The SCSI command set is designed to provide efficient peer-to-peer operation of input/output devices (disks, tapes, printers, etc.) by an operating system; it assumes a command-response protocol. This part of ISO/IEC 14776 defines a protocol for the transport of commands and data over High Performance Serial Bus. The transport protocol, Serial Bus Protocol 2 or SBP-2, permits the exchange of commands, data and status between initiators and targets connected to Serial Bus. Serial interconnects offer a migration path for SCSI into the future because they may be better suited to cost reduction and speed increases than the parallel interconnects first utilized by SCSI. The solutions provided by SBP-2 are of general applicability to large classes of Serial Bus peripheral devices. Mechanisms are provided for the delivery of commands, date and status independent of the command set or device class of the peripheral. SBP-2 provides a generic framework that may be referenced by other documents or standards that address the unique requirements of a particular class of devices.