IrDA Stack (IrDA Sockets) Overview

The IrDA Stack component is a Sock Server protocol plugin that allows applications to use infrared communications, as defined by the IrDA protocol stack, through Symbian platform's generic sockets interface.

Purpose

The IrDA Stack component is a ESock Server protocol plugin that allows applications to use infrared communications, as defined by the IrDA protocol stack, through Symbian platform's generic sockets interface.

Key concepts and terms

The API has the following key concepts:

IrTinyTP socket protocol: The IrTinyTP socket protocol provides access to IrDA IrTinyTP, a reliable transport layer which corresponds to a sequenced packet service. Client applications access this through the generic socket interface RSocket.
IrMUX socket protocol: The IrMUX socket protocol provides access to the raw IrDA LM-MUX layer, which corresponds to an unreliable datagram service. Client applications access this through the generic socket interface RSocket.
IrDA discovery: IrDA discovery is done through the generic host name resolution interface RHostResolver. Discovery information is returned in a TIrdaSockAddr.
IAS database queries: IrDA IAS database queries are performed through RNetDatabase. The query itself is constructed in a TIASQuery object. A response to a query is held in a TIASResponse object.
IAS database registration: IrDA IAS database registration is performed through RNetDatabase. Information for a database entry is encapsulated by TIASDatabaseEntry.

Architecture

The Sockets Server defines a generic interface for all socket type communication services, and defines a plug-in architecture for implementing particular providers. IrDA Sockets is such a plug-in. Clients access its services through the generic Sockets Client API, specifying protocol-specific behaviour through infrared-specific utility types and constants.

IrDA Stack Summary

IrDA Stack provides the following:

IrDA Stack plug-in

infra-red.prt

Socket server IrDA protocol module.
Serial port emulation for IR plug-in

ircomm.csy

C32 plugin for serial port emulation over IR.
IrDA protocol

irda.dll

Provides the client-side library for the IrDA protocol module.
IrDial Baseband Channel Adaptor

irdialbca.dll

Baseband Channel Adaptor for IrDial protocol.
Infrared Transfer Picture protocol library

irtranp.dll

Implementation of Infrared Transfer Picture protocol.