Achieving Seamless Connectivity

in a Seemingly Disconnected World

A White Paper on the Future Architecture
of Workstation and Mobile Computing

by Stephen Popovich
Chief Operating Officer
Inside Out Networks

Austin, Texas

July 2001

Inside Out Networks July 2001

 Page 1

An Inside Out Networks White Paper

Achieving Seamless Connectivity
in a Seemingly Disconnected World
by Stephen Popovich
Chief Operating Officer
Inside Out Networks

While much has been said about the difficulties of getting humans to fully communicate,
making similar connections between devices in the information world often takes this
challenge to new heights. In practice, the process of efficiently and effectively linking
computers and a multitude of other enterprise elements often is downright painful.

Fortunately, a prescription for this pain was recently developed, eliminating essentially
all the connectivity challenges presented by an almost endless array of information
appliances. The solution comes through the development and deployment of a wonder-
tool – the universal serial bus, or USB, connection standard. And the standard truly is
changing the face of the computing world.

Inside the Box: A History
of Connections
In the early days of personal computing,
users largely only needed to connect a
printer, followed shortly thereafter by a
modem. However, it wasn’t long before
innovators created a virtual cornucopia of
devices that could be attached to a
personal computer and soon after,
enterprise computing was born.
However, in these early days, much of the
expansion of personal and enterprise
computers was based on addition of cards
to an internal bus connector. While
adding devices to the PC bus afforded the
most direct – and therefore, fastest –
connection to the central processor, this
approach was not without its difficulties.
Beyond nuances of hardware differences,
just the logistical considerations of
opening the computer, rearranging cables
and other internal hardware, adding in the
new device or devices, and then
configuring the new setup to function
properly meant a daunting series of tasks.
The net of this situation was that the true
power of the personal computer revolution
was headed toward compromise. Some
users sacrificed productivity
enhancements by simply avoiding
additions or upgrades of equipment. Over
time, a relatively limited number of IT
consumers were able to expand their
computing horizons by leveraging the
growing Ethernet™ technology, although
this platform largely was constrained to
interconnecting computers and a limited
number of mainstream peripheral devices.
Others were forced to invest heavily in
information technology experts to manage
the threat of what was inside the box.

