Network Provider Interface

Network Provider Interface Specification

About This Manual

This is Edition 1.20110510, last updated 2011-10-28, of The Network Provider Interface Specification, for Version 1.1 release 1.20110510 of the OpenSS7 package.

1 Introduction

This document specifies a STREAMS-based kernel-level instantiation of the ISO/CCITT network service definition. The Network Provider Interface (NPI) enables the user of a network layer service to access and use any of a variety of conforming network layer service providers without specific knowledge of the provider's protocol. The service interface is designed to support any connection-mode network protocol and connectionless network protocol. This interface only specifies access to network layer service providers, and does not address issues concerning network layer management,protocol performance, and performance analysis tools.

The specification assumes that the reader is familiar with the OSI reference model terminology, ISO/CCITT Network Layer Service, and STREAMS.

1.1 Related Documentation

• 1986 CCITT X.213 Recommendation (see X.213)
• ISO 8348 (see ISO8348)
• ISO 8348/AD1 (see ISO8348/AD1)
• ISO 8473 (see ISO8473)
• ISO 8208 (see ISO8208)
• ISO 8878 (see ISO8878)
• System V Interface Definition, Issue 2 - Volume 3 (see SVID)

1.1.1 Role

This document specifies an interface that supports the service provided by the Network Services Definition for Open Systems Interconnection for CCITT Applications as described in CCITT Recommendation X.213 (see X.213) and ISO 8348 (for CONS) (see ISO8348) and ISO8348/Addendum 1 (for CLNS) (see ISO8348/AD1). These specifications are targeted for use by) and ISO 8348 (for CONS) (see ISO8348) and ISO8348/Addendum 1 (for CLNS) (see ISO8348/AD1). These specifications are targeted for use by developers and testers of protocol modules that require network layer service.

1.2 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

Calling NS user

An NS user that initiates a Network Connection (NC).

Called NS User

An NS user with whom a calling NS user wishes to establish a network connection (NC).

CLNP

Connection-less Network Protocol

CLNS

Connection-less Network Service

CONP

Connection Oriented Network Protocol

CONS

Connection Oriented Network Service

DLSAP

Data Link Service Access Point

ISO

International Organization for Standardization

NC

Network Connection

Network User

Kernel level protocol or user level application that is accessing the services of the network layer.

Network Provider

Network layer entity/entities that provide/s the services of the network interface.

NPI

Network Provider Interface

NS

Network Service

NIDU

Network Interface Data Unit

NSAP

Network Service Access Point

NSDU

Network Service Data Unit

OSI

Open Systems Interconnection

QOS

Quality of Service

STREAMS

A communication services development facility first available with UNIX® System V Release 3

2 The Network Layer

The Network Layer provides the means to manage the operation of the network. It is responsible for the routing and management of data exchange between network-user entities.

2.1 Model of the NPI

The NPI defines the services provided by the network layer to the network-user at the boundary between the network layer and the network layer user entity. The interface consists of a set of primitives defined as STREAMS messages that provide access to the network layer services, and are transferred between the NS user entity and the NS provider. These primitives are of two types; ones that originate from the NS user, and others that originate from the NS provider. The primitives that originate from the NS user make requests to the NS provider, or respond to an event of the NS provider. The primitives that originate from the NS provider are either confirmations of a request or are indications to the NS user that the event has occurred. Figure 1 shows the model of the NPI.

The NPI allows the NS provider to be configured with any NS user (such as the OSI Transport Layer) that also conforms to the NPI. A network layer user can also be a user program that conforms to the NPI and accesses the NS provider via putmsg(2s) and getmsg(2s) system calls.

2.2 NPI Services

The features of the NPI are defined in terms of the services provided by the NS provider, and the individual primitives that may flow between the NS user and the NS provider.

The services supported by the NPI are based on two distinct modes of communication, connection (CONS) and connectionless (CLNS). In addition, the NPI supports services for local management.

2.2.1 CONS

The main features of the connection mode communication are:

1. It is virtual circuit oriented;
2. It provides transfer of data via a pre-established path;
3. It provides reliable data transfer.

There are three phases to each instance of communication: Connection Establishment, Data Transfer; and Connection Termination. Units of data arrive at their destination in the same order as they departed their source and the data is protected against duplication or loss of data units within some specified quality of service.

2.2.2 CLNS

The main features of the connectionless mode communication are:

1. It is datagram oriented;
2. It provides transfer of data in self contained units;
3. There is no logical relationship between these units of data;
4. It is unreliable.

Connectionless mode communication has no separate phases. Each unit of data is transmitted from source to destination independently, appropriate addressing information is included with each unit of data. As the units of data are transmitted independently from source to destination, there are, in general, no guarantees of proper sequence and completeness of the data Stream.

2.2.3 Local Management

The NPI specifications also define a set of local management functions that apply to both CONS and CLNS modes of communication. These services have local significance only.

Table 1 and Table 2 summarizes the NPI service primitives by their state and service.

3 NPI Services Definition

This section describes the services of the NPI primitives. Time-sequence diagrams that illustrate the sequence of primitives are included.¹

3.1 Local Management Services Definition

The services defined in this section are outside the scope of the international standards. These services apply to both connection-mode as well as the connection-less modes of communication. They are invoked for the initialization/de-initialization of a Stream connected to the NS provider. They are also used to manage options supported by the NS provider and to report information on the supported parameter values.

3.1.1 Network Information Reporting Service

This service provides information on the options supported by the NS provider.

• N_INFO_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS provider return the values of all the supported protocol parameters. This request may be invoked during any phase.
• N_INFO_ACK: This primitive is in response to the N_INFO_REQ primitive and returns the values of the supported protocol parameters to the NS user.

The sequence of primitives for network information management is shown in Figure 2.

3.1.2 NS User Bind Service

This service allows a network address to be associated with a Stream. It allows the NS user to negotiate the number of connect indications that can remain unacknowledged for that NS user (a connect indication is considered unacknowledged while it is awaiting a corresponding connect response or disconnect request from the NS user). This service also defines a mechanism that allows a Stream (bound to a network address of the NS user) to be reserved to handle incoming calls only. This Stream is referred to as the listener Stream.

• N_BIND_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS user be bound to a particular network address, and negotiate the number of allowable outstanding connect indications for that address.
• N_BIND_ACK: This primitive is in response to the N_BIND_REQ primitive and indicates to the user that the specified NS user has been bound to a network address.

The sequence of primitives for NS user bind service is shown in Figure 3.

3.1.3 NS User Unbind Service

This service allows the NS user to be unbound from a network address.

• N_UNBIND_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS user be unbound from the network address that it had previously been bound to.

The sequence of primitives for NS user unbind service is shown in Figure 4.

3.1.4 Receipt Acknowledgement Service

• N_OK_ACK: This primitive indicates to the NS user that the previous NS user originated primitive was received successfully by the NS provider.

An example showing the sequence of primitives for successful receipt acknowledgement is depicted in Figure 4.

3.1.5 Options Management Service

This service allows the NS user to manage the QOS parameter values associated with the NS provider.

• N_OPTMGMT_REQ: This primitive allows the NS user to select default values for QOS parameters within the range supported by the NS provider, and to indicate the default selection of receipt confirmation.

Figure 5 shows the sequence of primitives for network options management.

3.1.6 Error Acknowledgement Service

• N_ERROR_ACK: This primitive indicates to the NS user that a non-fatal error has occurred in the last NS user originated request or response primitive (listed in Figure 6), on the Stream.

Figure 6 shows the sequence of primitives for the error management primitive.

3.2 Connection-Mode Network Services Definition

This section describes the required network service primitives that define the CONS interface.

The queue model for CONS is discussed in more detail in CCITT X.213 (see X.213) section 9.2. The queue model represents the operation of a network connection in the abstract by a pair of queues linking the two network addresses. There is one queue for each direction of information flow. Each queue represents a flow control function in one direction of transfer. The ability of a user to add objects to a queue will be determined by the behaviour of the user removing objects from that queue, and the state of the queue. The pair of queues is considered to be available for each potential NC. Objects that are entered or removed from the queue are either as a result of interactions at the two network addresses, or as the result of NS provider initiatives.

• A queue is empty until a connect object has been entered and can be returned to this state, with loss of its contents, by the NS provider.
• Objects may be entered into a queue as a result of the actions of the source NS user, subject to control by the NS provider;
• Objects may also be entered into a queue by the NS provider.
• Objects are removed from the queue under the control of the receiving NS user.
• Objects are normally removed under the control of the NS user in the same order as they were entered except:
  • if the object is of a type defined to be able to advance ahead of the preceding object (however, no object is defined to be able to advance ahead of another object of the same type), or
  • if the following object is defined to be destructive with respect to the preceding object on the queue. If necessary, the last object on the queue will be deleted to allow a destructive object to be entered - they will therefore always be added to the queue. For example, “disconnect” objects are defined to be destructive with respect to all other objects. “Reset” objects are defined to be destructive with respect to all other objects except “connect”, “disconnect”, and other “reset” objects.

Table 3 shows the ordering relationships among the queue model objects.

3.2.1 Connection Establishment Phase

A pair of queues is associated with an NC between two network addresses when the NS provider receives an N_CONN_REQ primitive at one of the network addresses resulting in a connect object being entered into the queue. The queues will remain associated with the NC until a N_DISCON_REQ primitive (resulting in a disconnect object) is either entered or removed from a queue. Similarly, in the queue from the called NS user, objects can be entered into the queue only after the connect object associated with the N_CONN_RES has been entered into the queue. Alternatively, the called NS user can enter a disconnect object into the queue instead of the connect object to terminate the NC. The NC establishment procedure will fail if the NS provider is unable to establish an NC,or if the destination NS user is unable to accept the N_CONN_IND (see NC Release primitive definition).

3.2.1.1 User Primitives for Successful Network Connection Establishment

• N_CONN_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS provider make a connection to the specified destination.
• N_CONN_RES: This primitive requests that the NS provider accept a previous connection indication.

3.2.1.2 Provider Primitives for Successful Network Connection Establishment

• N_CONN_IND: This primitive indicates to the NS user that a connect request has been made by a user at the specified source address.
• N_CONN_CON: This primitive indicates to the NS user that a connect request has been confirmed on the specified responding address.

The sequence of primitives in a successful NC establishment is defined by the time sequence diagram as shown in Figure 7. The sequence of primitives for the NC response token value determination is shown in Figure 8 (procedures for NC response token value determination are discussed in sections 4.1.3 and 4.1.4.).

