Date   : Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:21:42 +0100
From   : mfirth@... (Michael Firth)
Subject: Master ethernet upgrade

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob <robert@...>
Sent: 11 July 2009 10:21
To: Sprow <info@...>
Cc: BBC micro mailing list <bbc-micro@...>
Subject: Re: [BBC-Micro] Master ethernet upgrade

2009/7/11 Sprow <info@...>:
>>
>> ? Jonathan Graham Harston <jgh@...> wrote:
>>> F=OPENOUT("-http-sprow.co.uk:80") shirley?
>>
>> Maybe F=OPENOUT("-wan-sprow.co.uk:80")?
>
>F=OPENOUT("-wan-::http.sprow.co.uk:80") ?

>I think that relying on port number to define protocol is asking for
>trouble .. many http and ftp services run on alternate ports, for
>various reasons..   whilst you can usualy assume that port 80 will
>have an http server on it,it's not definite... e.g.
>proxy.news.eu.easynews.com listens on a wide variety of common ports
>and they are all nntp: !
>
Unless the ROM is implementing the full HTTP protocol, you should just specify
which IP protocol is being used -

Either
X=OPENUP("tcp::host.sprow.co.uk:80")
or
X=OPENUP("udp::host.sprow.co.uk:80")

For example. That also assumes that the API is at the IP layer, rather than
the Ethernet one, which would prevent any custom ARP processing, for example.

That said, only TCP would probably be suitable for a file like API, as it
is a byte stream, rather than packet oriented.

If the ROM did implement HTTP or FTP, then the sensible way to specify a
connection would be via a standard URL.

Regards

Michael