A high-performance transfer protocol for real-time local area networks

The Express Transfer protocol (XTP) provides the efficient upper-layer message processing (transfer layer) functions essential for real-time local area network applications. An examination of transfer layer functions is presented, followed by a discussion of how the XTP meets those functional requirements. Real-time mechanisms for the XTP are identified. The development status of the protocol is then summarized. It is concluded that the context paradigm, simple protocol-data-unit formats, and low-overhead data transfer operations of the XTP result in increased performance. It is suggested that an open-system architecture and the Protocol Engine, the XTP VLSI implementation, offer the high degree of interoperability that is necessary for future military systems