2.4.2 The Block Type Manager (BTM)

The BTMs are software objects, which can be used to represent the modularity inside the device. The BTM acts in the similar manner as a DTM: e.g., it follows the state machine and the persistent mechanism of a DTM. Furthermore the BTM implements similar interfaces to those specified for a DTM. Block specific schemas replace device related XML schemas to provide block information. For example, BtmnformationSchema replaces DTMInformationSchema.

The standard FDT topology mechanism and interfaces are used to assign a BTM to a DTM. If the DTM has child BTMs, it acts as a gateway. Mechanisms of nested communication are used for communication between the BTM and the DTM.

The DTM is the root element for complete device representation. It is the starting point to collect the information from the BTMs belonging to the same device. The internal device structure is represented by this topology. See figure 2-5.

Figure 2-5 - Example of Device Architecture and Components

The BTM concept is protocol independent and can be applied to different protocols.