<< Previous | Index | Next >>

1. Introduction

This manual is intended for embedded system designers and support professionals who are using a Rabbit-based controller board. Most of the information contained here is meant for use with Ethernet-enabled boards, but using only serial communication is also an option. Knowledge of networks and TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ) is assumed. For an overview of these two topics a separate manual is provided, An Introduction to TCP/IP. A basic understanding of HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is also assumed. For information on this subject, there are numerous sources on the Web and in any major book store.

The Dynamic C implementation of TCP/IP comprises several libraries. The main library is DCRTCP.LIB. As of Dynamic C 7.05, this library is a light wrapper around DNS.LIB, IP.LIB, NET.LIB, TCP.LIB and UDP.LIB. These libraries implement DNS (Domain Name Server), IP, TCP, and UDP (User Datagram Protocol). This, along with the libraries ARP.LIB, ICMP.LIB, IGMP.LIB and PPP.LIB are the transport and network layers of the TCP/IP protocol stack.

The Dynamic C libraries that implement application-layer protocols are:

• BOOTP.LIB
• FTP_SERVER.LIB
• FTP_CLIENT.LIB
• HTTP.LIB
• POP3.LIB
• SMNP.LIB
• SMTP.LIB
• TFTP.LIB
• VSERIAL.LIB

Except for BOOTP (which is described in this manual) the application-layer protocols are described in Dynamic C TCP/IP, User's Manual, Vol 2.

All user-callable functions are listed and described in their appropriate chapter. Example programs throughout the manual illustrate the use of all the different protocols. The sample code also provides templates for creating servers and clients of various types.

To address embedded system design needs, additional functionality has been included in Dynamic C's implementation of TCP/IP. There are step-by-step instructions on how to create HTML forms, allowing remote access and manipulation of information. There is also a serial-based console that can be used with TCP/IP to open up legacy systems for additional control and monitoring. The console may also be used for configuration when a serial port is available. The console and HTML forms are discussed in the Dynamic C TCP/IP User's Manual, Vol 2.

Multiple interfaces are supported starting with Dynamic C version 7.30.