Date : Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:45:37 +1100
From : awilliams@... (Alan Williams)
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.
Ah ok, I must have a memory fault on that. Anybody know where it is I
can't find any trace at the moment.
>> 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.
There *are* 32 bit file handling calls, they are functions 38 to 44 in
awServer and also read_object_info arg 8.
I was cursorily involved in the specification of these extensions, my
only actual input being to get them to put the parameters in the same
order for each call. There is a slight chance I still have the email
printed out some where.
My comments in awServer read "27/2/93 Started to implement the
experimental 32 bit stuff for Bruce at acorn" (Cockburn I suspect)
I can't say what other servers may have implemented this, I would expect
that Level 4 did. Nor do I know what versions of client these calls
might have been introduced in. Though I would expect that I had a
client making the calls otherwise I wouldn't have been able to test
them.
>> 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.
I suppose there as well. The handles NFS gives you with OPENIN etc are
not the same as the ones on the wire.
The ones on the wire do change with client type. Archimedes can open
more files than a BBC as a result. The server adapts its behaviour
based on a machine type peek done on your client by the server when you
login.
>> 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.
Well so far nobody has ever complained ;-)
I should add that everything I say is based on close examination of how
Filestore & Level 4 behaves as awServer was written to closely mimic
those, I didn't have access to a MDFS so things may be different there.
Alan