Programming With Infrared Sockets
The term IrDA (Infra Red Data Association) refers to the international body of about 150 countries which aims at setting standards for device communications that use Infrared beams - to give the users access to high quality Infrared communications. They conduct necessary tests and issue guidelines for various hardware and software that are designed to be IrDA-compliant. Developers and solution providers for Infrared communications should get the "IrDA-compliant Logo" to claim that their products are IrDA-compliant. Infrared communication is mainly targeted towards HandHelds, PalmPCs and other devices that have a built-in Infrared port. Printers with IR ports enable us to print without any external power.
Enough has already been talked about the TCP /IP communications and windows sockets. IrDA, and Infrared communication standard, being wireless and mobile oriented, calls for a different model where there are no IP addresses or DNS servers, where the network is dynamic and devices enter and leave the network frequently. The conventional machine name-to-IP address mapping is absent and instead we have a service name /LSAP-SEL combination. Every IrDA device is identified by its name and an unique ID. Software (applications) within IRDA devices connect to applications on other devices by using a service name or an LSAP - SEL number registered by a target application on that device. Whenever such a service is created, an entry is made in a database called IAS, containing the service name along with the next available LSAP-SEL number (discussed later). This database can be queried by other devices to find the LSAP-SEL and establish communication.
The devices of interest include embedded devices, hand-helds, laptops etc, which have at least one built-in IR port. These IrDA-enabled devices can be used to build security systems, connect to a LAN and obtain the various services available on the net etc., Printers with IR ports can be installed and used with ease (walk-up printing)....