3.2.2 Data Transfer Phase

Flow control on the NC is done by management of the queue capacity, and by allowing objects of certain types to be inserted to the queues, as shown in Table 4.

3.2.2.1 User Primitives for Data Transfer

• N_DATA_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS provider transfer the specified data.
• N_DATACK_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS provider acknowledge the data that had previously been received with receipt confirmation requested.
• N_EXDATA_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS provider transfer the specified expedited network service data unit.

3.2.2.2 Provider Primitives for Data Transfer

• N_DATA_IND: This primitive indicates to the NS user that this message contains data.
• N_DATACK_IND: This primitive indicates to the NS user that the remote NS user has acknowledged the data that had previously been sent with receipt confirmation requested.
• N_EXDATA_IND: This primitive indicates to the NS user that this message unit contains expedited data.

Figure 9 shows the sequence of primitives for successful normal data transfer. The sequence of primitives may remain incomplete if a N_RESET or N_DISCON primitive occurs.

The sequence of primitives in a successful confirmation of receipt is defined in the time sequence diagram as shown in Figure 10.

The sequence of primitives as shown above may remain incomplete if an N_RESET or an N_DISCON primitive occurs (see Table 3). A NS user must not issue an N_DATACK_REQ primitive if no N_DATA_IND with confirmation request set has been received, or if all such N_DATA_IND have been previously acknowledged. Following a reset procedure (N_RESET_REQ or N_RESET_IND), a NS user may not issue aN_DATACK_REQ to acknowledge an outstanding N_DATA_IND received before the reset procedure was signalled.

Note—The withholding of confirmation of receipt by a NS user can have an effect on the attainable throughput on the NC.

The sequence of primitives for expedited data transfer is shown in the time sequence diagram in Figure 11. This sequence of primitives may remain incomplete if a N_RESET or N_DISCON primitive is issued.

3.2.3 Reset Operation Primitives

The reset service is used by the NS user to resynchronize the use of the NC, or by the NS provider to report detected loss of unrecoverable data.

The reset procedure involves the following interactions:

1. a N_RESET_REQ from the NS user, followed by a N_RESET_CON from the NS provider; or
2. a N_RESET_IND from the NS provider, followed by a N_RESET_RES from the NS user.

The complete sequence of primitives depends upon the origin/s of the reset action. The reset service may be:

1. invoked by one NS user, leading to interaction (A) with that NS user and interaction (B) with the peer NS user;
2. invoked by both NS users, leading to interaction (A) with both NS users;
3. invoked by the NS provider, leading to interaction (B) with both NS users;
4. invoked by one NS user and the NS provider, leading to interaction (A) with the originating NS user and (B) with the peer NS user.

The N_RESET_REQ acts as a synchronization mark in the flow of N_DATA, N_EXDATA, and N_DATACK primitives transmitted by the issuing NS user; the N_RESET_IND acts as a synchronization mark in the flow of N_DATA, N_EXDATA, and N_DATACK primitives received by the receiving NS user. Similarly, N_RESET_RES acts as a synchronization mark in the flow of N_DATA, N_EXDATA, and N_DATACK primitives transmitted by the responding NS user, while the N_RESET_CON acts as a synchronization mark in the flow of N_DATA, N_EXDATA, and N_DATACK primitives received by the NS user that originally issued the reset. The resynchronizing properties of the reset service are the following:

1. All N_DATA, N_EXDATA, and N_DATACK primitives issued before issuing the N_RESET_REQ/N_RESET_RES that have not been delivered to the other NS user before the N_RESET_IND/N_RESET_CON are issued by the NS provider,should be discarded by the NS provider.
2. Any N_DATA, N_EXDATA, and N_DATACK primitives issued after the synchronization mark will not be delivered to the other NS user before the synchronization mark is received.

3.2.3.1 User Primitives for Reset Operations

• N_RESET_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS provider reset the network connection.
• N_RESET_RES: This primitive indicates to the NS provider that the NS user has accepted a reset indication.

3.2.3.2 Provider Primitives for Reset Operations

• N_RESET_IND: This primitive indicates to the NS user that the network connection has been reset.
• N_RESET_CON: This primitive indicates to the NS user that the reset request has been confirmed.

The sequence of primitives as shown in Figure 12, Figure 13, Figure 14 and Figure 15 may remain in complete if a N_DISCON primitive occurs.

3.2.4 Connection Termination Phase

The NC release procedure is initialized by the insertion of a disconnect object (associated with a N_DISCON_REQ) into the queue. As shown in Table 3, the disconnect procedure is destructive with respect to other objects in the queue, and eventually results in the emptying of queues and termination of the NC connection.

The sequence of primitives depends on the origin of the release action. The sequence may be:

1. invoked by one NS user, with a request from that NS user leading to an indication to the other;
2. invoked by both NS users, with a request from each of the NS users;
3. invoked by the NS provider, with an indication to each of the NS users;
4. invoked independently by one NS user and the NS provider, with a request from the originating NS user and an indication to the other.

3.2.4.1 User Primitives for Connection Termination

• N_DISCON_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS provider deny an outstanding request for a connection or disconnect an existing connection.

3.2.4.2 Provider Primitives for Connection Termination

• N_DISCON_IND: This primitive indicates to the NS user that either a request for connection has been denied or an existing connection has been terminated.

The sequence of primitives are shown in the time sequence diagrams in Figure 16, Figure 17, Figure 18 and Figure 19.

A NS user may reject an NC establishment attempt by issuing a N_DISCON_REQ. The originator parameter in the N_DISCON primitives will indicate NS user invoked release. The sequence of events is shown in Figure 20.

If the NS provider is unable to establish an NC, it indicates this to the requester by an N_DISCON_IND. The originator in this primitive indicates an NS provider invoked release. This is shown in Figure 21.

3.3 Connectionless Network Services Definition

The CLNS allows for the transfer of the NS user data in one or both directions simultaneously without establishing a network connection. A set of primitives are defined that carry user data and control information between the NS user and NS provider entities. The primitives are modelled as requests initiated by the NS user and indications initiated by the NS provider. Indications may be initiated by the NS provider independently from requests by the NS user.

The connectionless network service consists of one phase.

3.3.1 User Request Primitives

• N_UNITDATA_REQ: This primitive requests that the NS provider send the data unit to the specified destination.

3.3.2 Provider Response Primitives

• N_UNITDATA_IND: This primitive indicates to the NS user that a data unit has been received from the specified source address.

Figure 22 shows the sequence of primitives for the connectionless mode of data transfer.

• N_UDERROR_IND: This primitive indicates to the NS user that the data unit with the specified destination address and QOS parameters produced an error. This primitive is specific to CLNS.

Figure 23 shows the sequence of primitives for the CLNS error management primitive.

4 NPI Primitives

This section describes the format and parameters of the NPI primitives (Mapping NPI to ISO 8348 and CCITT X.213, shows the mapping of the NPI primitives to the primitives defined in ISO 8348 (see ISO8348) and CCITT X.213 (see X.213)). In addition, it discusses the states the primitive is valid in, the resulting state, and the acknowledgement that the primitive expects. (The state/event tables for these primitives are shown in State/Event Tables. The precedence tables for the NPI primitives are shown in Primitive Precedence Tables.) Rules for OSI conformance are described in Addendum for OSI Conformance, to this document.

Table 5, Table 6 and Table 7 provide a summary of the NS primitives and their parameters.

4.1 Management Primitives

These primitives apply both to CONS as well as CLNS.

4.1.1 Network Information Request

N_INFO_REQ

This primitive requests the NS provider to return the values of all supported protocol parameters (see N_INFO_ACK), and also the current state of the NS provider (as defined in State/Event Tables). This primitive does not affect the state of the network provider and does not appear in the state tables.

Format

The format of the message is one M_PCPROTO message block and its structure is as follows:

     typedef struct {
         np_ulong PRIM_type;        /* always N_INFO_REQ */
     } N_info_req_t;

     

Parameters

PRIM_type

Indicates the primitive type.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in any state where a local acknowledgement is not pending.

New State

The new state remains unchanged.

Acknowledgements

This primitive requires the NS provider to generate one of the following acknowledgements upon receipt of the primitive:

• Successful: Acknowledgement of the primitive via the N_INFO_ACK primitive.
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): There are no errors associated with the issuance of this primitive.

4.1.2 Network Information Acknowledgement

N_INFO_ACK

This primitive indicates to the NS user any relevant protocol-dependent parameters.² It should be initiated in response to the N_INFO_REQ primitive described above.

Format

This primitive consists of one M_PCPROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_INFO_ACK */
             np_ulong NSDU_size;             /* maximum NSDU size */
             np_ulong ENSDU_size;            /* maximum ENSDU size */
             np_ulong CDATA_size;            /* connect data size */
             np_ulong DDATA_size;            /* discon data size */
             np_ulong ADDR_size;             /* address size */
             np_ulong ADDR_length;           /* address length */
             np_ulong ADDR_offset;           /* address offset */
             np_ulong QOS_length;            /* QOS values length */
             np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* QOS values offset */
             np_ulong QOS_range_length;      /* length of QOS values' range */
             np_ulong QOS_range_offset;      /* offset of QOS values' range */
             np_ulong OPTIONS_flags;         /* bit masking for options supported */
             np_ulong NIDU_size;             /* network i/f data unit size */
             np_long SERV_type;              /* service type */
             np_ulong CURRENT_state;         /* current state */
             np_ulong PROVIDER_type;         /* type of NS provider */
             np_ulong NODU_size;             /* optimal NSDU size */
             np_ulong PROTOID_length;        /* length of bound protocol ids */
             np_ulong PROTOID_offset;        /* offset of bound protocol ids */
             np_ulong NPI_version;           /* version # of npi that is supported */
     } N_info_ack_t;
     
     /* Flags to indicate support of NS provider options */
     #define REC_CONF_OPT    0x00000001L
     #define EX_DATA_OPT     0x00000002L
     #define DEFAULT_RC_SEL  0x00000004L
     
     /* Service types supported by the NS provider */
     #define N_CONS 1
     #define N_CLNS 2
     
     /* Valid provider types */
     #define N_SNICFP 1
     #define N_SUBNET 2

     

Parameters

The above fields have the following meaning:

Flags

REC_CONF_OPT

When set, it indicates that the NS provider supports receipt confirmation.

This flag is used only in the connection-mode environment.

EX_DATA_OPT

When set, it indicates that the NS provider supports expedited data transfer.

