Socket Server Protocols Overview

Defines a framework for providing network services with socket type APIs.

The socket server handles all requests for socket type services. It makes use of dynamically loadable libraries known as protocol modules. Developers can implement new protocol modules to provide sockets services over different transports.

TCP/IP and the InfraRed IRDA sockets are examples of Symbian OS sockets protocol modules.

The API has three key concepts: protocol family, protocol, and socket.

A protocol module typically provides a number of related protocols, known as a protocol family. A module implements a protocol family to identify and create the protocols that it supports. The protocol family base class is CProtocolFamilyBase.

A protocol is implemented to provide socket, host name resolution, network database access, and service resolution services to clients. Protocols can also bind to other protocols in the stack. The protocol base class is CProtocolBase.

Protocol modules implement a socket class for each protocol that supports sockets. The base class is CServProviderBase. Implementations use the MSocketNotify interface to inform the socket server that various events have occurred.

IrDA Sockets Overview

Sockets Client Overview

TCP/IP Overview