This guide describes the programming interfaces provided with the MultiNet software: A socket library based on the UNIX 4.3BSD system calls, and an OpenVMS $QIO interface. All socket functions documented in this guide are available in the shareable image MULTINET:MULTINET_SOCKET_LIBRARY.EXE, included in the standard MultiNet distribution. The include files and example programs are part of the optional MultiNet Programmers' Kit, and should be installed as described in the MultiNet for OpenVMS Installation and Administrator’s Guide before using the programming interface.
If you are writing socket programs in C, Process Software recommends that you use the HP C include files for the socket definitions. Your program will then use the TCP/IP Services for VMS-emulation interface in TCPware and MultiNet. The MultiNet header files have been updated to work with more current versions of HP C. The MultiNet files should be used only if you are planning to use the MultiNet INETDRIVER API explicitly.
Read this guide to perform the following tasks:
• Chapter 1, IP Programming Tutorial, to write clients and servers that access the network.
• Chapter 2, Socket Library Functions, to view detailed information about socket library functions.
• Chapter 3, $QIO Interface, to view detailed information about SYS$QIO calls that you can use to access the network.
• Chapter 4, SNMP Extensible Agent API Routines.
• Chapter 5, RPC Fundamentals, explains RPC.
• Chapter 6, Building Distributed Applications With RPC, explains what components a distributed application contains, how to use RPC to develop a distributed application, step-by-step, and how to get RPC information.
• Chapter 7, RPCGEN Compiler, explains the RPC compiler.
• Chapter 8, RPC RTL Management Routines.
• Chapter 9, RPC RTL Client Routines.
• Chapter 10, RPC RTL Port Mapper Routines.
• Chapter 11, RPC RTL Server Routines.
• Chapter 12, RPC RTL XDR Routines.
This Preface also contains more information in the next sections about getting help directly from Process Software Customer Support.
Process Software provides customer support if you have a current Maintenance Service Agreement. If you obtained MultiNet from an authorized distributor or partner, you receive your customer support directly from them.
You can contact Customer Support by:
• Sending electronic mail (see the section Sending Electronic Mail).
• Calling the Customer Support Specialist (see the section Calling Customer Support).
• Fax a description of your problem to the Customer Support Group (see the section Contacting Customer Support by Fax).
Before you call, or send e-mail or a fax, please:
1 Verify that your Maintenance Service Agreement is current.
2 Read the online Release Notes, available either in BookReader format or in SYS$HELP:MULTINETnnn. RELEASE_NOTES (nnn) is the current MultiNet software version installed on your system.
3 Have the following information available:
• Your name
• Your company name
• Your e-mail address
• Your voice and fax telephone numbers
• Your Maintenance Agreement Number
• OpenVMS architecture
• OpenVMS version
• MultiNet layered products and versions
4 Have complete information about your configuration, error messages that appeared, and problem specifics.
5 Be prepared to let an engineer connect to your system either with TELNET or by dialing in using a modem. Be prepared to give the engineer access to a privileged account to diagnose your problem.
You can obtain information about your OpenVMS architecture, OpenVMS version, MultiNet version, and layered products with the MULTINET SHOW /LICENSE command. For example:
$ MULTINET SHOW /LICENSE
Process Software MultiNet V5.3, VAXstation 4000-90, OpenVMS VAX V7.1
In this example:
• The machine or system architecture is VAX.
• The OpenVMS version is V7.1.
• The MultiNet version is V5.3.
You can use the following table as a template to record the relevant information about your system.
|
Required Information |
Your System Information |
|
Your nameCompany nameYour e-mail addressYour voice and fax telephone numbersSystem architectureOpenVMS versionMultiNet versionMultiNet optional software components:- MultiNet NFS Client- MultiNet NFS Server- MultiNet Secure/IP Client- MultiNet Secure/IP Server- TCP/IP applications- Online documentation- MultiNet Programmer's Kit |
VAX | AlphaInstalled? Yes | NoInstalled? Yes | NoInstalled? Yes | NoInstalled? Yes | NoInstalled? Yes | NoInstalled? Yes | NoInstalled? Yes | No |
For many questions, electronic mail is the preferred communication method. Customer support via electronic mail is available to customers with a current support contract. Send electronic mail to support@process.com
At the beginning of your mail message, include the information listed in the section Before Contacting Customer Support. Continue with the description of your situation and problem specifics. Include all relevant information to help your Customer Support Specialist process and track your electronic support request.
Electronic mail is answered Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. United States Eastern Time.
For regular support issues, call 800-394-8700 or 508-628-5074 for support Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. United States Eastern Time.
For our customers in North America with critical problems, an option for support 7 days per week, 24 hours per day is available at an additional charge. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Before calling, have available the information described in Before Contacting Customer Support. When you call, you will be connected to a Customer Support Specialist.
Be prepared to discuss problem specifics with your Customer Support Specialist and to let that person connect to your system.
If a Specialist is not available immediately, your call will be returned as soon as possible.
You can send fax transmissions directly to Customer Support at 508-879-0042.
Before faxing comments or questions, complete the steps in Before Contacting Customer Support and include all your system information at the beginning of your fax message. Continue with the description of your situation and problem specifics. Include all relevant information to help your Customer Support Specialist process and track your fax support request.
Faxed questions are answered Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. United States Eastern Time.
Extensive information about MultiNet is provided in the MultiNet help library. For more information, use the following command:
You can obtain an updated list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers about MultiNet products from the Process Software home page located at http://www.process.com/techsupport/multinet.html.
