Xref: utzoo comp.protocols.tcp-ip:2295 comp.lang.c:6818
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!cernvax!jmg
From: jmg@cernvax.UUCP (jmg)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip,comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: C binding interfaces for TCP/IP
Message-ID: <603@cernvax.UUCP>
Date: 21 Jan 88 10:29:28 GMT
References: <25@vdelta.UUCP>
Reply-To: jmg@cernvax.UUCP ()
Organization: CERN European Laboratory for Particle Physics, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Lines: 19

In article <25@vdelta.UUCP> dave@vdelta.UUCP (Dave Arnold) writes:
>Are there efforts underway to standardize a C language interface for TCP/IP?
>I have asked a particular vendor about this for VAX/VMS, and all he said was
>"You get a QIO interface".  Great, so when we migrate to OSI, we will have
>to rewrite all our software.  How does BSD sockets and streams fit into this?

We decided to define a set of routines for using a transport service,
called Common Applications Transport Service (CATS). It was oriented
towards OSI, but has been implemented on top of DECNET also.
If I have understood it correctly it is more oriented towards streams
than sockets, although we think that it could go onto both.
The routines have been put onto various computers and operating systems,
and there is quite a lot of interest: physicists also want to avoid
changing their programs more than necessary.
Of course, the OSI TP4 is not really meant to be used directly by programmers,
and there are thus no defined programming interfaces. However, in the real
world people chase after efficiency, speed etc., which they feel is better
by avoiding such things as presentation and session level.
(if that does not start a religious war then nothing will!)