TransCore 05531 User Manual

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Communications Protocols
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mitted before receipt of the eom character. In this case, the Encompass 4/4800 Multi-
protocol Reader  will issue an Error message, and the host computer will issue a 
negative acknowledgment message.
Basic Protocol and ECP Format
Note:  In the following text, the symbols and > are used to represent required vari-
able message data, and the symbols [and] are used to represent optional data. These 
symbols are not part of the message syntax.
Reader Transmissions
The basic protocol format and the data inquiry protocol format are as follows:
<som><data><eom>
The ECP format is as follows:
<som><seq><data><crc><eom>
where
<som>
Start-of-message (ASCII # character)
<seq>
Sequence number (ASCII hex) that represents an even number in 
the range 0–9, A–F (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, A, C, E). The Encompass 4/4800 
Multiprotocol Reader  maintains the number. The host must 
acknowledge reader transmissions by sending an ACK message 
with the same sequence number received from the Encompass 4/
4800 Multiprotocol Reader. The Encompass 4/4800 
Multiprotocol Reader  updates its sequence number upon receipt 
of a valid host ACK. If an ACK is not received, the Encompass 4/
4800 Multiprotocol Reader  retransmits the message. A reader 
transmission sequence is not considered complete until the 
Encompass 4/4800 Multiprotocol Reader  receives an ACK and 
updates its sequence number.
<data>
An ASCII string up to 72 characters long. This string may contain 
tag data, a presence without tag report; an input status change 
report; an Error06, Error07, Error08,
 
or
 
Error11
 
message; or a sign-on message. Auxiliary data may also be 
included.
<crc>
Field containing four ASCII digits that represent the 16-bit CRC 
value calculated on the message. The CRC value is calculated on 
bytes between the som character and the first <crc> byte.
When the host receives a properly framed message, it can 
calculate a 16-bit CRC value. The calculation is applied to the