Description of Web51 Project

Web51 is a complex project of connecting an Intel x51 compatible processor to a Realtek RTL8019AS network controller. The result is a low-cost and easy-to-use Ethernet interface. Since a well-known x51 architecture is used, even small and medium-scale businesses can now network their devices.
The figure shows a block schematic of the project. Click on it to see a large printable version.

Answers to the most common questions are in the FAQ.

Web51 Hardware

Hardware is controlled by an Intel x51 compatible CPU - AT89S8252. Ethernet controller RTL8019AS is connected directly to CPU ports and polled in a loop. Therefore, no 74573 or similar latch is needed since there is no bus to create. However, it can be added to take advantage of the entire address space when the RTL is disconnected. See schematics and photos.
The 89S8252 can be replaced by any x52 compatible CPU. It is recommended to use a CPU that contains internal EEPROM, where configuration data etc. can be stored.
Computing power of most x51 processors and the method of accessing the RTL chip do not allow for large bandwidth. Hardware design is intended for common measurements, control of applications, etc., where hardware costs need to be as low as possible in order to save on large series. Our simple hardware costs about half of the price of similar solutions.
HW server supplies two hardware versions, as detailed in the Project description.
- DESIGN VERSION is intended for developers. Includes full source codes, documentation, etc.
- APPLICATION LITE VERSION is intended for several particular applications. PCB is in a box, HW design is intended for light industry and contains basic protections etc.
16 I/O pins are available to the user (entire P1, part of P3, two pins of P2). However, some of them may be used by I²C bus, RS232, or on-board LEDs and buttons. The I/O pins are accessible via the PFL34 connector.
Since version 4.0 (January 2002) and version 3.5 of the Design Kit, this connector contains the entire CPU bus. Expansion modules can now utilize the MOVX address space.
PCB of the DESIGN version contains a small universal area for simple peripherals, and two LEDs with two buttons for basic control that the software can use.
PCB contains a socket for an external I2C EEPROM and a RS232 driver with CANNON 9 connector.

Web51 Software

Web51 development system can be used under almost any OS. Most utilities needed for compiling and other tasks are available in most operating systems. The development system directly supports DOS32 (MS-DOS with 32-bit support, Windows) and Linux (x86 platform).
Software for such a large project must be split into many parts. Compiling and linking into the single final file is controlled by the make utility. Compilation process is detailed in Controlling the compilation process with Makefile. Make docs are in the DOWNLOAD section.
We use the GNU assembler mcs51-as from the binutils package to compile .ASM into .OBJ. Original assembler supports a wide range of processors, such as I96, I86, HC12,.... We have added support for I51. Assembler docs are available for DOWNLOAD, as well as the assembler itself, which is a part of the distribution since version 1.12.
Resulting .OBJ files are linked with mcs51-ld, which is again a modified version of the linker from binutils. Linker docs are available for DOWNLOAD as well as the linker itself and other utilities.
In some cases, a command interpreter - bash - is useful. Docs are again available for DOWNLOAD.
The Web51 project is written entirely in assembly. There is not enough RAM space for a higher-level language in the basic version. If the RAM is extended and the full version libraries are used, a C compiler such as SDCC can of course be used.

Web51 - a FREE project? Can it be used to develop commercial applications?

The Web51 project is distributed under two licenses. The basic difference is the license type and availability of certain part of the source code.
Portion of the TCP/IP implementation is stored in the libk library. Its source code is available with our DESIGN KIT only. However, the free distribution contains several compiled versions of this library, making development (under the terms of GNU General Public License) possible.
Free version of Web51:
Free version of Web51 is fully documented and includes almost all sources. However, it does not include source code of the libk library, which is available for DOWNLOAD in binary, compiled form only.

Most portions of the free version of the project are distributed under the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL for short). GNU GPL covers the entire project, including development tools from the binutils package, but it does not cover the libk library.
Copyright holders give permission to link any code covered by the GNU GPL with their libk library, and distribute linked combinations of the two. You must obey the GNU General Public License in all respects for all of the code used other than libk. (This also means that if you link your software with the libk library, you must distribute the software under the terms of GNU GPL, or not distribute it at all. We want to make sure that projects derived from the free version of Web51 are also free.)
We would like to know about projects based on the Web51. Therefore, we encourage authors of derived projects to send us a link to their WWW pages. In addition, we can support derived projects - e.g. by publishing on our WWW, etc. If you are interested, mail us.
There are no royalties, fees or other limitations for using portions of the project, as long as the above conditions are satisfied.
If you have questions, or would like to negotiate different terms, please contact us.

Commercial license that includes access to complete source codes:
If you prefer, you may get the project under our commercial license, which does not require you to disclose source code of derived applications. In addition, you get access to the source of the libk library.

If you purchase our DESIGN KIT with complete sources, you also receive a commercial licence. The commercial licence covers the entire project, including the libk library and its source code, but does not cover the development tools (those are available under GNU GPL only).
The price for the DESIGN KIT includes roaylty for the first 20 instances of a commercial application. We request a royalty for the use of portion(s) of Web51 in commercial applications, beyond the first 20 pieces. The royalty is $1 per piece of a commercial product that contains portion(s) of the Web51 project.
We may be able to grant you a unique subrange of MAC addressses from the range that we have purchased, for no additional charge. Contact us if you are interested.
As the author, you may distribute your application under any license you wish. However, we require that the source code of the libk library, or any derivations thereof, is not made publicly available, without our prior consent in writing. (Note that you may disclose any and all sources other than those of libk, should you choose to do so, since they are also available under GNU GPL.)
If you have any questions, or would like to negotiate different terms, please contact us.

HW Server will continue to publish new examples and Web51 code. However, only control subroutines, communication modules, solutions to particular problems, etc. will be published. We are not considering a free release of our complete applications, which are distributed as LITE versions.

Web51 Distributions

Basic software is available for free DOWNLOAD.
Web51 is sold in two basic versions, see the ORDER FORM.

The DESIGN version is intended for development and comes with several options:

Web51 - designer full - full version including application support
Web51 - designer support - application support alone
Web51 - designer lite - HW kit + complete sources and docs
LPT ISP KIT

All products from the DESIGN series include full source code and a licence for first 20 commercial products based on it.
We can supply the hardware alone, e.g. for customers who have developed their own Web51 applications.

The LITE version is intended for final applications:

Web51 - ETHERNET-RS232 converter - suport for RS485, TCP or UDP/IP, encrypted authorisation,...
Web51 - WWW I/O control - remote control and monitoring of temperatures, inputs and outputs, etc. over a WWW interface
Web51 - WWW,EMAIL,SNMP I/O control - remote control and monitoring via WWW, EMAIL, SNMP and authorised "telnet" client

Details about the individual versions as well as current prices are on the ORDER FORM.
Application lite versions are intended for use as off-the-shelf solutions to particular problems and do not include any source code.

Information about the Web 51 project

If you would like to receive information about the Web51 project and these pages, you may subscribe to our mailing list. Your e-mail will not be disclosed to any third parties. We send no more than two mailings per month.

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Any questions ? - Please email us - details in the Contacts, or try the FAQ - Frequently asked questions.