mcr@julie.UUCP (Michael Richardson) (09/10/89)
There was some discussion a week or two ago about
X windows (ala GfxBase) running on Amiga 2000s with Ethernet cards
(presumably Ameristar). These two products were not (I hope)
designed to work specifically with each other... So the gist of
my main question: does Ameristar provide sockets?
If they do, how? Is it a .library with stubs, built around
exec message ports (this makes sense to me)? Since one
read() and write()s to sockets, that implies a file handle of
some sort. Is this the case? Are sockets perchance opened
something like "SOCKET:host/port"? (While that seems possible, it
doesn't make for terribly easy mapping of Unix's socket/bind/connect/accept...)
The reason for this question --- I'd like to see X windows running
SLIP of some sort on the serial port (with or w/o modem) connected
to a Unix box. If this is possible there is a possibility that A500s
(perhaps with Viking monitors, perhaps just 1084s or 2084s) with
1meg, 1 disk (for booting, unless someone can think of a way to
boot off the serial.device) may be sold to clients.... (The usual
disclaimers apply here. But since this isn't being posted from
work....)
I've quite a strong personal interest in seeing some sort intermachine
service standardised on the Amiga --- dnet is neat, but requires
writting stuff specifically for it, making the protocols general
would add a great deal to the spread of `networking' software for
the Amiga. (I see no reason that sendmail can't run across dnet,
which is itself the protocol that was negotiated in an Amiga<->Amiga
WaZoo connection [rather than FidoNet's drab Zmodem stuff])
I suppose I will email gfxbase (cbmvax!gfxbase ? Does Ameristar
have an address?) concerning this, but email replies are welcome.
I'll sumerise if needed.
(p.s. Is there anyone other than C. Harald Koch that have ported
Smail? I know ARSmail exists, but I haven't seen it. -Thanks)
--
:!mcr!:
Michael Richardson Amiga
v--------+
UUCP: uunet!attcan!lsuc!nrcaer!julie!mcr | INTERNET mcr@doe.carleton.ca
Fido: Michael Richardson @ 1:163/109.10<--+ WORK: michael@fts1.UUCPrick@sbcs.sunysb.edu (Rick Spanbauer) (09/14/89)
In article <0596.AA0596@julie>, mcr@julie.UUCP (Michael Richardson) writes: > There was some discussion a week or two ago about > X windows (ala GfxBase) running on Amiga 2000s with Ethernet cards > (presumably Ameristar). These two products were not (I hope) > designed to work specifically with each other... So the gist of > my main question: does Ameristar provide sockets? Yes, there is a Berkeley compatible sockets interface. It has generally been made available only to developers who have programmed with Berkeley sockets on a Unix box - the restriction was necessary as we found that it was generally necessary to gear people up on networking, then network programming issues, and finally sockets unless they had some prior experience. > If they do, how? Is it a .library with stubs, built around In the implementation people currently have sockets are provided through a handler style interface using custom packet types. In the next release we're using a library interface w/call stubs. The stubs arrange the parameters into a struct and then pass a pointer to the struct to the network library. We chose not to parameter pass in registers since just adds overhead when both the application and library are written in C. The older software was not fully conformant to Berkeley sockets (for which there is only an empirical definition, BTW). The next release does all the "right" things, including async I/O, non blocking I/O, vanilla select() as well as an Amiga-ized select() that can Wait() on exec signals, SIGIO, SIGURG, etc. Much of the new release is derived from the same networking code base Unix vendors use, so the applications look & feel should be familiar. > exec message ports (this makes sense to me)? Since one > read() and write()s to sockets, that implies a file handle of > some sort. Is this the case? Are sockets perchance opened Very astute observation. The original interface was done as a handler for just that reason - normal DOS I/O calls eg Open/Close/Read/Write would work without modification to the application. In the upcoming version we supply a patched version of read()/write()/close() in the socket library that know about sockets as well as regular DOS I/O. > something like "SOCKET:host/port"? (While that seems possible, it > doesn't make for terribly easy mapping of Unix's socket/bind/connect/accept...) It was INET:host/port but this interface wasn't general enough to prove useful from eg basic. One couldn't listen() for example. > The reason for this question --- I'd like to see X windows running > SLIP of some sort on the serial port (with or w/o modem) connected > to a Unix box. If this is possible there is a possibility that A500s Access to the socket interface is necessary to do SLIP, but not sufficient. You would also need access to the bottom layer of the protocol stack - such an interface is not provided (yet). > I've quite a strong personal interest in seeing some sort intermachine > service standardised on the Amiga --- dnet is neat, but requires Dale Luck of GfxBase is working on a network device/library standard. There was also a session at the recent DevCon about standardizing a network device, but as yet I don't think Commodore has sanctioned any one standard. Our position is that once CA promulgates a standard we'll look at it - until then we're just watching the goings on. > I suppose I will email gfxbase (cbmvax!gfxbase ? Does Ameristar > have an address?) concerning this, but email replies are welcome. I listen to rick@sbcs.sunysb.edu, but prefer BIXmail "rspanbauer". Ameristar does not conduct support over e-mail - we use e-mail as a direct channel for technical, etc discussions only. > Michael Richardson Amiga Rick Spanbauer Ameristar (516) 698-0834