Inside Out Networks July 2001

Achieving Seamless Connectivity in a Seemingly Disconnected World
Getting Outside the Box:
A Star is Born
Fortunately, a consortium consisting of
Compaq, Digital Equipment Corporation,
IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, and Northern
Telecom came together in the mid-1990s
to discuss the form and function of the
personal computer and, specifically, the
challenges of interconnecting peripheral
devices to PCs. While these discussions
centered on device connectivity issues
pertinent to the then-fledgling Computer
Telephony Integration (CTI) industry, the
working group created a new standard of
device interface called the universal serial
bus (USB).
As a result of the development of the USB
standard, the number of input-output ports
available in the personal computing
architecture changed from what formerly
could be easily counted on two hands to
127 devices, providing dramatically faster
speeds and capabilities for scalability.
Just as new technology and engineering
standards as far back as 100 years ago
created an explosion in the capabilities of
early telephony, USB opened the door to
vast new communications and computing
opportunities – information technology, as
we know it, was finally was able to come
out of the box.
USB Goes to Work
While consumers often see USB as a
means of connecting the latest game
controller to their PC, this standard
actually has created vast opportunities in
the business environment. USB in the
enterprise allows information technology
professionals to quickly and effectively
integrate a wide range of devices without
the limitations inherent when using
traditional serial or parallel interface
devices, and without the need to
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implement complex networking software
and protocols.
A particularly important performance
attribute in the enterprise world is
dependability. Unlike simple consumer
applications, most enterprise environments
support mission-critical business
activities. As peripheral interfaces in the
traditional in-computer bus and external
parallel port environment became more
complex, machine reboots unfortunately
became a widespread practice for resetting
devices.
Fortunately, a significant aspect of the
USB standard is a very high level of
compatibility, stability and performance.
The USB protocol enjoys a wide range of
operating system (OS) support, including
industrial strength operating systems, such
as Microsoft Windows NT 4.0™. This
support is either native to the OS, or
provided through middleware that has
stood the test of time and field
applications. As computing continues to
expand even further into life-and-death
environments such as healthcare, utilities
and public safety applications, the high
degree of stability provided by USB-
connected devices will help ensure the
level of reliability that the public demands.
Conquering Upgrade Hell
As computing moves from centralized
facilities to decentralized desktops,
changes in our nation’s communications
infrastructure and the aging of legacy
hardware are forcing businesses and
industries to upgrade field computing
equipment. These modifications range
from straightforward revisions to clerical
or administrative PC-based workstations,
to complex conversions of highly
specialized, industrial-strength machines
on the production line. In many situations,
the changes required are reasonably
July 2001
Achieving Seamless Connectivity in a Seemingly Disconnected World
superficial, requiring replacement of a
single peripheral device, such as a printer,
modem or scanner. However, other cases
require more extensive modifications.
In the past, the technical jungle of
connection standards and protocols made
any significant upgrading of PC-based
facilities a relatively complex and costly
proposition. These inherent limitations
not only discouraged adoption of newly
available technology into existing PC
installations, but also stunted the growth
potential of the entire PC platform. Some
forgiveness is in order, since peripheral
interface standards were created by
contemporaries of those who saw no
future need for an operating system to
address more than 64k of random access
memory (RAM).
The arrival of USB, however, has created
previously unattainable benefits in two
major areas. These are increased
simplicity and cost savings in maintaining
and/or expanding PC-based facilities, and
increased availability of flexible, almost
limitless connectivity between computers
and peripherals – both in traditional and
emerging mobile applications.
USB: Increasing
Interconnected
Productivity and
Reducing Costs
Employing USB devices in a network
environment can provide substantial
operational and financial benefits, which
impacts both short-term and total cost of
ownership (TCO) statistics. Contrary to
popular opinion, the price of hardware
generally is not the true cost issue.
Rather, the expense and complication of
upgrading PC-based computing equipment
and capabilities comes from the amount of
support required to integrate new and old
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hardware and software. Historically,
changes in any network element within
most enterprise environments – either
hardware or software – almost certainly
required a technical support professional
to make an on-site visit to implement the
upgrade.
USB: Value-adding simplicity,
cost savings and flexibility
The financial impact of this technical
support alone can be dramatic. For
example, a retailer with a thousand
locations, each having four computers or
workstations requiring a relatively simple
change, could easily accrue a $300,000
line item expense just for initial
integration1. This cost does not take into
account lost productivity of staff or lost
business during the down time for these
machines, due to the application-specific
variability associated with each unique
installation. A company can do a lot with
nearly a third of a million dollars… when
it is not spent on redundant hardware and
application upgrades.
Substitution of USB-equipped devices into
the computing environment can
dramatically improve economics
associated with significant system
changes. In situations where existing
computers already are USB-equipped,
movement to USB peripherals can simply
mean plugging in the new device or
devices and allowing the operating system
to handshake with the new tools. In
situations where USB capabilities do not
presently exist, addition of a USB
interface card and, in some instances, a
1
Presumes a conservative average of one-half
hour of labor per machine at an hourly labor cost
of $100, plus one hour total travel time for each
location.
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USB hub, will create the same flexible reducing the cost of the computer at the
platform from which nearly limitless center of these devices, TCO for the entire
expansion can occur. system can be more readily managed. The
expanded capabilities of computers that
Beyond retrofitting legacy personal use USB technology can result in a host of
computers to provide greater flexibility other financial savings as well.
and improved operating economics, the
USB standard has led to development of a
Reducing the cost of buying and
next generation PC, often referred to as the
EZ-PC. In its purest iteration, the EZ-PC upgrading computers reduces
is a totally legacy-free computer, having system TCO
no traditional serial, parallel or bus
connections for printers, a keyboard,
mouse or modem. Instead, these machines
supply a number of USB ports for a
USB and Retailers – Less
typical array of peripheral devices. Users Space, Less Cost, More
requiring a more extensive series of Services
connections readily can use a product such
as an Edgeport hub, produced by Austin-
A major, franchised provider of postal and
based Inside Out Networks, to achieve all
small office services and supplies had a
the interface capabilities required in any
big challenge. Many of the capabilities
given environment.
offered by the operation’s coast-to-coast
locations are based on services from major
Some hybrid machines are being produced
postal and shipping companies, including
in which a conventional serial port is
the U.S. Postal Service, Federal Express
provided for use in rare situations where a
and United Parcel Service. Beyond the
traditional serial device must be attached
specialty equipment needed to support
directly to the PC, rather than through an
these firms, these stores also use point-of-
external USB interface. In addition to
sale credit card terminals, fax transmission
exclusive or near exclusive use of USB
and reception terminals, and a host of
ports for interconnection, EZ-PCs do not
Web-based or -enabled capabilities.
include PCI expansion capabilities, relying
instead on a robust and ever increasing list
As the franchiser and various service
of USB-focused hardware solutions to
providers have enhanced the suite of
replace internal, add-on circuit boards. A
services available at the franchised outlets,
number of major manufacturers are either
demand for peripheral interconnections
producing or preparing to produce USB-
has grown exponentially. For some
based, EZ-PC machines.
franchisees, the solution to limited PC
connection ports had been to add PCs to
Beyond physical and flexibility
support the growing number of scales,
advantages, USB-based computers offer
specialized printers, scanners, modems
purchasers and users additional economic
and other devices being added to their
advantage. Eliminating a variety of
stores. However, with a typical thousand
different internal and external ports, and
square feet of space or less, including
reducing the unit’s overall size lowers the
private mailboxes and retail floor space,
manufacturing cost of a PC. As peripheral
adding full PC facilities for each new
devices become more sophisticated, the
offering ultimately proves to be
expense of these devices will increase. By
impractical. Yet, ongoing relationships

