Implementation

A layer known as the Data Stream Interface (DSI) is used to provide AFP services over TCP. With minimal overhead, the DSI establishes an interface between AFP and TCP that is generic enough to be used over any data stream protocol. The DSI has the following characteristics:

• It registers the AFP server on a well-known data stream port. For TCP, the port number is 548. Protocol suites that include a service-locating protocol (Bonjour, for example) can be used to advertise and locate an AFP server.

• It uses a request/response model that supports multiple outstanding requests on any given connection. In other words, the request’s window size may be greater than 1 in length.

• It replies to multiple outstanding requests in any order.

• It provides a one-to-one mapping between the AFP session and the port ID or connection ID maintained by the data stream protocol.

• It maintains some state information for every open client connection. This allows the server to demultiplex requests to an appropriate AFP session.

• It allows the AFP server to send and receive large packets. The size of the packets is based on the underlying network’s maximum transmission unit (MTU).

DSI Commands

DSI commands are similar to ASP commands, and they preserve all of the ASP commands except ASPWriteContinue. The DSI commands are listed in Table 6-1.