Data Encoding for Proxies

Encoding for Proxy Options

The encoding format of proxies changed in version 1.1.

Proxy Encoding version 1.0

The first component of an encoded proxy is a value of type Ice::Identity. If the proxy is a nil value, the category and name members are empty strings, and no additional data is encoded. The encoding for a non-null proxy consists of proxy options followed by endpoints.

The proxy options are encoded as if they were members of the following structure:

struct ProxyData
{
    Ice::Identity id;
    Ice::StringSeq facet;
    byte mode;
    bool secure;
}

The proxy options are described in the table below:

The facet field has either zero elements or one element. An empty sequence denotes the default facet, and a one-element sequence provides the facet name in its first member. If a receiver receives a proxy with a facet field with more than one element, it must throw a ProxyUnmarshalException.

Proxy Encoding version 1.1

Version 1.1 of the encoding adds two options to the existing proxy options in version 1.0: protocol and encoding versions. The proxy options are encoded as if they were members of the following structure:

struct ProtocolVersion
{
    byte major;
    byte minor;
}
 
struct EncodingVersion
{
    byte major;
    byte minor;
}
struct ProxyData
{
    Ice::Identity id;
    Ice::StringSeq facet;
    byte mode;
    bool secure;
    ProtocolVersion protocol;
    EncodingVersion encoding;
}

The additional options are described in the table below:

The encoding for UDP endpoints also changed in version 1.1.

Encoding for Endpoints

A proxy optionally contains an endpoint list or an adapter identifier, but not both:

• If a proxy contains endpoints, they are encoded immediately following the proxy options. A size specifying the number of endpoints is encoded first, followed by the endpoints. Each endpoint is encoded as a short specifying the endpoint type, followed by an encapsulation of type-specific endpoint options. The type-specific options for each endpoint type are presented in the sections that follow.

• If a proxy does not have endpoints, a single byte with value 0 immediately follows the proxy options and a string representing the object adapter identifier is encoded immediately following the zero byte.

• For a proxy to a well-known object, which has neither endpoints nor an object adapter identifier, a single byte with value 0 immediately follows the proxy options and an empty string is encoded immediately following the zero byte.

Type-specific endpoint options are encapsulated because a receiver may not be capable of decoding them. For example, a receiver can only decode SSL endpoint options if it is configured with the IceSSL plug-in. However, the receiver must be able to re-encode the proxy with all of its original endpoints, in the order they were received, even if the receiver does not understand the type-specific options for an endpoint. Encapsulation of the endpoint into an opaque endpoint allows the receiver to do this.

Encoding for TCP Endpoints

A TCP endpoint is encoded as an encapsulation containing the following structure:

struct TCPEndpointData
{
    string host;
    int port;
    int timeout;
    bool compress;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

Encoding for UDP Endpoints

The encoding format of UDP endpoints changed in version 1.1.

UDP Endpoint Encoding version 1.0

A UDP endpoint is encoded as an encapsulation containing the following structure:

struct UDPEndpointData
{
    string host;
    int port;
    byte protocolMajor;
    byte protocolMinor;
    byte encodingMajor;
    byte encodingMinor;
    bool compress;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

UDP Endpoint Encoding version 1.1

Version 1.1 of the encoding omits the protocol and encoding versions because these options are handled as proxy options instead:

struct UDPEndpointData
{
    string host;
    int port;
    bool compress;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

Encoding for SSL Endpoints

An SSL endpoint is encoded as an encapsulation containing the following structure:

struct SSLEndpointData
{
    string host;
    int port;
    int timeout;
    bool compress;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

Encoding for WS Endpoints

A WebSocket endpoint is encoded as an encapsulation containing the following structure:

struct WSEndpointData
{
    string host;
    int port;
    int timeout;
    bool compress;
    string resource;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

Encoding for WSS Endpoints

A secure WebSocket endpoint is encoded as an encapsulation containing the following structure:

struct WSSEndpointData
{
    string host;
    int port;
    int timeout;
    bool compress;
    string resource;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

Encoding for BT Endpoints

A Bluetooth endpoint is encoded as an encapsulation containing the following structure:

struct BTEndpointData
{
    string addr;
    string uuid;
    int timeout;
    bool compress;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

Encoding for BTS Endpoints

A secure Bluetooth endpoint is encoded as an encapsulation containing the following structure:

struct BTSEndpointData
{
    string addr;
    string uuid;
    int timeout;
    bool compress;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

Encoding for iAP Endpoints

An iAP endpoint is encoded as an encapsulation containing the following structure:

struct IAPEndpointData
{
    string manufacturer;
    string modelNumber;
    string name;
    string protocol;
    int timeout;
    bool compress;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

Encoding for iAPS Endpoints

A secure iAP endpoint is encoded as an encapsulation containing the following structure:

struct IAPSEndpointData
{
    string manufacturer;
    string modelNumber;
    string name;
    string protocol;
    int timeout;
    bool compress;
}

The endpoint options are described in the following table.

See Also

• Object Identity

• Versioning

• Basic Data Encoding

• IceSSL

• Using Connections

• Protocol Compression