Date   : Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:47:24 +0000
From   : jgh@... (J.G.Harston)
Subject: Beeb Networking - and another thing

Alan Williams wrote:
> I was suggesting that AUND is unlikely to be a full implementation of
> all the possible function calls a Level 4 or awServer would handle.
> This is because AUND would only have expected Ethernet connected
> Archimedes clients.

AUND does not implement NetFS. AUND implments Econet.
AUND takes Econet packets and passes them over Ethernet. It does
not care what is inside them.

> If you implement all the 32 bit file handling calls and NetFS uses
> those, you don't bother to implement any of the equivalent 24 bit calls
> a BBC might make.  Like wise you probably don't do a machine type ping

There *aren't* 32-bit file handling calls vs 24-bit file handling calls.
There are file handling calls. NetFS_Op(FileInfo) is NetFS_Op(FileInfo)
is NetFS_Op(FileInfo). A full list of NetFS_Ops calls is at
http://mdfs.net/blib/Docs/NetFSOps.txt, http://mdfs.net/blib/Docs/NetFS.txt
and the PRMs. If you implement "only" the calls used by a RISC OS client
you automatically implmenet those calls used by a BBC client.

> on your client to determine if your client requires BBC handles (where
> only 1 bit will be set) or handle numbers as integers.

That is done at the client end, not in the communication protocol.

> Exactly the same applies in awServer, the functions I documented as not
> implemented are those that a BBC never makes.

Dangerous programming like that. A BBC naver makes a "List disc names"
call, but a /program/ running on a BBC may. Eg *FREE.

> System or Atom clients may, but I didn't have one to test with.

There are a couple of calls in the NetFS protocol specifically to
give System and Atom clients a helping hand because their NetFS
client code is so underimplemented, specifically, NetFS_CommandLine
decoding *SAVE and *LOAD and returning information needed to
continue the transactions, and a couple of *CAT header information
calls.

-- 
J.G.Harston - jgh@...