cc1@ucla-cs.UUCP (04/05/87)
Before everyone says, "I want this on a network hardware board", what about
the software?
In particular, all Amiga programs comunicate by messages. They give a
START address and LENGTH. To a message port.
What about mods to the message routines that will, when given a message
port that corresponds to a networked machine, copy the memory TO THAT MACHINE,
and give to a program over there?
Presto! EVERY program instantly works over the network. NO modifications
needed.
The only question becomes: how do you tell if a port is on a different
machine? How do you tell this machine that "port X is remote"? And finaly,
how do you pass a remote port over?
Suggestions (please try to cut these down, lets see if we can get a good
specification from this for the 1.3 or network boards)
Suggestion #1: All machines on the net have a number from 1 to 255. 0 is
the current machine. The upper byte of the message port is used to
specify the machine number.
Advantage: Easy
Disadvantage: A third type of memory (NOT-NET) for 68020 boards
Suggestion #2: EXEC tracks which ports are local (via CreatePort() and a
sorted tree).
Advantage: No memory restrictions
Disadvantage: What if two machines have a port at the same address?
Which machine is that port on?
(I have no third suggestion, anyone else?)
Michael Gersten
Views expressed here may not be those of the Computer Club, UCLA, or
anyone in their left OR right mind. And that's the name o' that tune.dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU.UUCP (04/05/87)
>Before everyone says, "I want this on a network hardware board", what about >the software? > >In particular, all Amiga programs comunicate by messages. They give a >START address and LENGTH. To a message port. > >What about mods to the message routines that will, when given a message >port that corresponds to a networked machine, copy the memory TO THAT MACHINE, >and give to a program over there? > >Presto! EVERY program instantly works over the network. NO modifications >needed. Wrongo. Many messages contain pointers to other segments of memory. There is no way in h#ll your going to be able to make Exec's port system work over a network. In terms of software, it wouldn't be too difficult to write a DOS device driver to handle a NFS. You could even write one to handle TCP/IP by simply openning "NET:machine.port" or something like that. Once you have DOS hooks in for basic NFS,RPC, and TCP/IP (or whatever protocol you use) , you can do almost anything. -Matt
papa@bacall.UUCP (04/07/87)
Matt Dillon writes: > In terms of software, it wouldn't be too difficult to write a DOS > device driver to handle a NFS. You could even write one to handle > TCP/IP by simply openning "NET:machine.port" or something like that. Once > you have DOS hooks in for basic NFS,RPC, and TCP/IP (or whatever protocol > you use) , you can do almost anything. I think I have seen ads in an Amiga magazine that mentioned that Ameristar, the company that makes Ethernet cards for the Amiga, also sells NFS for the Amiga. Has anybody seen this? -- Marco -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Marco Papa 3175 S. Hoover St., Ste. 275 (213)747-8498 Los Angeles, CA 90007 USC: (213)743-3752 F E L S I N A Now working for ::::::: BIX: papa But in no way :: :: Officially representing ::::::: ...!usc-oberon!bacall!papa S O F T W A R E papa@usc-cse.usc.edu -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
root@sbcs.UUCP (04/07/87)
> > Before everyone says, "I want this on a network hardware board", what about > the software? > > In particular, all Amiga programs comunicate by messages. They give a > START address and LENGTH. To a message port. > Sorry, guy, it's not that easy. How many folks fill in the message length field when sending messages? Are you trying to pass pointers to areas of memory (i.e. "pass by reference" rather than "pass by value"), etc, etc. Yes, the hooks are there, but the message server would have to know quite a bit about the semantics of the message being passed.. Rick Spanbauer SUNY/Stony Brook
root@sbcs.UUCP (04/07/87)
> you have DOS hooks in for basic NFS,RPC, and TCP/IP (or whatever protocol > you use) , you can do almost anything. > > -Matt Yup, that's the way the rev 2.0 release of Ameristar NFS/TCP/IP, etc work.. Rick Spanbauer SUNY/Stony Brook PS. Yes, I am connected in some way with Ameristar..