[Boost-users] message based TCP protocol?

From: bringiton bringiton (kneeride_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-05-22 01:11:31

Hi guys,

I'm wondering whether you know a solution to the following problem:  I
wish to have a tcp connection that sends binary messages of dynamic
length.

I plan on using asio, but I am concerned with the following:  say i
send 5 messages with lengths (10, 5, 30, 2, 3).  As far as I
understand TCP, when I read the stream on the other end, I will not
receive the data 1 message at a time.  Instead I will receive a stream
that may hold N messages and may even hold portions of a message.  eg
the stream may hold 13 bytes, which is the first message and 3 bites
of the 2nd.

Are there any solutions to this? ie building messages as they come in
through the TCP stream.

I know how to implement this myself however I assume that this is
probably a common problem.

Thanks.