NAME

       FBB::InetAddress - Converting between host byte order and network byte order

SYNOPSIS

       #include <bobcat/inetaddress>
       Linking option: -lbobcat

DESCRIPTION

       Computers  differ their word-byte order, called `endianness’. A little-endian computer has
       its least significant byte at the byte having the  lower  address  of  a  two-byte  value,
       whereas  a  big-endian  computer  has its least significant byte at at the byte having the
       higher address of a two-byte value. In order to allow these computers to communicate  over
       over  Internet, host byte order was designed. Objects of the class FBB::InetAddress may be
       used to convert between network byte order and host byte order (and vice versa).

       The class only has a few public members. Most members are protected, and  FBB::InetAddress
       is  therefore  primarily  used  as  a  base class from which other classes are derived. In
       practice there will be little need to construct objects  of  the  class  FBB::InetAddress,
       which is primarily a support class for the FBB socket-classes.

       Internally, all data are stored in network byte order.

       As   the  class’  constructors  depend  on  the  proper  functioning  of  members  of  the
       FBB:GetHostent class, the class’ objects can only be constructed when the host whose  name
       or address is searched can be resolved by a name resolution process, e.g., bind(1).

       Objects  of  the class FBB::InetAddress store address information about a host in a struct
       sockaddr_in data member. A struct sockaddr_in is the data type used  to  represent  socket
       addresses in the Internet namespace.  It has the following members:

       o      sa_family_t sin_family:
              This  identifies  the address family or format of the socket address.  It holds the
              value AF_INET.

       o      struct in_addr sin_addr:
              This is the Internet address of the host machine stored as a binary value.

       o      size_t short int sin_port:
              This field holds the port number.

NAMESPACE

       FBB
       All constructors, members, operators and manipulators, mentioned  in  this  man-page,  are
       defined in the namespace FBB.

INHERITS FROM

       -

PROTECTED CONSTRUCTORS

       o      InetAddress(std::string const &host, uint16_t port):
              This  constructor expects a host name or dotted decimal address and and an (size_t)
              port number, and determines  the  host’s  address  information.  An  FBB::Exception
              exception is thrown if the address could not be determined.

       o      InetAddress(uint16_t port):
              This  constructor  constructs  the  `generic’ address information that is used when
              constructing, e.g. server sockets.

       o      InetAddress(sockaddr_in const &address):
              This  constructor  constructs  an  FBB::InetAddress  object  from  an   initialized
              sockaddr_in   object.  It  is  primarily  used  to  promote  a  sockaddr_in  to  an
              FBB::InetAddresss.

       The (public) copy constructor is available.

MEMBER FUNCTIONS

       o      uint16_t port() const:
              Accessor returning the object’s port value.

       o      std::string dottedDecimalAddress() const:
              Accessor returning the object’s Internet address as a dotted decimal string. If the
              address could not be determined, an FBB::Exception object is thrown.

       o      size_t size() const:
              Accessor returning the size of the object’s sockaddr_in (address) information.

       o      sockaddr const *sockaddrPtr() const:
              Accessor returning the pointer to the object’s sockaddr data member.

       o      sockaddr_in const *sockaddr_inPtr() const:
              Accessor returning the pointer to the object’s sockaddr_in data member.

PROTECTED MEMBER FUNCTIONS

       o      sockaddr *sockaddrPtr():
              This  member  returns the object’s address information as a pointer to a modifiable
              struct sockaddr. This allows (contrary to the public member having the  same  name)
              derived objects to manipulate the object’s address information directly.

       o      sockaddr_in *sockaddr_inPtr():
              This  member  returns the object’s address information as a pointer to a modifiable
              struct sockaddr_in. This allows (contrary to the  public  member  having  the  same
              name) derived objects to manipulate the object’s address information directly.

EXAMPLE

       #include <iostream>

       #include <bobcat/inetaddress>
       #include <bobcat/errno>

       using namespace std;
       using namespace FBB;

       InetAddress X()
       {
           class A: public InetAddress
           {
               public:
               A(uint16_t port)
               :
                   InetAddress(port)
               {}
           };

           return A(2000);
       }

       int main(int argc, char **argv)
       try
       {
           InetAddress const &ia = X();

           cout << "A InetAddress was constructed for port " << ia.port() <<
                   endl;
           cout << "It has the generic `ANY’ address: " <<
                   ia.dottedDecimalAddress() << endl;

           return 0;
       }
       catch (Errno const &e)
       {
           cout << "Exception: " << e.why() << endl;
       }

FILES

       bobcat/inetaddress - defines the class interface

SEE ALSO

       bind(1), bobcat(7), gethostent(3bobcat), socketbase(3bobcat)

BUGS

       None Reported.

DISTRIBUTION FILES

       o      bobcat_3.19.01-x.dsc: detached signature;

       o      bobcat_3.19.01-x.tar.gz: source archive;

       o      bobcat_3.19.01-x_i386.changes: change log;

       o      libbobcat1_3.19.01-x_*.deb: debian package holding the libraries;

       o      libbobcat1-dev_3.19.01-x_*.deb:  debian  package holding the libraries, headers and
              manual pages;

       o      http://sourceforge.net/projects/bobcat: public archive location;

BOBCAT

       Bobcat is an acronym of `Brokken’s Own Base Classes And Templates’.

COPYRIGHT

       This is free software, distributed under the terms  of  the  GNU  General  Public  License
       (GPL).

AUTHOR

       Frank B. Brokken (f.b.brokken@rug.nl).