OT Configuration SDK Big Picture

1.0b1

Database Fundamentals

There is one Open Transport configuration database. Within that database, there are multiple areas, distinguished by name. An area is the fundamental unit of database modification. There are two types of areas, named areas and temporary areas.

A named area holds some preferences. In the current model, there is only one named area, "Default", which holds the preferences for all the networking components.

A temporary area is created when you start modifying a named area. The temporary area allows you perform your changes without affecting the current network services. When you've finished your modifications, you commit the changes, ie you atomically overwrite the original area with the modified temporary area. This also tears down the corresponding network stacks and brings them up with the new configuration.

Within each area there are a number of entities, distinguished by name. Entities also have a attributes of class and type (which are OSTypes). There are currently three classes of entities:

Within each entity there are zero or more preferences, distinguished by a preference type (an OSType). A preference is the fundamental unit of data within the database. Each type of preference holds data whose format is defined by a C structure associated with that preference type. In general, the preference type has the same format of the equivalent resource type used in the Open Transport 1.x preferences files.

Example

LetŐs say you have AppleTalk and TCP/IP installed, and each protocol has a configuration associated with "Home" and "Work". The database might look like:

Credits and Version History

If you find any problems with this document, mail <DTS@apple.com> with "Attn: Quinn" as the first line of your mail and I'll try to fix them up.

1.0d1 (Jul 1998) (named "OTConfigSDKBigPicture.html") shipped to a limit number of developers in a private seeding program.

1.0b1 (Sep 1998) was first distributed with the "OTTCPWillDial" sample.

Share and Enjoy.

Quinn "The Eskimo!"
Apple Developer Technical Support
Networking, Communications, Hardware

30 Sep 1998