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AMARQUEE v54.0
(Released May 4th 2002)
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The Problem:
You have a great idea for a killer multi-player Internet game
or multi-user net app, but it's a total pain in the  )#$* to
write all the TCP connection and data synchronization code
you'll need to get it going. So you put your idea on the
back-burner and go play "Lemmings" instead. And thus the
Amiga is deprived of a fun Internet app. D-oh! :(
The Solution: (well, okay, it's *a* solution, anyway)
AMarquee is a system that handles all of the icky information
distribution details for you, allowing you to concentrate on
coding your application, rather than on which data goes into
which socket when. AMarquee consists of a shared library and
a TCP daemon, which work together to get your data where it
needs to be. Your program calls simple amarquee.library
functions to broadcast your data, and waits on a provided
MsgPort for data from other hosts. Easy!
Version 49+ of amarquee.library may be used in more serious network
applications too, that cannot use the amarquee protocol, like FTP and HTTP
clients. This in the same easy fashioned way!
Features of amarquee.library (the shared library/API):
- Programs written to use amarquee.library will work transparently
with Inet225, AmiTCP, Miami, or any other TCP stack that is
"AmiTCP compatible".
- Has a simple API that requires no knowledge of multithreading
techniques or socket programming to use.
- Each AMarquee connection you make automatically and transparently
starts a separate background execution thread, so your app will
never have to block while data is sent or received.
- An arbitrary number of AMarquee connections may be active at once.
- Allows you to "subscribe" to data that interests you, so that
when the data on the server is changed you will be automatically
notified. You never need to poll for anything!
- An easy mechanism for sending messages to one or many other
AMarquee clients that are logged into the same server.
- Standard Amiga wildcarding is supported in all applicable functions.
This allows you to easily and succinctly refer to one host or data
item, or many, as appropriate.
- #includes for C, C++, and PCQ Pascal are included.
- ARexx accessible. That is, ARexx scripts can use amarquee.library
through rexxamarquee.library for communications using the same API
that compiled C programs do.
- Example programs in C, C++, Pascal, and ARexx are included.
- Operation is almost totally asynchronous for efficiency, but
several easy synchronization methods are available if you need them.
- Can also be used for direct client-to-client connections and
for making inetd-launched or manually-launched daemon programs.
- Automatically detects when the computer on the other end of
the AMarquee connection has crashed or been shut down, even
on idle connections.
- In addition it can connect to any TCP service, eg. HTTP and FTP, and it will
work in the same easy fashion like any other AMarquee connection.
Features of AMarqueed (the AmiTCP server):
- Works with Inet225, AmiTCP, Miami, or any other TCP stack
that is "AmiTCP compatible".
- Fully multithreaded design, with one server process per connection.
- Re-entrant code, to minimize memory usage.
- Data is stored in a filesystem-like tree structure for simplicity,
flexibility and efficiency. Each client gets its own "home directory"
that it may write to or read from, and each client may also
read from the "home directories" of other clients.
- Efficient design minimizes CPU usage, net bandwidth, and execution time.
- Limits may be put on memory usage, number of connections, and/or
which clients or apps may connect. Only serve the hosts and apps
you want to serve!
- Supports data streaming to one or many clients at once.
- Data streaming and synchronization features let you be sure your
data was read by all interested hosts before you update it again.
- Automatically detects and eliminates "dead" connections (e.g.
if the client computer was shut down without quitting politely)
- Server may be administered remotely by clients with "privileged"
status.
WHAT'S NEW IN VERSION 54.0:
( "-" = new feature, "*" = bug fix)
V54.0: (Public release 2002-May-04) (amarquee.library v54.0,
rexxamarquee.library v54.0, AMarqueed v51.0)
* QGetLocalIP() did not return the local ip address when the session was
created with
QNewSocketServerSession().
* When a session created with QNewHostSession is connected it shall return
the ip address
of the remote host in the qm_Data field of the QMessage, it did return the
local ip address
with version 53 of amarquee.library. So if your program doesn't work with v.53
you know why.
* The version string of rexxamarquee.library wasn't updated since v 52.
V53.0: (Public release 2002-Apr-24) (amarquee.library v53.0,
rexxamarquee.library v53.0, AMarqueed v51.0)
- New function STRPTR QGetLocalIP(struct QSession *)
It returns the local ip address of the interface that is connected to the
session.
Valid as soon as the session is connected.
* The documentation for QNewSessionAsync() said that your hostname would be
returned in the qm_Path when your are connected to the server. That's not
true.
It will be /serverhostname/yourprogname
* The datatype for argument two and three for the function QSetKeyAccessOp
was wrong in the AMarquee_protos.h.
- Added QGetHostName, QGetProgName and QGetLocalIP to the
rexxamarquee.library.
V52.2: () (amarquee.library v52.0, rexxamarquee.library v52.0, AMarqueed v51.0)
- The include files were modified. Added support for more compilers in the
pragma, clib
and proto files. Just copy over all of them to your include directories.
V52.1: () (amarquee.library v52.0, rexxamarquee.library v52.0, AMarqueed v51.0)
- Added a unit for the FPC Pascal Compiler, and an example named
AMarqueeTest.pas.
The AMarquee.i file for PCQ Pascal was also updated with varargs functions for
the
new Tag-functions. The PCQ example named PascalTest.p was also updated to use
a Tag-
function.
All those files were kindly given to me by Nils Sjöholm, author of the PCQ
and the
Amiga port of FPC.
V52.0: (Public release 12-Aug-2000) (amarquee.library v52.0,
rexxamarquee.library v52.0, AMarqueed v51.0)
* This bug should have been fixed in v.51 but apperently wasn't :(
The QNew*Session() and QFreeSession() functions cleared the shared message
port given
with the tag QSESSION_SHAREDMSGPORT.
Because of this misfunction there were problems when you created a new or
freed an old
session while there were messages waiting in the message port. You should
require at
least v.52 of amarquee.library when you use shared message ports.
Please understand that only one task, the one which created the shared message
port, may
create and free sessions which are bound to the shared message port.
For any sessions please also understand that you must make sure that only one
task at
one time use a specific session. This apply to all the Q*Op() functions, which
could be
called from several tasks if the calls are serialized.
QFreeSession() may only be called from the task which owns the session, i.e.
the task
which created the session or have taken over a session with
QReattachSession().
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