DIAL(2) DIAL(2)
NAME
Dial: accept, announce, dial, listen, netinfo, netmkaddr,
reject - make network connections
SYNOPSIS
include "dial.m";
dial := load Dial Dial->PATH;
Connection: adt
{
dfd: ref FD; # data file
cfd: ref FD; # control file
dir: string; # pathname of line directory
};
announce: fn(addr: string): ref Connection;
dial: fn(addr, local: string): ref Connection;
listen: fn(c: ref Connection): ref Connection;
accept: fn(c: ref Connection): ref Sys->FD;
reject: fn(c: ref Connection, why: string);
netmkaddr: fn(addr, defnet, defsvc: string): string;
Conninfo: adt
{
dir: string; # connection directory
root: string; # network mount point
spec: string; # its binding spec
lsys: string; # local host address
lserv: string; # local service
rsys: string; # remote host address
rserv: string; # remote service
laddr: string; # local address in dial form
raddr: string; # remote address in dial form
};
netinfo: fn(c: ref Connection): ref Conninfo;
DESCRIPTION
Dial establishes network connections. The description below
uses the following definitions:
addr is a network address in one of the following forms:
network!netaddr!service
network!netaddr
netaddr
network Any directory listed in /net (eg, tcp), or the
Page 1 Plan 9 (printed 11/17/24)
DIAL(2) DIAL(2)
special token, net. The special name net stands
for any network that connects the current host and
netaddr. A network name can be preceded by the full
path name of a directory of networks, using the
form /dir/network (eg, /net.alt/tcp).
netaddr A host name, a domain name, a network address, or a
meta-name of the form $attribute, which is replaced
by value from the corresponding attribute-value
pair in the connection server data base (see
db(6)).
The functions dial and announce translate a given addr to an
actual network address using the connection server cs(8). If
a logical name addr corresponds to several network
addresses, for instance if a destination machine has several
interfaces, cs will return them all; dial or announce will
try each in turn until one works. In particular, if addr is
net, cs will return addresses on all networks that are com-
mon to source and destination. The translation procedure
accesses cs using its interface file cs, which is sought as
follows: first, in an explicit directory /dir if one was
given in network; second, in the standard directory /net;
and finally in the directory /net.alt (dial only). If the
connection server cannot be found, the addr is used as-is.
If a connection attempt is successful, the dir member of the
resulting Connection will be the path name of a line
directory that has files for accessing the connection. One
line directory exists for each possible connection. The
data file in the line directory is opened to make a connec-
tion, and read and written to communicate with the destina-
tion. The ctl file in the line directory can be used to
send commands to the line. See ip(3) for messages that can
be written to the ctl file. The last close of both data and
ctl file will close the connection. The remote file in the
line directory contains the address called; the file local
contains the local address assigned.
The function dial calls destination addr on a multiplexed
network. If the connection server returns several possible
locations for addr, dial tries each in turn, until a connec-
tion is made, or no address remains to be tried. Dial
returns a reference to a Connection value containing a
string dir that names the conversation directory for the
connection, a file descriptor dfd open for reading and writ-
ing the data file in that directory, and a file descriptor
cfd open for reading and writing the directory's ctl file.
If local is non-empty, and the network allows the local
address to be set, as is the case with UDP and TCP port num-
bers, the local address will be set to local.
Page 2 Plan 9 (printed 11/17/24)
DIAL(2) DIAL(2)
Announce and listen are the complements of dial. Announce
establishes a network name to which incoming calls can be
made. In addr, netaddr gives the name or address of one of
the local host's interfaces on which to listen for calls to
the given service; it can be * to listen for calls on any
interface on network. Announce returns a reference to a
Connection value in which only the cfd descriptor is open,
on the control file representing the announcement. Listen
takes as its only argument a reference to the Connection
returned by a successful call to announce. When a call is
received, listen returns a reference to a new Connection
value that refers to the conversation directory for the
incoming call; only the cfd descriptor is open. That call
can be accepted or rejected. Use accept to obtain a file
descriptor for the data file for the conversation. Use
reject to reject the incoming call; some networks will also
tell the caller the reason why.
Netmkaddr makes addr into a full network address, suitable
for dial or announce. It adds the default network defnet
(usually "net") and a default service defsvc to the given
addr as required, including `!' separators, and returns the
result.
Given a Connection, netinfo returns a reference to a
Conninfo value that gives details about the connection and
its network.
EXAMPLES
Make a call and return an open file descriptor to use for
communications:
callkremvax(): ref Sys->FD
{
c := dial->dial("tcp!kremvax!80", nil);
if(c == nil)
return nil;
return c.dfd;
}
Call the local certificate signer:
dialsigner(service: string): ref Sys->FD
{
c := dial->dial("net!$SIGNER!inflogin", nil);
if(c == nil)
return nil;
return c.dfd;
}
Listen for incoming calls.
Page 3 Plan 9 (printed 11/17/24)
DIAL(2) DIAL(2)
listener()
{
ac := dial->announce("tcp!*!9995");
if(ac == nil){
sys->print("can't announce: %r\n");
exit;
}
for(;;){
lc := dial->listen(ac);
if(lc == nil){
sys->print("listen: %r\n");
exit;
}
sys->print("incoming: %s\n", hd ctext(lc));
spawn client(lc);
}
}
client(c: ref Connection)
{
dfd := dial->accept(c);
if(dfd == nil){
sys->print("%s: can't accept: %r\n", c.dir);
exit;
}
buf := array[Sys->ATOMICIO] of byte;
while((n := sys->read(dfd, buf, len buf)) > 0)
sys->write(dfd, buf, n);
}
SOURCE
/appl/lib/dial.b
DIAGNOSTICS
The integer valued functions return 0 on success and -1 on
error; functions returning a reference return nil on error.
In those cases the system error string is set.
Page 4 Plan 9 (printed 11/17/24)