2.6 Reader Protocol
The Reader Protocol Speci?¬?cation (EPCglobal, 2006c) de?¬?nes the protocol by which tag
readers interact with EPCglobal compliant software applications (host). The terms ??????tag
reader??™??™ or ??????reader??™??™ include RFID tag readers, supporting any combination of RF protocols,
?¬?xed and handheld, and so on. Also included are readers of other kinds of tags such
as bar codes. Tag readers may also have the ability to write data into tags. The goal of the
Reader Protocol is to insulate the host from knowing the details of how the reader and tags
interact. The Reader Protocol is speci?¬?ed in three distinct layers:
. Reader layer (speci?¬?es the content and abstract syntax of messages exchanged
between the reader and host)
. Messaging layer (speci?¬?es how messages de?¬?ned in the reader layer are formatted,
framed, transformed, and carried on a speci?¬?c network transport)
. Transport layer (corresponds to the networking facilities provided by the operating
system or equivalent)
Each messaging layer and transport layer pair is called a messaging=transport binding
(MTB). Different MTBs provide different kinds of transport, for example, TCP=IP versus
26 RFID Handbook: Applications, Technology, Security, and Privacy
Bluetooth versus serial line. Different MTBs may also provide different means for establishing
connections (e.
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