Inside Out Networks July 2001

Achieving Seamless Connectivity in a Seemingly Disconnected World
with shipping companies, the desire to
offer the broadest range of services and
the need to capitalize on new, technology-
driven revenue sources called for a better
solution.
Through the use of USB hubs, even a
single personal computer can access the
wide variety of tools and devices needed
to support the most advanced customer
needs in any of the company’s stores.
Perhaps the greatest value in the system’s
move to USB has been reduction in costs
to add, delete or change technology-based
services. Because USB devices virtually
eliminate the old world headaches of
configuring ports, addressing interrupts
and dealing with port conflicts, most
changes in PC-based store support systems
Figure 1: Typical USB Usage
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can be made without a technician visit. As
a result, the time to implement new or
enhanced services is reduced, and the
labor cost associated with implementation
is nearly eliminated. For this franchised
business services provider, technology no
longer is a limitation to offering the latest
in customer services.
Bridging Legacy and PC
Devices
A leading provider of retail and point-of-
sale (POS) systems has used USB
technology extensively in the company’s
program of upgrading customer POS
facilities. A number of this company’s
large clients have extensive in-store and
headquarters installations that are heavily
based on legacy applications.
Graphic: Inside Out Networks
July 2001
Achieving Seamless Connectivity in a Seemingly Disconnected World
While these systems may still be highly
functional, many are tightly written around
conventional PC port architectures. As the
demand for additional in-store peripherals
– from credit card readers and printers to
signature scanners and produce scales –
has multiplied, so has the exhaustion of
connection ports and device conflicts.
The ability to move from a half-dozen or
so connected devices per computer to as
many as 127 such devices ensures a
practically limitless supply of peripheral
connections. And best of all, the legacy
systems readily recognize the USB-based
devices without extensive reprogramming
or addition of complicated device drivers
that add cost and complexity to
conversions.
These legacy situations are not limited to
POS settings. As companies increasingly
automate production and assembly lines,
the call for a single PC to control
numerous devices across a manufacturing
process becomes even more compelling.
With very low limits to the number of
devices that could be connected in the
past, process engineers have had to resort
to the clustering of numerous machines
through the use of relatively expensive and
complex local area network (LAN)
devices. Today, within a few parameters,
a single computer would have the
processing power and the port density to
integrate dozens of devices into a single
controlling computer.
Building Non-Traditional
Business Opportunities
in Traditional Settings
The number of retail applications that can
benefit from USB technology is almost as
limitless as the capabilities of the
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connectivity system, itself. Major big-box
retailers that want to stage tent sales in
store parking lots can use USB technology
to interface cash registers, credit card
verification units and transaction printers.
Through the use of a single wired or
wireless link, these facilities can be linked
back to the store’s central information
collection and processing hub.
Convenience store operators, saddled with
small size requirements and inability to
reconfigure store wiring, welcome the
flexibility and speed in adding devices,
such as a money order printer or point-of-
purchase display device. In most
instances, the serial wireless LAN
provides a more practical solution than
traditional wide-area wireless platforms.
In a similar fashion, mall retailers can
readily set up remote kiosks to sell
products or serve up information to
customers, using a single connection back
to existing store information systems.
Even large, traditional retailers with
extensive legacy transaction systems
benefit from conversion to USB-based
systems, gaining the ability to easily
replace defective peripheral devices and
expand capabilities to reflect seasonal
demands and opportunities. USB
facilitates both anytime, stand-alone
mobile computing and wirelessly
connected applications that previously
were impractical or completely
unavailable.
USB Facilitates Cutting
the Computing Cord
Despite the growth potential of traditional
desktop applications associated with
typical desktop hardware, the most
dynamic area of computing today is in the
mobile and wireless arenas. As has been
July 2001
Achieving Seamless Connectivity in a Seemingly Disconnected World
the case throughout much of the
advancement of communications
technology in general, computing has
developed along the same path as simple
voice communications. Whether the