This flag is used only in the connection-mode environment.

DEFAULT_RC_SEL

When set, indicates that the default selection is for the use of receipt confirmation for every N_DATA_REQ primitive. This flag is only applicable when use of receipt confirmation is successfully negotiated via the N_CONN_REQ or N_CONN_RES primitives. This flag is only used in the connection-mode environment.

Service Types

N_CONS

When set, indicates that the NS provider supports connection-mode network services.

N_CLNS

When set, indicates that the NS provider supports connection-less network services.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in any state in response to an N_INFO_REQ primitive.

New State

The state remains unchanged.

4.1.3 Bind Protocol Address Request

N_BIND_REQ

This primitive requests that the NS provider bind an NS user entity to a network address and negotiate the number of connect indications allowed to be outstanding by the NS provider for the specified NS user entity being bound.

Format

This primitive consists of one M_PROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_BIND_REQ */
             np_ulong ADDR_length;           /* length of address */
             np_ulong ADDR_offset;           /* offset of address */
             np_ulong CONIND_number;         /* req # of conn-indications to be queued */
             np_ulong BIND_flags;            /* flags associated with N_BIND_REQ */
             np_ulong PROTOID_length;        /* length of the protocol id */
             np_ulong PROTOID_offset;        /* offset of protocol id */
     } N_bind_req_t;
     
     /* Flags associated with N_BIND_REQ */
     #define DEFAULT_LISTENER    0x00000001L
     #define TOKEN_REQUEST       0x00000002L
     #define DEFAULT_DEST        0x00000004L

     

Parameters

Flags

DEFAULT_LISTENER

When set, this flag indicates that this Stream is the Default Listener Stream. This Stream is used to pass connect indications for all incoming calls that contain protocol identifiers that are not bound to any other listener, or when a listener Stream with CONIND_number value of greater than zero is not found. Also, the default listener will receive all incoming call indications that contain no user data.

Only one Default Listener Stream is allowed per occurrence of NPI. An attempt to bind a Default Listener Stream when one is already bound should result in an error (of type [NBOUND]).

The DEFAULT_LISTENER flag is ignored in CLNS.

TOKEN_REQUEST

When set, this flag indicates to the NS provider that the NS user has requested that a token be assigned to the Stream (to be used in the NC response message), and the token value be returned to the NS user via the N_BIND_ACK primitive.

The token assigned by the NS provider can then be used by the NS user in a subsequent N_CONN_RES primitive to identify the Stream on which the NC is to be established.

The TOKEN_REQUEST flag is ignored in CLNS.

DEFAULT_DEST

When set, this flag indicates that this Stream is the Default Destination Stream. This Stream will receive all packets destined for the NSAP specified in the bind request. If no NSAP is indicated in the bind request, then this Stream should receive all packets destined to an NSAP that is bound to no other Stream.

Only one Default Destination Stream per NSAP is allowed per occurrence of NPI. An attempt to bind a Default Destination Stream to an NSAP when one is already bound should result in an error of type [NBOUND].

The DEFAULT_DEST flag is ignored in the CONS.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_UNBND (see State/Event Tables).

New State

The new state is NS_WACK_BREQ.

Acknowledgements

The NS provider will generate one of the following acknowledgements upon receipt of the N_BIND_REQ primitive:

• Successful: Correct acknowledgement of the primitive is indicated using the N_BIND_ACK primitive.
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): These errors will be indicated using the N_ERROR_ACK primitive. The applicable non-fatal errors are as follows:

  [NBADADDR]	The network address was in an incorrect format or the address contained illegal information. It is not intended to indicate protocol errors.
  [NBOUND]	The NS user attempted to bind a second Stream to a network address with the CONIND_number set to a non-zero value, or attempted to bind a second Stream with the DEFAULT_LISTENER flag value set to non-zero.
  [NNOADDR]	The NS provider could not allocate an address.
  [NACCESS]	The NS user did not have proper permissions for the use of the requested address.
  [NOUTSTATE]	The primitive was issued from an invalid state.
  [NSYSERR]	A system error has occurred and the UNIX® system error is indicated in the primitive.
  [NNOPROTOID]	Protocol identifier could not be allocated.

4.1.4 Bind Protocol Address Acknowledgement

N_BIND_ACK

This primitive indicates to the NS user that the specified network user entity has been bound to the requested network address and that the specified number of connect indications are allowed to be queued by the NS provider for the specified network address.

Format

This primitives consists of one M_PCPROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
         np_ulong PRIM_type;        /* always N_BIND_ACK */
         np_ulong ADDR_length;      /* address length */
         np_ulong ADDR_offset;      /* offset of address */
         np_ulong CONIND_number;    /* connection indications */
         np_ulong TOKEN_value;      /* NC response token value */
         np_ulong PROTOID_length;   /* length of protocol id */
         np_ulong PROTOID_offset;   /* offset from beg. of block */
     } N_bind_ack_t;

     

Parameters

Note that the proper alignment of the address in the M_PCPROTO message block is not guaranteed.

Bind Rules:

The following rules apply to the binding of the specified network address to the Stream:

• If the ADDR_length field in the N_BIND_REQ primitive is zero, then the NS provider is to assign a network address to the user.
• The NS provider is to bind the network address as specified in the N_BIND_REQ primitive. If the NS provider cannot bind the specified address, it may assign another network address to the user. It is the network user's responsibility to check the network address returned in the N_BIND_ACK primitive to see if it is the same as the one requested.

The following rules apply to negotiating CONIND_number argument:

• The CONIND_number in the N_BIND_ACK primitive must be less than or equal to the corresponding requested number as indicated in the N_BIND_REQ primitive.
• Only one Stream that is bound to the indicated network address may have a negotiated accepted number of maximum connect requests greater than zero. If a N_BIND_REQ primitive specifies a value greater than zero, but another Stream has already bound itself to the given network address with a value greater than zero, the NS provider should assign another protocol address to the user.
• If a Stream with CONIND_number greater than zero is used to accept a connection, the Stream will be found busy during the duration of that connection and no other Streams may be bound to that network address with a CONIND_number greater than zero. This will prevent more than one Stream bound to the identical network address from accepting connect indications.
• A Stream requesting a CONIND_number of zero should always be legal. This indicates to the NS provider that the Stream is to be used to request connections only.
• A Stream with a negotiated CONIND_number greater than zero may generate connect requests or accept connect indications.

If the above rules result in an error condition, then the NS provider must issue an N_ERROR_ACK primitive to the NS user specifying the error as defined in the description of the N_BIND_REQ primitive, see N_BIND_REQ.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in response to an N_BIND_REQ primitive and is valid in the state NS_WACK_BREQ (see State/Event Tables.)

New State

The new state is NS_IDLE.

4.1.5 Unbind Protocol Address Request

N_UNBIND_REQ

This primitive requests that the NS provider unbind the NS user entity that was previously bound to the network address.

Format

This primitives consists of one M_PROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_UNBIND_REQ */
     } N_unbind_req_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in the NS_IDLE state.

New State

The new state is NS_WACK_UREQ.

Acknowledgements

This primitive requires the NS provider to generate the following acknowledgements upon receipt of the primitive:

• Successful: Correct acknowledgement of the primitive is indicated via the N_OK_ACK primitive, see N_OK_ACK.
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): These errors will be indicated via the N_ERROR_ACK primitive. The applicable non-fatal errors are as follows:

  [NOUTSTATE]	The primitive was issued from an invalid state.
  [NSYSERR]	A system error has occurred and the UNIX® system error is indicated in the primitive.

4.1.6 Network Options Management Request

N_OPTMGMT_REQ

This primitive allows the NS user to manage QOS parameter values associated with the Stream.

Format

These primitives consists of one M_PROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
         np_ulong PRIM_type;			/* always N_OPTMGMT_REQ */
         np_ulong QOS_length;		/* length of QOS values */
         np_ulong QOS_offset;		/* offset of QOS values */
         np_ulong OPTMGMT_flags;		/* default receipt conf. selection */
     } N_optmgmt_req_t;

     

Parameters

Flags

DEFAULT_RC_SEL

When set, it indicates to the NS provider that the NS user's default selection is for the use of receipt confirmation with every N_DATA_REQ message (applicable only when its use is successfully negotiated via the N_CONN_REQ or N_CONN_RES primitives). This default indication is used only when the M_PROTO message block is not present in the N_DATA_REQ (i.e. the primitive only contains M_DATA message blocks).

This flag should be ignored in the connection-less environment.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in the NS_IDLE state.

New State

The new state is NS_WACK_OPTREQ.

Acknowledgements

The N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitive requires the NS provider to generate one of the following acknowledgements upon receipt of the primitive:

• Successful: Acknowledgement is via the N_OK_ACK primitive. At successful completion, the resulting state is NS_IDLE.
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): These errors are indicated in the N_ERROR_ACK primitive. The resulting state remains unchanged. The applicable non-fatal errors are defined as follows:

  [NOUTSTATE]	The primitive was issued from an invalid state.
  [NBADQOSPARAM]	The QOS parameter values specified are outside the range supported by the NS provider.
  [NBADQOSTYPE]	The QOS structure type is not supported by the NS provider.
  [NSYSERR]	A system error has occurred and the UNIX® system error is indicated in the primitive.

4.1.7 Error Acknowledgement

N_ERROR_ACK

This primitive indicates to the NS user that a non-fatal error has occurred in the last network-user-originated primitive. This may only be initiated as an acknowledgement for those primitives that require one. It also indicates to the user that no action was taken on the primitive that caused the error.

Format

This primitives consists of one M_PCPROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_ERROR_ACK */
             np_ulong ERROR_prim;            /* primitive in error */
             np_ulong NPI_error;             /* NPI error code */
             np_ulong UNIX_error;            /* UNIX system error code */
     } N_error_ack_t;

     

Parameters

Error Primitives

One of the following error primitive types are allowed to be returned in the ERROR_prim field:

Also, any unrecognized primitive type may also be returned in conjunction with the [NNOTSUPPORT] error code.

Valid Error Codes

The following error codes are allowed to be returned in the NPI_error field:

Valid States

This primitive is valid in all states that have a pending acknowledgement or confirmation.

New State

The new state is the same as the one from which the acknowledged request or response was issued.

4.1.8 Successful Receipt Acknowledgement

N_OK_ACK

This primitive indicates to the NS user that the previous network-user-originated primitive was received successfully by the network provider. It does not indicate to the NS user any network protocol action taken due to the issuance of the last primitive. The N_OK_ACK primitive may only be initiated as an acknowledgement for those user originated primitives that have no other means of confirmation.

