NetBIOS API for the W5200

Mike G

I spent some time on this Columbus holiday building NetBIOS name services using a W5200. I did not fully implement NetBIOS name services. I did get Registration, Name Query, and NBSTAT Name query working - see attached.

What this does is allow the embedded device to register its name on the local network. Registration is done by broadcasting a NAME REGISTRATION REQUEST to all nodes on the network. If none of the nodes respond with, "Hey that's my name!" then the name is unique and free to use.

The unit test code will also handle name queries. A name query is like broadcasting, "Who the heck is PROPNET?". If PROPNET is on the network and listening, PROPNET will respond with a packet that contains PROPNET's IP address among other information. The next step is usually, "Tell me a little more about yourself PROPNET." PROPNET responds with name, group name, and MAC address.

Now you have the ability to ping the name PROPNET and see the IP address. That's cool because you can find the device on your local network especially if the IP was assigned using DHCP.

Here are a few NetBIOS resources:
http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1001
http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1002
http://ubiqx.org/cifs/NetBIOS.html

Source Code

Next on the agenda is DNS registration. I have to ask permission from my wife first...

D.P

Mike G wrote: »

I spent some time on this Columbus holiday building NetBIOS name services using a W5200. I did not fully implement NetBIOS name services. I did get Registration, Name Query, and NBSTAT Name query working - see attached.

What this does is allow the embedded device to register its name on the local network. Registration is done by broadcasting a NAME REGISTRATION REQUEST to all nodes on the network. If none of the nodes respond with, "Hey that's my name!" then the name is unique and free to use.

The unit test code will also handle name queries. A name query is like broadcasting, "Who the heck is PROPNET?". If PROPNET is on the network and listening, PROPNET will respond with a packet that contains PROPNET's IP address among other information. The next step is usually, "Tell me a little more about yourself PROPNET." PROPNET responds with name, group name, and MAC address.

Now you have the ability to ping the name PROPNET and see the IP address. That's cool because you can find the device on your local network especially if the IP was assigned using DHCP.

Here are a few NetBIOS resources:
http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1001
http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1002
http://ubiqx.org/cifs/NetBIOS.html

Next on the agenda is DNS registration. I have to ask permission from my wife first...

Very nice Mike, I'll send you some organic chocolate covered blueberries from the company I work for to appease the wife, for a little while anyway By any chance have you wrapped your spinnerette server code et al around the Wiz820io module so we can ditch the indirect driver (recovering lots of pins) and mock up a spinnerette with this module and a Prop BOE or any combo that has this module / SD Card / Prop ?

EDIT: Just saw you plan on doing this "port" in the basic authentication thread. I'm sending blueberries FYI. Let me know an address please via PM.

Mike G

Very nice Mike, I'll send you some organic chocolate covered blueberries from the company I work for to appease the wife, for a little while anyway By any chance have you wrapped your spinnerette server code et al around the Wiz820io module so we can ditch the indirect driver (recovering lots of pins) and mock up a spinnerette with this module and a Prop BOE or any combo that has this module / SD Card / Prop ?

EDIT: Just saw you plan on doing this "port" in the basic authentication thread. I'm sending blueberries FYI. Let me know an address please via PM.

Address PMed.

My goal is to migrate the W5200 library to the Spinneret. I've always had the Spinneret in mind while creating the W5200 library. Time is always a factor. Anyway, I want to squash the current reported W5200 bugs then I'll move back to Spinneret development.