Win2K Pro opens the door to the peripheral device market
Whether you're an IT professional or a PC power user, Windows 2000 Professional (Win2K Pro) offers lots of exciting new functionality for you. But the buzz is about the cool new devices you can connect to your desktop. New printing, image-capturing, and scanning features; Digital Video (DV) devices; PC-based digital VCRs (D-VCRs); PC DVD players that you can connect to your home system; and PC-based audio devices are examples of this intriguing technology.
Since Microsoft first introduced Windows NT 4.0, users have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of ports, buses, and peripheral devices that they can connect to a workstation. However, because NT 4.0 lacked Plug and Play (PnP) and access to several device drivers that consumer desktop systems use, the OS couldn't take full advantage of the peripheral device market.
With the introduction of Win2K Pro, Microsoft remedies these NT 4.0 limitations. Win2K Pro provides consumers with the ability to add devices that offer speed, convenience, and innovation. For example, Win2K Pro lets you use D-VCRs to view movies and store computer data. You can also use a digital camcorder to record video, and you can edit that video on your computer.
To understand what all the excitement is about, let's look at the new features and devices that Win2K Pro supports. And let's examine how Win2K Pro makes adding peripherals a breeze compared with what you have to do in NT 4.0.
New Features in Win2K Pro
Microsoft included several of Windows 98's best features in Win2K Pro to broaden the appeal of the Windows 2000 (Win2K) platform. Win2K Pro provides new support for software and hardware, including PnP, the Infrared Data Association (IrDA) system, USB, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), and legacy peripheral ports. (For more information about Win2K Pro's peripheral support features, see "Related Articles in Previous Issues.")
Plug and Play. PnP combines information from a PC's BIOS, hardware components, device drivers, and OS software to recognize peripheral hardware and adapt to configuration changes. NT 4.0's lack of PnP support made adding peripheral devices a challenge, but Win2K Pro includes full PnP capability. Win2K Pro also provides enhanced support for removable devices such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, batteries, and PC Cards.
Typically, Win2K Pro will automatically recognize PnP-supporting devices. If PnP fails, you can use Win2K Pro's improved Add/Remove Hardware Wizard to install support for a particular device or to troubleshoot devices that aren't working correctly.
Infrared Data Association system. The IrDA system is a wireless connection system that lets devices communicate via infrared ports. Two Win2K Pro laptops that you place next to each other and that have the proper internal router (IR) windows will automatically find and connect to each other (if you have set the laptops' security settings to permit the connection). You can use this type of connection to take advantage of all basic network services, such as transferring files and synchronizing databases.
Microsoft based Win2K Pro's IrDA technology on legacy serial technology but added automatic device identification and improved performance. For now, the IrDA system remains the technology to beat in the wireless field because of the system's low cost and proven performance.
Win2K Pro provides a Wireless Link icon in Control Panel. This feature makes setting up and troubleshooting the IrDA system easier than it was in earlier Windows versions.
Many businesses have given up on the idea of having an IrDA enterprise system that lets users roam through a wireless networked building. The primary reason IrDA systems haven't enjoyed success as a networking standard stems from limitations such as the IrDA system's need for a direct line of contact that is free of physical barriers between the two linking devices. However, a few devices, such as handheld computers, are successfully using IrDA systems.
USB. USB, a desktop serial I/O bus, is quickly becoming the peripheral connector of choice. USB couples decent performance with simple PnP installation. USB connection speed peaks at 12Mbps, and as many as 127 devices can connect in a daisy-chain arrangement through one port. However, certain devices (e.g., printers) reserve USB bandwidth, so the practical maximum number of devices that can connect through a port can be less than 127. Figure 1 shows a typical USB device connector and port.
In October 1999, seven leading vendors from the USB 2.0 Promoter Group reported that the USB 2.0 specification will be 40 times as fast as USB 1.1 (i.e., USB 2.0 will have a maximum throughput of about 480Mbps). And USB 2.0 will be fully compatible with earlier USB systems and peripherals and existing cables and connectors. USB 2.0 products (e.g., printers, video devices, scanners) will be available in the second half of 2000. (For more information about USB 2.0, visit the USB developers' Web site at http://usb.org.)
When you tap out of USB bandwidth and ports, you can use internal and external expansion hubs, such as the Xircom 4 Port hub (http://www.xircom.com), which sells for about $50. Expansion hubs work independently of other ports' reserved resources. You might also want to consider an external USB hub that provides several ports. However, because the hub uses a USB connector, it shares its bandwidth among all the connected devices.
IEEE 1394. IEEE 1394 (i.LINK for the Sony product) is a high-speed serial bus similar to USB. However, IEEE 1394 makes USB look like a pushcart on a horse track. At its slowest, IEEE 1394 is approximately 10 times as fast as USB; at its peak, IEEE 1384 reaches speeds that are typically found only in UHF television stations. Several emerging video and storage platforms are using IEEE 1394 as a quick connectivity port. Although Apple's Macintosh provided early strong support for the IEEE 1394, Microsoft only recently added full support for the device in Win2K Pro.
An IEEE 1394 cable consists of two power conductors and two twisted pairs of wire for data signaling, which Figure 2 shows. The cable provides power and transfers data in one device. Microsoft shielded the entire cable and independently shielded both twisted pairs of wire. The company also placed the cable connector's electrical contacts inside the connector structure to prevent accidental shock or residue buildup.
Some people believe that the popular IDE hard disk interface has reached its practical limit because IDE has a peak transfer rate of only 8Mbps. Microsoft has suggested to vendors to plan a transition to IEEE 1394-based storage devices to enhance speed, provide hot-plugging capabilities to hard disks, and make hard disks run faster. However, most vendors aren't shipping IEEE 1394 ports with their products yet.
The speed of IEEE 1394 makes it a good candidate to replace earlier connectors on devices such as printers and scanners. Several vendors are already shipping (or plan to ship) D-VCRs, digital camcorders, and digital satellite receivers that include IEEE 1394 interfaces. Model prices vary—for example, high-end cameras can cost as much as $5000, but low-end models might cost only $1000.