RE: [boost] Re: sockets Interface for address class

From: Iain.Hanson_at_[hidden]
Date: 2002-03-01 10:49:10

Author:  dale.peakall (dale.peakall_at_[hidden]) at unix,mime
Date:    01/03/02 14:37

>> > Not all types of addresses are network addresses with port numbers, 
>> > service names etc. There is "unix domain" address type in unices, 
>> and
>> > the address itself is just a pathname somewhere in file tree. 
>> Obviously,
>> > such an address doesn't require any resolving, and still it is
>> > absolutely usable address for socket binding etc. (if the socket 
>> itself
>> > created as "unix domain" type socket). > 
>> Yes, and in general we shouldn't make any assumptions about the 
>> representation of an address, so each protocol (or protocol family) 
>> would probably have it's own address class (which could be something 
>> as simple as string -- say, for "UNIX domain" sockets or WinNT pipes).

>I thought that we'd sort of decided that what we were writing here was a TCP/IP
>library, not sockets in the more general sense.

>If you're going to start going down the multi-protocol route, then things 
>really start getting complex.

Not realy. We have to support both IPv4 and IPv6 and both the C socket API and 
the XTI API have been used for OSI. So seems reasonable to allow for variation 
points that would allow a C++ socket lib to support multiple protocols. And I 
serriously doubt that IPv6 will be the last protocol to be created so I think 
that this is a necessity.

>Things are complex enough as they are.  Do you try and support asynchronous 
>communications?  I think the design document made it clear that this was a 
>simple TCP library.

Nope. This is another necessity. Even Sun has finally realised that async 
support is essential. Othrewise you force people down the multi-threaded route, 
which is decidedly more complex for the user than providing async support.

>If you want to make it multi-protocol then I for one would like to see a full 
>OSI stack as well (with RFC1006 - OSI over TCP as just one of the supported 
>protocols)!

you write the stack and I'll add the library ;-)

/ikh

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