Format

This primitives consists of one M_PCPROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_OK_ACK */
             np_ulong CORRECT_prim;          /* primitive being acknowledged */
     } N_ok_ack_t;

     

Parameters

Correct Primitives

Valid States

This primitive is issued in the following states:

New State

The resulting state depends on the current state (see Table B-7, and Table B-8).

4.2 CONS Primitive Format and Rules

This section describes the format of the CONS primitives and the rules associated with these primitives. The default values of the QOS parameters associated with an NC may be selected via the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitive.

4.2.1 Connection Establishment Primitives

The following network service primitives pertain to the establishment of an NC, provided the NS users exist, and are known to the NS provider.

4.2.1.1 Network Connection Request

N_CONN_REQ

This primitive requests that the NS provider make a network connection to the specified destination.

Format

The format of the message is one M_PROTO message block followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks for the NS user data transfer. The specification of the NS user data is optional. The NS user can send any integral number of octets of data within the range supported by the NS provider (see N_INFO_ACK). If the user does not specify QOS parameter values, the default values (specified via N_OPTMGMT_REQ) are used by the NS provider.

The structure of the M_PROTO message block is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_CONN_REQ */
             np_ulong DEST_length;           /* destination address length */
             np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* destination address offset */
             np_ulong CONN_flags;            /* bit masking for options flags */
             np_ulong QOS_length;            /* length of QOS parameter values */
             np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* offset of QOS parameter values */
     } N_conn_req_t;
     
     /* Flags to indicate if options are requested */
     #define REC_CONF_OPT    0x00000001L
     #define EX_DATA_OPT     0x00000002L

     

Parameters

Flags

REC_CONF_OPT

The receipt confirmation selection parameter indicates the use/availability of the receipt confirmation service on the NC. The receipt confirmation service must be supported by the NS provider to be used on the NC.

EX_DATA_OPT

Specifies the use of the expedited data transfer service on the NC. The expedited data transfer service must be provided by the NS provider for it to be used on the NC.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_IDLE.

New State

The new state is NS_WCON_CREQ.

Acknowledgements

The following acknowledgements are valid for this primitive:

• Successful NC Establishment: This is indicated using the N_CONN_CON primitive. This results in the NS_DATA_XFER state.
• Unsuccessful NC Establishment: This is indicated using the N_DISCON_IND primitive. For example, a connection may be rejected because either the called NS user cannot be reached, or the NS provider and/or the called NS user did not agree with the specified QOS. This results in the NS_IDLE state.
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): These are indicated using the N_ERROR_ACK primitive. The applicable non-fatal errors are defined as follows:

  [NACCESS]	The user did not have proper permission for the user of the requested address or options.
  [NBADQOSPARAM]	The QOS parameter values specified are outside the range supported by the NS provider.
  [NBADQOSTYPE]	The QOS structure type is not supported by the NS provider.
  [NBADADDR]	The network address was in an incorrect format or contained illegal information. It is not intended to indicate NC errors, such as an unreachable destination. These error types are included using the N_DISCON_IND primitive.
  [NBADOPT]	The options were in an incorrect format, or they contain illegal information.
  [NOUTSTATE]	The primitive was issued from an invalid state.
  [NBADDATA]	The amount of user data specified was outside the range supported by the NS provider.
  [NSYSERR]	A system error occurred and the UNIX® system error is indicated in the primitive.

4.2.1.2 Network Connection Indication

N_CONN_IND

This primitive indicates to the destination NS user that a network connect request has been made by the user at the specified source address.

Format

The format of this message is one M_PROTO message block followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks for NS user data. The specification of NS user data is optional. The NS user can send any integral number of octets of data within the range supported by the NS provider. The NS user data will only be present if the corresponding N_CONN_RES had an NS user data parameter specified, and their data will be identical.

The structure of the M_PROTO message block is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_CONN_IND */
             np_ulong DEST_length;           /* destination address length */
             np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* destination address offset */
             np_ulong SRC_length;            /* source address length */
             np_ulong SRC_offset;            /* source address offset */
             np_ulong SEQ_number;            /* sequence number */
             np_ulong CONN_flags;            /* bit masking for options flags */
             np_ulong QOS_length;            /* length of QOS parameter values */
             np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* offset of QOS parameter values */
     } N_conn_ind_t;

     

Parameters

Flags

REC_CONF_OPT

The receipt confirmation selection parameter indicates the use/availability of the receipt confirmation service on the NC. The receipt confirmation service must be provided in the network service to be used on the NC.

EX_DATA_OPT

The expedited data selection parameter indicates the use/availability of the expedited data transfer service on the NC. The expedited data transfer service must be provided by the NS provider for it to be used on the NC.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in the states NS_IDLE and NS_WRES_CIND.

New State

In both cases the resulting state is NS_WRES_CIND (the number of connect indications waiting for user response is incremented by one).

4.2.1.3 Network Connection Response

N_CONN_RES

This primitive allows the destination NS user to request that the network provider accept a previous connect request.

Format

The format of this primitive is one M_PROTO message block followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks (for NS user data). The specification of the NS user data is optional.

The NS user can send any integral number of octets of data within the range supported by the NS provider.

The structure of the M_PROTO block is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_CONN_RES */
             np_ulong TOKEN_value;           /* NC response token value */
             np_ulong RES_length;            /* responding address length */
             np_ulong RES_offset;            /* responding address offset */
             np_ulong SEQ_number;            /* sequence number */
             np_ulong CONN_flags;            /* bit masking for options flags */
             np_ulong QOS_length;            /* length of QOS parameter values */
             np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* offset of QOS parameter values */
     } N_conn_res_t;

     

Parameters

Flags

REC_CONF_OPT

The receipt confirmation selection parameter indicates the use/availability of the receipt confirmation service on the NC. The receipt confirmation service must be provided in the network service to be used on the NC.

EX_DATA_OPT

The expedited data selection parameter indicates the use/availability of the expedited data transfer service on the NC. The expedited data transfer service must be provided by the NS provider for it to be used on the NC.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_WRES_CIND.

New State

The new state is NS_WACK_CRES.

Acknowledgements

The NS provider should generate one of the following acknowledgements upon receipt of this primitive:

• Successful: Successful completion is indicated via the N_OK_ACK primitive. The final state will be NS_DATA_XFER for the accepting Stream and NS_IDLE or NS_WRES_CIND for the listening Stream when the listening Stream is different than the accepting Stream and depending upon whether there are additional outstanding connection indications.
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): Errors are indicated with the N_ERROR_ACK primitive. The applicable non-fatal errors are defined as follows:

  [NBADOPT]	The options were in an incorrect format, or they contained illegal information.
  [NBADQOSPARAM]	The QOS parameter values specified are outside the range supported by the NS provider.
  [NBADQOSTYPE]	The QOS structure type is not supported by the NS provider.
  [NBADTOKEN]	The token specified is not associated with an open Stream.
  [NACCESS]	The user did not have proper permissions for the use of the options or the token or response identifier.
  [NOUTSTATE]	The primitive was issued from an invalid state.
  [NBADDATA]	The amount of user data specified was outside the range supported by the NS provider.
  [NBADSEQ]	The sequence number specified in the primitive was incorrect or illegal.
  [NSYSERR]	A system error has occurred and the UNIX® system error is indicated in the primitive.

4.2.1.4 Network Connection Confirm

N_CONN_CON

This primitive indicates to the source NS user that the network connect request has been confirmed on the specified responding address.

Format

The format of the N_CONN_CON primitive is one M_PROTO message block followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks (for NS user data). The specification of the NS user data is optional.

The NS user can send any integral number of octets of NS user data within a range supported by the NS provider (see N_INFO_ACK). The NS user data will only be present if the corresponding N_CONN_RES had NS user data specified with it, and their data will always be identical.

The structure of the M_PROTO message block is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_CONN_CON */
             np_ulong RES_length;            /* responding address length */
             np_ulong RES_offset;            /* responding address offset */
             np_ulong CONN_flags;            /* bit masking for options flags */
             np_ulong QOS_length;            /* length of QOS parameter values */
             np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* offset of QOS parameter values */
     } N_conn_con_t;

     

Parameters

Flags

REC_CONF_OPT

The receipt confirmation selection parameter indicates the use/availability of the receipt confirmation service on the NC. The receipt confirmation service must be provided in the network service to be used on the NC.

EX_DATA_OPT

The expedited data selection parameter indicates the use/availability of the expedited data transfer service on the NC. The expedited data transfer service must be provided by the NS provider for it to be used on the NC.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_WCON_CREQ.

New State

The new state is NS_DATA_XFER.

4.2.2 Normal Data Transfer Phase

The data transfer service primitives provide for an exchange of NS user data known as NSDUs, in either direction or in both directions simultaneously on an NC. The network service preserves both the sequence and the boundaries of the NSDUs (when the NS provider supports NSDUs).

4.2.2.1 Normal Data Transfer Request

N_DATA_REQ

This user-originated primitive specifies to the NS provider that this message contains NS user data. It allows the transfer of NS user data between NS users without modification by the NS provider. The NS user must send any integral number of octets of data greater than zero. In a case where the size of the NSDU exceeds the NIDU (as specified by the size of the NIDU_size parameter of the N_INFO_ACK primitive), the NSDU may be broken up into more than one NIDU. When an NSDU is broken up into more than one NIDU, the N_MORE_DATA_FLAG will be set on each NIDU except the last one. The N_RC_FLAG may only be set on the last NIDU.

Format

The format of the message is one or more M_DATA message blocks. Use of a M_PROTO message block is optional. The M_PROTO message block is used for two reasons:

1. to indicate that the NSDU is broken into more than one NIDUs, and that the data carried in the following M_DATA message block constitutes one NIDU;
2. to indicate whether receipt confirmation is desired for the NSDU.

Guidelines for use of M_PROTO:

The following guidelines must be followed with respect to the use of the M_PROTO message block:

1. The M_PROTO message block need not be present when the NSDU size is less than or equal to the NIDU size and one of the following is true:
   • receipt confirmation has been negotiated for non-user (with the N_CONN_REQ and N_CONN_RES primitives); or
   • receipt confirmation has been successfully negotiated for use or non-use and the default selection as specified with the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitive is to be used.
2. The M_PROTO message block must be present when:
   • the NSDU size is greater than the NIDU size;
   • receipt confirmation has been successfully negotiated for use and the default selection as specified with the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitive needs to be overridden.