application is simply moving fixed
installation capabilities into a mobile
environment, such as in-vehicle data
collection for later downloading, or a
wirelessly connected system providing
real-time, interactive information from a
distant source, USB facilitates the newest
chapter in information management.
Viewed from a basketball perspective,
USB technology is the starting center in
the mobile/wireless world. Migration of
applications from a fixed environment,
such as transaction management and
inventory control, and creation of new
applications that are unique to the mobile
or wireless environment demand a
common interconnected architecture for
the different elements. In the case of
vehicle-based systems, the ability to
readily remove, reinstall and reconfigure is
Figure 2: Devices can be readily integrated into a system without regard for cabling
logistics through the use of wireless USB technology.
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critical, since organizations and
individuals change vehicles far more often
than they change physical offices or
residences. Conversely, personal wireless
solutions require simple, size-conscious
connections between small, highly robust
devices.
From the device interface perspective in
either fixed or traveling wireless
applications, USB exceeds all expectations
of the mobile environment. Well-defined
technical standards that allow for vast
freedom of application, small physical
connector size and shared heritage with
traditional desktop peripherals make USB
the preferred choice among both
application developers and manufacturers
of mobile and wireless devices.
The true power of USB in helping to
create the most innovative mobile
computing environments can be seen by
examining a few current and emerging
applications.
Graphic: Inside Out Networks
July 2001
Achieving Seamless Connectivity in a Seemingly Disconnected World
Making Streets Safer
For some time, law enforcement vehicles
in numerous jurisdictions have capitalized
on mobile computing capabilities.
Whether the device merely has been a so-
called ruggedized laptop or a unit fully
customized for in-vehicle use, these
mobile computing devices historically
have been basic in application, with what
arguably may be the least sophisticated
peripheral connections – a mobile device
with some form of stored information, or a
mobile terminal and a modem connected
to the police radio.
Consider, for a moment, the opportunities
to make the in-car mobile computer the
focal point for a range of expanded law
enforcement tools. The dash-mounted
camera could be linked to headquarters
and even to the Internet to transmit a
photograph of a wanted suspect and/or
vehicle. A bar-code scanner could speed
input and reduce errors when seeking
histories of drivers with valid licenses.
Tickets could be produced with minimal
officer input, if a data input device, such
as a Palm-type unit, was integrated by
wire or wireless technology with a radar or
laser speed detector, Global Positioning
System (GPS) receiver (for accurate
position information), speed limit data
base (for the exact location provided by
the GPS), existing computerized driver
history and a small transaction printer.
And, most importantly, all of these
connections would be enabled using
connectivity technology that sets a new
standard for reliability, virtually
eliminating the need for device reboots or
restarts.
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Improving field efficiency translates to
each officer covering more territory and
handling more calls per shift, providing a
means of responding to the seemingly
endless spread between expanded demand
for officer services and an inelastic supply
of personnel and equipment to respond to
these demands. It’s a general rule that
improved application of technology also
enhances officer safety, critical at a time
when public safety officers seem to
increasingly find themselves in harm’s
way.
The Truck of the Future
Recently, an industry group known as the
Truck-PC Consortium began defining
features of the next generation long haul
tractor-trailer combination. Led by
Freightliner, a leading tractor-trailer
manufacturer, the Consortium includes an
integrated communications, computing,
navigation, information and entertainment
platform in the planned vehicle. These
tools collectively support the continuing
trend of the trucking industry to move
from being a simple “pick-it-up, get-it-
there” commodity to a sophisticated
provider of material logistics.
Built around the WindowsCE™ operating
system, the Truck-PC Consortium’s in-
truck technology system marries PC
capabilities with a DVD/CD-ROM device,
AM-FM-satellite radio receiver, wireless
modem, email system and printer for
producing route information and hard
copy of other documents.
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Figure 3: The Truck of the Future merges hardware and applications from traditional
and non-traditional settings into a single, USB-connected environment.
Graphic: Inside Out Networks

