🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <92083073@gandalf.moria>, michael@gandalf.moria (Michael Haardt) writes:
> While learning assembler, I wondered about how iserver is supposed to be
> used.  If two processes communicate with each other, the length of 
> corresponding 'in's and 'out's has to be same, right?  For the root 
> transputer exchanging data with the host, that doesn't matter, but what 
> for a router process which transports iserver packets between processes,
> e.g. to simulate a virtual transputer network?

iserver packets are always send as a 2 byte block containing the length
and a remaining block, containing the packet.  Thanks to Iain Phillips
and Jan Vorbrueggen for answering my questions in detail.

Conor O'Neill additionally suggested to use 'move' to build these packets,
because the components are often misaligned.

I repeat that these block lengths are IMPORTANT, SENDING WITH DIFFERENT
LENGHTS THAN RECEIVING ON THE SAME CHIP IS NOT OK.  It does work between
different transputers, but not on the same chip, at least the
specification says so.

> Do all commercial iserver libraries use the same in/out protocol, which
> is given by the OCCAM data structures?

OCCAM makes a clear definition, so all libraries which would not do so,
would be buggy.

Let me add that I am very glad to see INMOS people being so responsive
in helping users of their products.  It's not the first time that I got
qualified help to my questions from INMOS :-)  My code is rewritten now,
so if its packets ever get to a router, it should work. 

Michael