The structure of the M_PROTO message block, if present, is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DATA_REQ */
             np_ulong DATA_xfer_flags;       /* data transfer flags */
     } N_data_req_t;
     
     /* Data Transfer Flags */
     #define N_MORE_DATA_FLAG    0x00000001L
     #define N_RC_FLAG           0x00000002L

     

Parameters

Flags

N_MORE_DATA_FLAG

When set, this flag indicates that the next N_DATA_REQ primitive (NISDU) is also part of this NSDU.

N_RC_FLAG

By setting this flag on the N_DATA_REQ, the originating NS user can request confirmation of receipt of the N_DATA_REQ primitive. The receipt is provided by the N_DATACK_IND primitive. The parameter may only be present if use of Receipt Confirmation was agreed by both NS users and the NS provider during NC establishment.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in the NS_DATA_XFER state.

New State

The resulting state remains the same (NS_DATA_XFER).

Acknowledgements

This primitive does not require any acknowledgements, although it may generate a fatal error. This is indicated to the NS user with a M_ERROR STREAMS message type (specifying an error number value of [EPROTO]) that results in the failure of all system calls on that Stream. The applicable errors are defined as follows:

[EPROTO]

This indicates one of the following unrecoverable protocol conditions:

• The network interface was found to be in an incorrect state.
• The amount of NS user data associated with the primitive is outside the range supported by the NS provider (as specified by the NIDU_size parameter of the N_INFO_ACK primitive).
• The options requested are either not supported by the NS provider or its use not specified with the N_CONN_REQ primitive.
• The M_PROTO message block was not followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks.
• The amount of NS user data associated with the current NSDU is outside the range supported by the NS provider (as specified by the NSDU_size parameter in the N_INFO_ACK primitive.)
• The N_RC_FLAG and N_MORE_DATA_FLAG were both set in the primitive, or the flags field contained an unknown value.

NOTE: If the interface is in the NS_IDLE or NS_WRES_RIND states when the provider receives the N_DATA_REQ primitive, then the NS provider should discard the request without generating a fatal error.

4.2.2.2 Normal Data Transfer Indication

N_DATA_IND

This network-provider-originated primitive indicates to the NS user that this message contains NS user data. As in the N_DATA_REQ primitive, the NSDU can be segmented into more than one NIDUs. The NIDUs are associated with the NSDU by using the N_MORE_DATA_FLAG. The N_RC_FLAG is allowed to be set only on the last NIDU.

Format

The format of the message is one or more M_DATA message blocks. The value of the NS user data field is always the same as that supplied in the corresponding N_DATA_REQ primitive at the peer service access point. Use of M_PROTO message blocks is optional (see guidelines under see N_DATA_REQ).

The structure of the M_PROTO message block, if present, is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DATA_IND */
             np_ulong DATA_xfer_flags;       /* data transfer flags */
     } N_data_ind_t;
     
     /* Data Transfer Flags */
     #define N_MORE_DATA_FLAG    0x00000001L
     #define N_RC_FLAG           0x00000002L

Parameters

Flags

N_MORE_DATA_FLAG

When set, indicates that the next N_DATA_IND message (NIDU) is part of this NSDU.

N_RC_FLAG

The value of the parameter may indicate either that confirmation is requested or that it is not requested. The parameter is allowed to be set only if use of Receipt Confirmation was agreed to between both the NS users and the NS provider during NC establishment. The value of this parameter is always identical to that supplied in the corresponding N_DATA_REQ primitive.

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_DATA_XFER.

New State

The resulting state remains the same (NS_DATA_XFER).

4.2.3 Receipt Confirmation Service Primitives

The receipt confirmation service is requested by the confirmation request parameter on the N_DATA_REQ primitive. For each and every NSDU with the confirmation request parameter set, the receiving NS user should return an N_DATACK_REQ primitive. Such acknowledgements should be issued in the same sequence as the corresponding N_DATA_IND primitives are received, and are to be conveyed by the NS provider in such a way so as to preserve them distinct from any previous or subsequent acknowledgements. The NS user may thus correlate them with the original requests by counting. When an NSDU has been segmented into more than one NIDUs, only the last NIDU is allowed to request receipt confirmation. N_DATACK_REQ primitive will not be subject to the flow control affecting N_DATA_REQ primitives at the same NC endpoint. N_DATACK_IND primitives will not be subject to the flow control affecting N_DATA_IND primitives at the same NC endpoint.

The use of the receipt confirmation service must be agreed to by the two NS users of the NC and the NS provider during the NC establishment by using the DEFAULT_RC parameter on the N_CONN_REQ or N_CONN_RES primitive.

4.2.3.1 Data Acknowledgement Request

N_DATACK_REQ

This is a user-originated primitive that requests that the network provider acknowledge the N_DATA_IND that had previously been received with the receipt confirmation parameter set.

Format

The format of the primitive is one M_PROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DATACK_REQ */
     } N_datack_req_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_DATA_XFER.

New State

The resulting state remains the same (NS_DATA_XFER).

Acknowledgements

This primitive does not require any acknowledgements, although it may generate a fatal (unrecoverable) error. This is indicated via an M_ERROR STREAMS message type (issued to the NS user specifying the error number value of [EPROTO]), which results in the failure of all system calls on that Stream. The allowable errors are as follows:

NOTE: If the interface is in the NS_IDLE state when the provider receives the N_DATACK_REQ primitive, then the NS provider should discard the request without generating a fatal error. If the NS provider had no knowledge of a previous N_DATA_IND with the receipt confirmation flag set, then the NS provider should just ignore the request without generating a fatal error.

4.2.3.2 Data Acknowledgement Indication

N_DATACK_IND

This is a NS provider originated primitive that indicates to the network service user that the remote network service user has acknowledged the data that had previously been sent with the receipt confirmation set.

Format

The format of the primitive is one M_PROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DATACK_IND */
     } N_datack_ind_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_DATA_XFER.

New State

The resulting state remains the same (NS_DATA_XFER).

4.2.4 Expedited Data Transfer Service

The expedited data transfer service provides a further means of information exchange on an NC in both directions simultaneously. The transfer of expedited network service data unit (ENSDU) is subject to separate flow control from that applying to NS user data. (However, a separate STREAMS message type for expedited data is not available with UNIX® System V Release 3.1. Until a new STREAMS message type is provided, expedited data will be implemented via queue manipulation). The NS provider should guarantee that an expedited-NSDU will not be delivered after any subsequently issued NSDU or expedited-NSDU on that NC. The relationship between normal and expedited data is shown in Table 2. Expedited data can still be delivered when the receiving NS user is not accepting normal data (however this cannot be guaranteed if there are blockages occurring in the lower layers). The expedited data transfer service is a NS provider option, and its use must be agreed by the two NS users of the NC and the NS provider during NC establishment by using the EX_DATA_OPT parameter on the N_CONN_REQ and N_CONN_RES primitives.

4.2.4.1 Expedited Data Transfer Request

N_EXDATA_REQ

This is an NS user originated primitive and is used to indicate to the network provider that the message block contains an ENSDU.

Format

The format of the message is one M_PROTO message block, followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks. The NS user must send an integral number of octets of data within the range supported by the NS provider (see N_INFO_ACK).

The structure of the M_PROTO message block is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_EXDATA_REQ */
     } N_exdata_req_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_DATA_XFER.

New State

The resulting state remains the same (NS_DATA_XFER).

Acknowledgements

This primitive does not require any acknowledgements, although it may generate a fatal (unrecoverable) error. This is indicated with an M_ERROR STREAMS message type (issued to the NS user with the error number value of [EPROTO]), which results in the failure of all system calls on that Stream. The applicable errors are as follows:

NOTE: If the interface is in the NS_IDLE or NS_WRES_RIND states when the provider receives the N_EXDATA_REQ primitive, then the NS provider should discard the request without generating a fatal error.

4.2.4.2 Expedited Data Transfer Indication

N_EXDATA_IND

This is a NS provider originated primitive and is used to indicate to the NS user that this message contains an ENSDU.

Format

The format of the message is one M_PROTO message block, followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks. The value of the data in the M_DATA message blocks is identical to that supplied with the corresponding N_EXDATA_REQ primitive.

The structure of the M_PROTO message block is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_EXDATA_IND */
     } N_exdata_ind_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in the state NS_DATA_XFER.

New State

The resulting state remains the same (NS_DATA_XFER).

4.2.5 Reset Service

The reset service can be used by the NS user to resynchronize the use of the NC; or by the NS provider to report detected loss of data unrecoverable within the network service.

All loss of data that does not involve loss of the NC is reported in this way. Invocation of the reset service will unblock the flow of NSDUs and ENSDUs in case of congestion of the NC; it will cause the NS provider to discard NSDUs, ENSDUs, or confirmations of receipt associated with the NC (see Table 1), and to notify any NS user or users that did not invoke reset that a reset has occurred. The service will be completed in finite time irrespective of the acceptance of the NSDUs, ENSDUs, and confirmations of receipt by the NS users.

4.2.5.1 Reset Request

N_RESET_REQ

This user-originated primitive requests that the NS provider reset the network connection.

Format

The format of this primitive is one M_PROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_RESET_REQ */
             np_ulong RESET_reason;          /* reason for reset */
     } N_reset_req_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in the NS_DATA_XFER state.

New State

The resulting state is NS_WACK_RREQ.

Acknowledgements

The NS provider should generate one of the following acknowledgements upon receipt of this primitive:

• Successful: This primitive does not require an immediate acknowledgement, although when the resynchronization completes successfully, an N_RESET_CON primitive is issued to the NS user that issued the N_RESET_REQ.
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): A non-fatal error is acknowledged with the N_ERROR_ACK primitive. In this case the resulting state remains unchanged. The following non-fatal error codes are valid:

  [NOUTSTATE]	The primitive was issued from an invalid state.
  [NSYSERR]	A system error has occurred and the UNIX® system error is indicated with the N_ERROR_ACK primitive.

NOTE: If the interface is in the NS_IDLE state when the provider receives the N_RESET_REQ primitive, then the NS provider should discard the message without generating an error.

4.2.5.2 Reset Indication

N_RESET_IND

This network-provider-originated primitive indicates to the NS user that the network connection has been reset.

Format

The format of the message is one M_PROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_RESET_IND */
             np_ulong RESET_orig;            /* reset originator */
             np_ulong RESET_reason;          /* reason for reset */
     } N_reset_ind_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in the NS_DATA_XFER state.

