15
Peripheral Sharer
4.3 Modes of Operation
• Auto-scan mode
— In this mode,
the Peripheral Sharer will
automatically connect your PC
to the peripheral when it detects
data activity. Your PC will also be
automatically disconnected
when there has been no data
activity for the timeout period
(normally 20 seconds).
•
Manual mode
— The peripheral
remains connected to the
displayed port until you press
the key to select another port or
auto-scan mode.
•
Software-controlled mode
— The
Peripheral Sharer can be
controlled by the PC software
supplied. This provides
compatibility with software
applications that require an
uninterrupted connection to the
peripheral while the software is
in use. It is particularly useful for
sharing tape-backup systems. See
Sections 5.2, 5.4, 6.1,
and
6.2
for
further details.
4.4 Status Display
The status display shows the port
status and data flow.
In auto-scan mode (with no data
activity) the segments will light in
sequence in a clockwise direction.
When data activity is detected, the
port number will be displayed. The
number will flash to indicate that the
port has been selected automatically,
and the data light will flash as data is
being transferred. When there has
been no data activity for the timeout
period, the connection will be
broken and the display will revert
to lighting segments in sequence.
In manual mode, the selected port
number will be displayed
continuously.