Process Software maintains two public mailing lists for MultiNet customers:
• Info-MultiNet@process.com
• MultiNet-Announce@process.com
The Info-MultiNet@process.com mailing list is a forum for discussion among MultiNet system managers and programmers. Questions and problems regarding MultiNet can be posted for a response by any of the subscribers. To subscribe to Info-MultiNet, send a mail message with the word "SUBSCRIBE" in the body to Info-MultiNet-request@process.com. The information exchanged over Info-MultiNet is also available via the USENET newsgroup vmsnet.networks.tcp-ip.multinet.
You can retrieve the Info-MultiNet archives by anonymous FTP to ftp.multinet.process.com. The archives are located in the directory [INFO-MULTINET].
You can also find the Info-MultiNet archives on the MultiNet consolidated CD-ROM in the [CONTRIBUTED-SOFTWARE.LIST-ARCHIVES.INFO-MULTINET] directory.
The MultiNet-Announce@process.com mailing list is a one-way communication (from Process Software to you) used for the posting of announcements relating to MultiNet (patch releases, product releases, etc.). To subscribe to MultiNet-Announce, send a mail message with the word "SUBSCRIBE" in the body to MultiNet-Announce-request@process.com.
Electronic support is provided through the Process Software World Wide Web server, which you can access with any World Wide Web browser; the URL is http://www.process.com (select Customer Support).
Process Software provides software patches in save set and ZIP format on its anonymous FTP server, ftp.multinet.process.com. For the location of software patches, read the .WELCOME file in the top-level anonymous directory. This file refers you to the directories containing software patches.
To retrieve a software patch, enter the following commands:
$ MULTINET FTP /USERNAME=ANONYMOUS/PASSWORD="emailaddress" FTP.MULTINET.PROCESS.COM
A message welcoming you to the Process Software FTP directory appears next followed by the FTP prompt. Enter the following at the prompts:
FTP.MULTINET.PROCESS.COM>
CD [CUSTOMER_SUPPORT.SOFTWARE_UPDATES_VMS.Vnn]
FTP.MULTINET.PROCESS.COM>GET update_filename
• emailaddress is your e-mail address in the standard user@host format.
• nn is the version of MultiNet you want to transfer.
• update_filename is the name of the file you want to transfer.
To transfer files from Process Software directly to an OpenVMS system, you can use the GET command without any other FTP commands. However, if you need to transfer a software patch through an intermediate non-OpenVMS system, use BINARY mode to transfer the files to and from that system.
In addition, if you are fetching the software patch in save set format, make sure the save set record size is 2048 bytes when you transfer the file from the intermediate system to your OpenVMS system:
• If you use the GET command to download the file from the intermediate system, use the FTP RECORD-SIZE 2048 command before transferring the file.
• If you use the PUT command to upload the file to your OpenVMS system, log into the intermediate system and use the FTP quote site rms recsize 2048 command before transferring the file.
Process Software also supplies UNZIP utilities for OpenVMS VAX and Alpha for decompressing ZIP archives in the [THIRD_PARTY_TOOLS.VMS] directory. To use ZIP format kits, you need a copy of the UNZIP utility.
The following example shows how to use the UNZIP utility, assuming you have copied the appropriate version of UNZIP.EXE to your current default directory.
$ UNZIP := $SYS$DISK:[]UNZIP.EXE
$ UNZIP filename.ZIP
Use VMSINSTAL to upgrade your MultiNet system with the software patch.
Examples in this guide use the following conventions:
|
Convention |
Example |
Meaning |
|
Bold text |
YES |
Represents user input in instructions or examples. |
|
Bold, uppercase Courier text |
RETURN |
Represents a key on your keyboard. |
|
Bold Courier text with a slash |
Ctrl/A |
Indicates that you holddown the key labeled Control or Ctrl while simultaneously pressing another key; in this example, the "A" key. |
|
A vertical bar within braces |
{ ON | OFF } |
Indicates a list of values permitted in commands. The vertical bar separates alternatives; do not type the vertical bar in the actual command. |
|
Italicized text |
file_name |
Represents a variable or placeholder; introduces new terminology or concepts; emphasizes something important; represents the title of a book or publication. |
|
Square brackets |
[FULL] |
Indicates optional choices; you can enter none of the choices, or as many as you like. When shown as part of an example, square brackets are actual characters you should type. |
|
Underscore or hyphen |
file_name or file-name |
Between words in commands, indicates the item is a single element. |
The following references contain additional information about programming under TCP/IP. They may be useful in learning more about socket programming. Additional titles of recommended books can be displayed using this command:
$ HELP MULTINET BOOKS
Comer, Douglas. Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols, and Architecture, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1988.
Curry, Donald A. Using C on the UNIX System, O'Reilly and Associates. 1-800-338-NUTS.
Harspool, R. Nigel. C Programming in the Berkeley Unix Environment, Toronto, Canada: Prentice-Hall, 1986.
Kochan, Stephen G. and Patrick K. Wood, editors. UNIX Networking, Indianapolis, IN: Hatden Books, 1989.
Leffler, Samuel J., Marshall Kirk McKusick, Michael J. Karels, and John S. Quarterman. The Design and Implementation of the 4.3BSD UNIX Operating System, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1989.
UNIX Programming Manuals, U. C. Berkeley.
Your comments about the information in this guide can help us improve the documentation. If you have corrections or suggestions for improvement, please let us know.
Be as specific as possible about your comments: include the exact title of the document, version, date, and page references as appropriate.
You can send your comments by e-mail to: techpubs@process.com or mail the completed form to:
Process Software
959 Concord Street
Framingham, MA 01701-4682
Attention: Marketing Manager
You can also fax the form to us at 508-879-0042.
Your comments about our documentation are appreciated.