New State

The new state is NS_WRES_RIND.

4.2.5.3 Reset Response

N_RESET_RES

This user-originated primitive indicates that the NS user has accepted a reset request.

Format

The format of the primitive is one M_PROTO message block and is structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_RESET_RES */
     } N_reset_res_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_WRES_RIND.

New State

The new state is NS_WACK_RRES.

Acknowledgements

The NS provider should generate one of the following acknowledgements upon receipt of this primitive:

• Successful: The successful completion of this primitive is indicated with the N_OK_ACK primitive. This results in the data transfer state (NS_DATA_XFER).
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): An unsuccessful completion of this primitive is indicated with the N_ERROR_ACK primitive. The resulting state remains the same. The following non-fatal error codes are valid:

  [NOUTSTATE]	The primitive was issued from an invalid state.
  [NSYSERR]	A system error has occurred and the UNIX® system error is indicated in the N_ERROR_ACK primitive.

NOTE: If the interface is in the NS_IDLE state when the provider receives the N_RESET_RES primitive, then the NS provider should discard the message without generating an error.

4.2.5.4 Reset Confirmation

N_RESET_CON

This NS provider-originated primitive indicates to the network user that initiated the reset, that the reset request has been confirmed. The NS providers is allowed to issue the N_RESET_CON primitive to the NS user that initiated the reset even before receiving a N_RESET_RES.

Format

The format of the primitive is one M_PROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_RESET_CON */
     } N_reset_con_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_WCON_RREQ.

New State

The resulting state is NS_DATA_XFER.

4.2.6 Network Connection Release Phase

The NC release service primitives are used to release a NC. The release may be performed by:

• either or both of the NS users to release an established NC;
• the NS provider to release an established NC (all failures to maintain an NC are indicated in this manner);
• the destination NS user to reject an N_CONN_IND;
• by the NS provider to indicate its inability to establish a requested NC.

An NC release is permitted at any time regardless of the current phase of the NC. Once an NC release procedure has been invoked, the NC will be released; a request for release cannot be rejected. The network service does not guarantee delivery of any data once the NC release phase is entered (see Table 1).

4.2.6.1 Disconnect Request

N_DISCON_REQ

This user-originated primitive requests that the NS provider deny a request for a network connection, or disconnect an existing connection.

Format

The format of the primitive is one M_PROTO message block, followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks (for NS user data). The NS user data may be lost if the NS provider initiates release before the N_DISCON_IND is delivered. Therefore, the NS user data parameter is present only if the originator parameters (see N_DISCON_IND) indicates that the release was originated by an NS user. The NS user may send any integral number of octets of data within a range supported by the NS provider (see N_INFO_ACK).

The structure of the M_PROTO message block is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DISCON_REQ */
             np_ulong DISCON_reason;         /* reason */
             np_ulong RES_length;            /* responding address length */
             np_ulong RES_offset;            /* responding address offset */
             np_ulong SEQ_number;            /* sequence number */
     } N_discon_req_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in states NS_WCON_CREQ, NS_WRES_CIND, NS_DATA_XFER, NS_WCON_RREQ and NS_WRES_RIND.

New State

The new state depends on the original state (see Table B-8).

Acknowledgements

The NS provider should generate one of the following acknowledgements upon receipt of this primitive:

• Successful: Successful completion is indicated with the N_OK_ACK primitive.
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): Errors are indicated with the N_ERROR_ACK primitive. The applicable non-fatal errors are as follows:

  [NOUTSTATE]	The primitive was issued from an invalid state.
  [NBADDATA]	The amount of user data specified was outside the range supported by the NS provider.
  [NSYSERR]	A system error has occurred and the UNIX® system error is indicated in the primitive.
  [NBADSEQ]	The specified sequence number referred to an invalid N_CONN_IND message, or the N_DISCON_REQ is rejecting an NC that is already established (or rejecting an N_CONN_REQ that the NS user had previously sent and has not yet been confirmed) and the value of the sequence number is not ‘0’.

4.2.6.2 Disconnect Indication

N_DISCON_IND

This network-provider originated primitive indicates to the NS user that either a request for connection has been denied or an existing connection has been disconnected.

Format

The format of the message is one M_PROTO message block, followed by one or more M_DATA blocks. The value of the NS user data parameter is identical to the value in the corresponding N_DISCON_REQ primitive. The NS user data parameter is present only if the originator parameter indicates that the release was initiated by the NS user.

The structure of the M_PROTO message block is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DISCON_IND */
             np_ulong DISCON_orig;           /* originator */
             np_ulong DISCON_reason;         /* reason */
             np_ulong RES_length;            /* address length */
             np_ulong RES_offset;            /* address offset */
             np_ulong SEQ_number;            /* sequence number */
     } N_discon_ind_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

The valid states are as follows:

New State

The new state is NS_IDLE (except when number of outstanding connect indications is greater than 1, in which case the resulting state is NS_WRES_CIND).

4.3 CLNS Primitive Format and Rules

This section describes the format of the CLNS primitives and the rules associated with these primitives. The values of the QOS parameters associated with each unit data transmission are selected with the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitive.

4.3.1 Unit Data Transfer

4.3.1.1 Unit Data Request

N_UNITDATA_REQ

This primitive requests that the NS provider send the specified datagram to the specified destination.

Format

The format of the primitive is one M_PROTO message block followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks. The M_PROTO message block is structured as followed:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_UNITDATA_REQ */
             np_ulong DEST_length;           /* destination address length */
             np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* destination address offset */
             np_ulong RESERVED_field[2];     /* reserved field for DLPI compatibility */
     } N_unitdata_req_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_IDLE.

New State

The resulting state remains unchanged.

Acknowledgements

The NS provider should generate one of the following acknowledgements upon receipt of this primitive:

• Successful: There is no acknowledgement for the successful completion of this primitive.
• Unsuccessful (Non-fatal errors): If a non-fatal error occurs, it is the responsibility of the NS provider to report it with the N_UDERROR_IND primitive. The following non-fatal error codes are allowed:

  [NBADADDR]	The network address as specified in the primitive was in an incorrect format, or the address contained illegal information.
  [NBADDATA]	The amount of user data specified was outside the range supported by the NS provider.
  [NOUTSTATE]	The primitive was issued from an invalid state.

• Fatal Error: Fatal errors are indicated with an M_ERROR STREAMS message type (issued to the NS user with the error number value of [EPROTO]), that results in the failure of all UNIX® system calls on the Stream. The fatal errors are as follows:

  [EPROTO]

  This indicates one of the following unrecoverable protocol conditions: The network service interface was found to be in an incorrect state. The amount of NS user data associated with the primitive defines a network service data unit larger than that allowed by the NS provider.

4.3.1.2 Unit Data Indication

N_UNITDATA_IND

This primitive indicates to the NS user that a datagram has been received from the specified source address.

Format

The format of the message is one M_PROTO message block followed by one or more M_DATA message blocks containing at least one byte of data. The format of the M_PROTO is as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_UNITDATA_IND */
             np_ulong SRC_length;            /* source address length */
             np_ulong SRC_offset;            /* source address offset */
             np_ulong DEST_length;           /* source address length */
             np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* source address offset */
             np_ulong ERROR_type;            /* reserved field for DLPI compatibility */
     } N_unitdata_ind_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_IDLE.

New State

The resulting state remains unchanged.

4.3.2 Unit Data Error

4.3.2.1 Unit Data Error Indication

N_UDERROR_IND

This primitive indicates to the NS user that a datagram with the specified destination address and QOS parameters has resulted in an error condition.

Format

The format of the primitive is one M_PROTO message block, structured as follows:

     typedef struct {
             np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_UDERROR_IND */
             np_ulong DEST_length;           /* destination address length */
             np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* destination address offset */
             np_ulong RESERVED_field;        /* reserved field for DLPI compatibility */
             np_ulong ERROR_type;            /* error type */
     } N_uderror_ind_t;

     

Parameters

Valid States

This primitive is valid in state NS_IDLE.

New State

The resulting state remains unchanged.

5 Diagnostics Requirements

Two error handling facilities should be provided to the network service user: one to handle non-fatal errors, and the other to handle fatal errors.

5.1 Non-Fatal Error Handling Facility

These are errors that do not change the state of the network service interface as seen by the network service user, and provide the user the option of reissuing the network service primitive with the corrected options specification. The non-fatal error handling is provided only to those primitives that require acknowledgements, and uses the N_ERROR_ACK to report these errors. These errors retain the state of the network service interface the same as it was before the network provider received the primitive that was in error. Syntax errors and rule violations are reported via the non-fatal error handling facility.

5.2 Fatal Error Handling Facility

These errors are issued by the NS provider when it detects errors that are not correctable by the network service user, or if it is unable to report a correctable error to the network service user. Fatal errors are indicated via the STREAMS message type M_ERROR with the UNIX® system error [EPROTO]. The M_ERROR STREAMS message type will result in the failure of all the UNIX® system calls on the Stream. The network service user can recover from a fatal error by having all the processes close the files associated with the Stream, and then reopening them for processing.

Addendum for OSI Conformance

This section describes the formats and rules that are specific to OSI. The addendum must be used along with the generic NPI as defined in the main document when implementing a NS provider that will be configured with the OSI Transport Layer.

Quality of Service: Model & Description

The “Quality of Service” characteristics apply to both CONS as well as CLNS.

QOS Overview

QOS (Quality of Service) is described in terms of QOS parameters. There are two types of QOS parameters:

1. Those that are “negotiated” on a per-connection basis during NC establishment. (CLNS does not support end-to-end QOS parameter negotiation).
2. Those that are not negotiated and their values are selected/determined by local management methods.

Table 8 summarizes the supported parameters both for connection-mode and connectionless network service. For more details on the definition of the QOS parameters, refer to CCITT X.213 (see X.213) and ISO 8348 (see ISO8348).

QOS Parameter Formats

This section describes the formats of the QOS parameters for CONS and/or CLNS services. The requested QOS parameter values apply to complete NSDUs.

NC Establishment Delay

This parameter applies to CONS only. It is defined as the maximum acceptable delay between a N_CONN_REQ and the corresponding N_CONN_CON primitive. NC establishment delay is measured in milliseconds.

Format:

     long nc_estab_delay;        /* maximum NC establishment delay */

nc_estab_delay

Is the maximum acceptable delay value for NC establishment.