Whether a basic mobile platform or a full- Networks, is used to seamlessly

featured wireless environment, such a
system likely could not be developed if it
had to be built using a PC limited to
traditional serial and parallel ports. By
employing USB technology, a wider range
of devices can be readily integrated into a
common computing platform.
Supplying Connections in
a Wide Variety of System
Environments
As the name implies, Universal Serial Bus
technology integrates very well with all
major PC and enterprise operating
systems. In many instances, USB is a
simple plug and play platform. In some
cases, middleware produced by leading
USB companies, such as Inside Out
incorporate USB protocols into the OS.
Additionally, the basic USB protocol
easily accommodates typical distances
between interconnected devices. In cases
where an enterprise requires one or more
peripherals to be located beyond the range
of basic USB connectivity standards,
various technologies are available to
extend the users’ connectivity
requirements over these longer distances.
The Future of Computing
According to USB
A generation or so ago, electricity was the
rock-solid example of a universal service,
with power available in nearly anywhere
one could imagine. More recently,

Inside Out Networks July 2001

Achieving Seamless Connectivity in a Seemingly Disconnected World
connection to the public switched
telephone network has become nearly
ubiquitous in homes and businesses, with
one or more jacks typically found in every
room. As a result, modems, fax machines,
remote control devices, alarm systems,
answering machines, cordless phones,
headsets and speakerphones abound on
desks, walls, credenzas, counters and in
countless other commercial and residential
locations, largely because of a simple and
flexible standard for connection of devices
to the telephone network.
My Inside Out Networks colleagues and I
believe that the universal connectivity
offered by USB technology, while far
more technically advanced, will do for
computing what the conversion to modular
connection devices previously
accomplished for telephones and, much
further back, what the duplex outlet
achieved for electricity. Whether that
translates to Internet appliances distributed
throughout home and work or an entirely
new, browser-enabled POS system that
plugs into data jacks as common in retail
stores as electrical outlets, you can safely
presume that USB will be a central feature
to the systems of the future. We believe
the information industry is rallying around
USB as a primary connectivity platform –
the number of PCs we’ve seen shipped
with native USB connectivity has grown
from 0 to essentially 100 percent in four
years.
However, what we see in today’s USB
world is not the end state of personal and
enterprise connectivity. The USB
Implementers Forum, the standards group
responsible for development of this
technology, is currently developing and
testing USB 2.0. This expanded protocol
will increase the speed of USB
connectivity from 12 megabit per second
transfer rates to as much as 480 megabits
per second. The enhanced speed of USB
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2.0 opens the door to the development of
even faster external storage devices and
other high-bandwidth applications. For
example, traditional computer displays
have continued to utilize traditional 15-
pin, internal bus-based connections
because the speed and complexity of
signals required this level of connectivity.
With a higher speed USB capability,
simple four-wire USB connections could
make the interfacing of new displays with
larger systems not only possible, but also
highly practical. Clearly, USB 2.0 will
bring an added dimension to the
movement of computing out of the box.
USB technology will do for
computing what modular
connections did for
telecommunications
About the Author
Stephen Popovich is co-founder and chief
operating officer of Austin-based Inside Out
Networks, the leader in enterprise USB
connectivity for the Point-of-Sale (POS),
Mobile Computing, Remote Access and
Industrial Control markets. An innovator in
data communications, Popovich has held
numerous positions in sales, marketing and
operations. He attended El Camino College
and California State University.
July 2001
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