
  Begin iterative process between Apr 97 and Oct 97 of 
  releasing latest draft specification, prototyping, 
  reviewing feedback, and resolving issues.
     
  1394 PWG would meet at PWG meeting, Chair makes report 
  to 1394 TA.
     
     Oct 97     1394 TA WG approved protocol specification
     Nov 97     Public display of 1394 connected printers at Fall Comdex

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