NC Establishment Failure Probability

This parameter applies to CONS only. NC Establishment Failure Probability is the percent ratio (rounded to the nearest integer) of total NC establishment failures to total NC establishment attempts in a measurement sample. A measurement sample consists of100 NC establishment attempts.

NC establishment failure occurs due to NS provider behaviour such as mis-connection, NC refusal, and excessive delay. NC establishment attempts that fail due to NS user behaviour such as error, NC refusal, or excessive delay are excluded in calculating NC establishment failure probability.

Format:

     long nc_estab_fail_prob;    /* maximum NC estab failure probability 
                                  */

nc_estab_fail_prob

Is the maximum acceptable percent value (rounded to the nearest integer) for the NC establishment failure probability.

Throughput

This parameter applies to CONS only, is specified separately for each direction of transfer, and has end-to-end significance. Throughput is defined in terms of at least two successfully transferred NSDUs presented continuously to the NS provider at the maximum rate the NS provider can continuously sustain, and unconstrained by flow control applied by the receiving NS user. Given a sequence of “n” NSDUs (where is greater than or equal to two; suggested value is 100), throughput is defined to be the smaller of:

1. the number of NS user data octets contained in the last “n-1” NSDUs divided bythe time between the first and the last N_DATA_REQs in the sequence; and
2. the number of NS user data octets contained in the last “n-1” NSDUs divided bythe time between the first and the last N_DATA_INDs in the sequence.

Throughput should be measured and specified in bits per second.

Format:

     typedef struct {
         long thru_targ_value;
         long thru_min_value;
     } thru_values_t;

     

thru_targ_value

Specifies the requested QOS value for throughput for data transfer between the two NS users.

thru_min_value

Specifies the requested lowest acceptable QOS value for throughput between the two NS users.

Transit Delay

This parameter applies to CONS as well as CLNS. Transit Delay is the elapsed time between a N_DATA_REQ and the corresponding N_DATA_IND (calculated on successfully transferred NSDUs only). The pair of values specified for an NC applies to both directions of transfer. The specified values are averages (based on 100 samples using a NSDU size of 128 bytes). Transit Delay should be measured in milliseconds.

Format:

     typedef struct {
         long td_targ_value;
         long td_max_value;
     } td_values_t;

     

td_targ_value

Specifies the desired QOS value for transit delay between the two NS users.

td_max_value

Specifies the maximum QOS value that the source NS user will agree for transit delay between the two NS users.

Residual Error Rate

This parameter applies to both CONS as well as CLNS. Residual Error Rate is the percent ratio (rounded to the nearest integer) of total incorrect, lost, and duplicate NSDUs to total NSDUs transferred across the NS boundary during a measurement period. The measurement period will be 3600 seconds.

Format:

     long residual_error_rate;   /* maximum acceptable residual error
                                    rate */

residual_error_rate

Specifies the maximum acceptable percent value (rounded to the nearest integer) of the residual error rate.

NC Resilience

This parameter applies to CONS only. NC Resilience specifies the percent probability (rounded to the nearest integer) of a NS provider invoked NC release or a NS provider invoked reset during a specified time interval on an established NC. The time interval will be 3600 seconds.

Format:

     long nc_resilience;         /* maximum acceptable nc resilience */

nc_resilience

Specifies the maximum acceptable value for NC resilience.

Transfer Failure Probability

This parameter applies to CONS only. It is the percent ratio (rounded to the nearest integer) of total transfer failures to total transfer samples observed during a performance measurement. A transfer sample is a discrete observation of NS provider performance in transferring NSDUs between specified sending and receiving NS user. A transfer sample will last for the duration of the NC. A transfer failure is a transfer sample in which the observed performance is worse than the specified minimum acceptable level. A transfer failure is identified by comparing the measured values for the supported performance parameters with specified transfer failure thresholds. The three supported performance parameters are throughput, transit delay, and residual error rate.

Format:

     long xfer_fail_prob;        /* maximum xfer failure prob */

xfer_fail_prob

Specifies the maximum acceptable percent value (rounded to the nearest integer) for transfer failure probability.

NC Release Delay

This parameter applies to CONS only. NC Release Delay is defined as the maximum acceptable delay between a NS user invoked N_DISCON_REQ and the successful release of the NC at the peer NS user. NC Release Delay is specified independently for each NS user. It does not apply in cases where NC release is invoked by the NS provider. NC release delay should be measured in milliseconds.

Format:

     long nc_rel_delay;          /* maximum nc release delay */

nc_rel_delay

Is the maximum acceptable value for NC release delay.

NC Release Failure Probability

This parameter applies to CONS only. It is the percent ratio (rounded to the nearest integer) of total NC release requests resulting in release failure to total NC release requests included in a measurement sample. A measurement sample consists of a 100NC release requests. This parameter is specified independently for each NS user.

A release failure is defined to occur for a particular NS user, if that user does not receive a N_DISCON_IND within a specified maximum NC release delay of the NS user issuing the N_DISCON_REQ (given that the former NS user has not issued a N_DISCON_REQ).

Format:

     long nc_rel_fail_prob;      /* maximum nc rel fail probability */

nc_rel_fail_prob

Is the maximum acceptable percent value (rounded to the nearest integer) of NC release failure probability.

Protection

This parameter applies to both CONS and CLNS. It specifies the extent to which the NS provider attempts to prevent unauthorized monitoring or manipulation of NS user originated information.

     /* Types of protection */
     #define N_NO_PROT               0x00000000L     /* no protection */
     #define N_PASSIVE_PROT          0x00000001L     /* protection
                                                        against passive
                                                        monitoring */
     #define N_ACTIVE_PROT           0x00000002L     /* protection
                                                        against active
                                                        monitoring */
     #define N_ACTIVE_PASSIVE_PROT   0x00000003L     /* maximum
                                                        protection */

Four protection options are provided:

1. No protection features;
2. Protection against passive monitoring;
3. Protection against modification, replay, addition, or deletion
4. Both 2 and 3.

Format:

     typedef struct {
         long protect_targ_value;    /* target protection */
         long protect_min_value; /* minimum protection */
     } protection_values_t;

     

protect_targ_value

Specifies the target protection of the NS user originated information.

protect_min_value

Specifies the lowest quality acceptable of protection of the NS user originated information.

Priority

This parameter applies to both CONS and CLNS.

It specifies the target priority of:

1. an NSDU in relation to any other NSDUs (for CLNS);
2. a NC (for CONS). The number of priority levels is limited to 15 (where level 1 is the highest priority and level 15 is the lowest priority).

Format:

     typedef struct {
         long priority_targ_value;   /* target priority */
         long priority_min_value;    /* minimum priority */
     } priority_values_t;

     

priority_targ_value

Specifies the target NC priority level.

priority_min_value

Specifies the lowest quality acceptable of the NC priority level.

Maximum Acceptable Cost

This parameter applies to both CONS and CLNS. It specifies the maximum acceptable cost in local currency (composed of communications and end-system resource costs), or indicates to the NS provider that it should choose the least expensive means available to it.

Format

     long max_accept_cost;       /* acceptable cost maximum */
     
     /* Choose least expensive means */
     #define N_LEAST_EXPENSIVE 0x00000000L   /* choose least expensive
                                                means */

max_accept_cost

Specifies the maximum acceptable cost in local currency.

QOS Data Structures

The quality of services parameters are organized into six different structures for simplicity:

N_QOS_CO_RANGE1

Quality of service range requested for connection-mode service as used with the N_CONN_REQ and N_CONN_IND primitives.

N_QOS_CO_SEL1

Quality of service values selected for the connection-mode service as used with the N_CONN_RES and N_CONN_CON primitives.

N_QOS_CL_RANGE1

Range of quality of service values for connectionless-mode service as specified with the QOS_range_length and QOS_range_offset parameters of the N_INFO_ACK primitive.

N_QOS_CL_SEL1

Quality of service values supported/selected for connectionless-mode service as specified with the QOS_length and QOS_offset parameters of the N_INFO_ACK and the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitives.

N_QOS_CO_OPT_RANGE1

Range of quality of service values for connection-mode service as specified with the QOS_range_length and QOS_range_offset parameters of the N_INFO_ACK primitive.

N_QOS_CO_OPT_SEL1

Default quality of service values supported/selected for connection-mode service as specified with the QOS_length and QOS_offset parameters of the N_INFO_ACK and the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitives.

Structure N_QOS_CO_RANGE1

Structure N_qos_co_range1 defines the QOS parameters that are transferred between the source and destination NS users for a NC. The format of this structure is as follows:

     typedef struct {
         ulong n_qos_type;       /* always N_QOS_CO_RANGE */
         thru_values_t src_throughput_range; /* source throughput range */
         thru_values_t dest_throughput_range;        /* dest throughput
                                                        range */
         td_values_t transit_delay_range;    /* transit delay range */
         protection_values_t protection_range;       /* protection range 
                                                      */
         priority_values_t priority_range;   /* priority target */
     } N_qos_co_range1_t;

     

This structure should be used in the QOS_length and QOS_offset fields of the following NPI primitives:

• N_CONN_REQ
• N_CONN_IND

Structure N_QOS_CO_SEL1

Structure N_qos_co_sel1 defines the QOS parameters that are transferred between the destination and source NS users for a NC. The format of this structure is as follows:

     typedef struct {
         ulong n_qos_type;       /* always N_QOS_CO_SEL */
         long src_throughput_sel;    /* source throughput selected */
         long dest_throughput_sel;   /* destination throughput selected */
         long transit_delay_sel; /* transit delay selected */
         long protection_sel;    /* NC protection selected */
         long priority_sel;      /* NC priority selected */
     } N_qos_co_sel1_t;

     

This structure should be used in the QOS_length and QOS_offset fields of the following NPI primitives:

• N_CONN_RES
• N_CONN_CON

Structure N_QOS_CL_RANGE1

Structure N_qos_cl_range1 defines the range of QOS parameter values that are supported by the NS provider. The format of the structure is as follows:

     typedef struct {
         ulong n_qos_type;       /* always N_QOS_CL_RANGE */
         td_values_t transit_delay_max;      /* maximum transit delay */
         long residual_error_rate;   /* residual error rate */
         protection_values_t protection_range;       /* target
                                                        protection */
         priority_values_t priority_range;   /* target priority */
         long max_accept_cost;   /* maximum acceptable cost */
     } N_qos_cl_range1_t;

     

This structure should be used in the:

• QOS_range_length and QOS_range_offset fields of the N_INFO_ACK primitive;

Structure N_QOS_CL_SEL1

Structure N_qos_cl_sel1 defines the QOS parameters values that will apply to each unitdata transmission between the CLNS users. The format of the structure is as follows:

     typedef struct {
         ulong n_qos_type;       /* always N_QOS_CL_sel */
         long transit_delay_max; /* maximum transit delay */
         long residual_error_rate;   /* residual error rate */
         long protection_sel;    /* protection selected */
         long priority_sel;      /* priority selected */
         long max_accept_cost;   /* maximum acceptable cost */
     } N_qos_cl_sel1_t;

     

This structure should be used in the:

• QOS_length and QOS_offset fields of the N_INFO_ACK primitive;
• QOS_length and QOS_offset fields of the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitive.

Structure N_QOS_CO_OPT_RANGE1

Structure N_qos_opt_range1 defines the range of the default QOS parameter values that are supported by the NS provider. This allows the NS user to select values within the range supported by the NS provider. The format of the structure is as follows:

     typedef struct {
         ulong n_qos_type;       /* always N_QOS_CO_OPT_RANGE */
         thru_values_t src_throughput;       /* source throughput values 
                                              */
         thru_values_t dest_throughput;      /* dest throughput values */
         td_values_t transit_delay;  /* transit delay values */
         long nc_estab_delay;    /* NC establishment delay */
         long nc_estab_fail_prob;    /* NC estab failure probability */
         long residual_error_rate;   /* residual error rate */
         long xfer_fail_prob;    /* transfer failure probability */
         long nc_resilience;     /* NC resilience */
         long nc_rel_delay;      /* NC release delay */
         long nc_rel_fail_prob;  /* NC release fail probability */
         protection_values_t protection_range;       /* protection range 
                                                      */
         priority_values_t priority_range;   /* priority range */
         long max_accept_cost;   /* maximum acceptable cost */
     } N_qos_co_opt_range1_t;

     

This structure should be used in the:

• QOS_range_length and QOS_range_offset fields of the N_INFO_ACK primitive;

Structure N_QOS_CO_OPT_SEL1

Structure N_qos_opt_sel1 defines the selected QOS parameter values. The format of the structure is as follows:

     typedef struct {
         ulong n_qos_type;       /* always N_QOS_CO_OPT_SEL */
         thru_values_t src_throughput;       /* source throughput values 
                                              */
         thru_values_t dest_throughput;      /* dest throughput values */
         td_values_t transit_delay;  /* transit delay values */
         long nc_estab_delay;    /* NC establishment delay */
         long nc_estab_fail_prob;    /* NC estab failure probability */
         long residual_error_rate;   /* residual error rate */
         long xfer_fail_prob;    /* transfer failure probability */
         long nc_resilience;     /* NC resilience */
         long nc_rel_delay;      /* NC release delay */
         long nc_rel_fail_prob;  /* NC release failure probability */
         long protection_sel;    /* protection selected */
         long priority_sel;      /* priority selected */
         long max_accept_cost;   /* maximum acceptable cost */
     } N_qos_co_opt_sel1_t;

     

This structure should be used in the:

• QOS_length and QOS_offset fields of the N_INFO_ACK primitive;
• QOS_length and QOS_offset fields of the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitive.

NPI Primitives Rules for OSI Conformance

The following are the rules that apply to the NPI primitives for OSI compatibility.

Local Management Primitives

N_INFO_ACK

Parameters

NSDU_size

A value greater than zero specifies the maximum size of a Network Service Data Unit (NSDU); a value of ‘0’ specifies that the transfer of normal data is not supported by the NS provider,and a value of ‘-1’ specifies that there is no limit on the size of a NSDU.

ENSDU_size

A value between 1 and 32 inclusive specifies the maximum size of an Expedited Network Service Data Unit (ENSDU); a value of ‘0’ specifies that the transfer of expedited data is not supported by the NS provider.

CDATA_size

A value between 1 and 128 inclusive specifies the maximum number of octets of data that may be associated with connection establishment primitives. A value of ‘0’ specifies that the NS provider does not allow data to be sent with connection establishment primitives. When used in an OSI conforming environment, CDATA_size shall always equal 128.

DDATA_size

A value between 1 and 128 inclusive specifies the maximum number of octets of data that may be associated with the disconnect primitives; a value of ‘0’ specifies that the NS provider does not allow data to be sent with the disconnect primitives. When used in an OSI conforming environment, DDATA_size shall always equal 128.

ADDR_size

A value between 1 and 40 indicates the maximum size of a network address in decimal digits. When used in an OSI conforming environment, ADDR_size shall always equal 40 in order to accommodate a full NSAP address.

QOS_length

Indicates the length in bytes of the default/negotiated/selected values of the QOS parameters. The applicable QOS parameters are defined in the following structures:

1. N_QOS_CO_OPT_SEL1 for CONS; and
2. N_QOS_CL_SEL1 for CLNS.

In the connection-mode environment, when this primitive is invoked before the NC is established on the Stream, the values returned specify the the default values supported by the NS provider. When this primitive is invoked after a NC has been established on the Stream, the values returned indicate the negotiated values for the QOS parameters. In the connectionless environment, these values represent the default or the selected QOS parameter values.

In case a QOS parameter is not supported by the NS Provider, a value of QOS_UNKNOWN will be returned. In the case where no QOS parameters are supported by the NS provider, the length of this field will be zero.

QOS_range_length

Indicates the length in bytes, of the available range of QOS parameters values supported by the NS provider. These ranges are used by the NS user to select QOS parameter values that are valid with the NS provider.

The applicable QOS parameters are defined in the following structures:

1. N_QOS_CO_OPT_RANGE1 for CONS; and
2. N_QOS_CL_RANGE1 for CLNS.

QOS parameter values are selected, or the default values altered via the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitive. In the connection-mode environment, the values for end-to-end QOS parameters may be specified with the N_CONN primitives for negotiation. If the NS provider does not support a certain QOS parameter, its value will be set to QOS_UNKNOWN. In the case where no QOS parameters are supported by the NS provider, the length of this field will be zero.

NIDU_size

This indicates the amount of user data that may be present in aN_DATA primitive. The NIDU_size should not be larger than the NSDU_size specification.

SERV_type

Specifies the service type supported by the NS provider. The possible values can be N_CONS, N_CLNS, (or both by using N_CONS|N_CLNS). If the SERV_type is N_CLNS, the following rules will apply:

• The ENSDU_size, CDATA_size, DDATA_size, and DEFAULT_rc_sel fields are not used and their values should be set to ‘0’;
• The NSDU_size should be the same as the NIDU_size.

NODU_size

The NODU_size specifies the optimal NSDU size in octets of an NSDU given the current routing information.

PROTOID_length

The length of the protocol identifiers to be bound.

PROTOID_offset

The offset of the protocol identifiers to be bound, from the beginning of the block.

N_OPTMGMT_REQ

Parameters

QOS_length

Indicates the length of the default values of the QOS parameters as selected by the NS user. In the connection-mode environment these values will be used in subsequent N_CONN_REQ primitives on the Stream that do not specify values for these QOS parameters. In the connection-less environment, these values represent the selected QOS values that would apply to each unit data transmission. The applicable QOS parameters are defined in the following structures:

1. N_QOS_CO_OPT_SEL1 for CONS; and
2. N_QOS_CL_SEL1 for CLNS.

If the NS user cannot determine the value of a QOS parameter,its value should be set to QOS_UNKNOWN. If the NS user does not specify any QOS parameter values, the length of this field should be set to zero.

CONS Connection Establishment Phase Rules for QOS Parameter Negotiation

The negotiation for NC throughput and NC transit-delay QOS parameters are conducted as follows:

1. in the N_CONN_REQ primitive, the source NS user specifies two values for each negotiable QOS parameter:
   1. a “target” which is the QOS value desired; and
   2. a “lowest acceptable” QOS value to which the source NS user will agree;

   The value of each of these parameters must be within the limit of the allowable values defined for the network service. “Default” values for these parameters are supported by the NS provider. The default values may be selected by the NS user via the N_OPTMGMT_REQ primitive.

2. if the NS provider agrees to provide a value of QOS which is in the range between the “target” and the “lowest acceptable” QOS values, inclusive, of the N_CONN_REQ, then the NS provider specifies two parameters in the N_CONN_IND issued to the destination NS user:
   1. an “available” value which is the QOS value the NS provider is willing to provide; and
   2. a “lowest acceptable” QOS value which is identical to the “lowest acceptable” value specified in the N_CONN_REQ; (if the NS provider does not agree to provide QOS in the given range, then the NC establishment request is rejected);
3. if the destination NS user agrees to a QOS value which is in the range between the “available” and the “lowest acceptable” QOS values, inclusive, of the N_CONN_IND, then the destination NS user specifies a single parameter, “selected” in the N_CONN_RES; this parameter is the QOS value the destination NS user agrees to; (if the destination NS user does not agree to a QOS in the given range, then the NC establishment request is rejected);
4. the NS provider adopts the QOS value for the NC which was specified by the destination NS user and supplies this as a single parameter, “selected”, in the N_CONN_CON primitive.

• The negotiation for the NC protection parameter is conducted as follows:
  1. In the N_CONN_REQ primitive, the calling NS user specifies values for the “Target” and “Lowest Quality Acceptable” sub-parameters; permitted value assignments are:

     Case1:

     both the “Target” and “Lowest Quality Acceptable” are “unspecified”;
     

     Case2:

     values other than “unspecified” are specified for both “Target” and “Lowest Quality Acceptable”;
     

     Case3:

     a value other than “unspecified” is specified for “Target” and the “Lowest Quality Acceptable” is “unspecified”.

     NOTE: In case where “Target” is “unspecified”, the “Lowest Quality Acceptable” must also be “unspecified”.

  2. If the NS provider does not support a choice of NC protection levels, the value of the “Target” parameter is conveyed by the NS provider and passed to the called NS user unchanged as the “Available” sub-parameter in the N_CONN_IND primitive;
  3. If the NS provider does support a choice of NC protection levels, then:
     1. In Case1, the NS provider determines the QOS value to be offered on the NC and specifies it in the “Available” sub-parameter in the N_CONN_IND primitive;
     2. In Case2 and Case3, if the NS provider does not agree to provide a QOS in the requested range, then the NC establishment attempt is rejected as described in clause 13.5 of ISO 8348 (see ISO8348). If the NS provider does agree to provide a QOS in the requested range, then in the N_CONN_IND primitive, the “Available” sub-parameter specifies the highest QOS value within the range which the NS provider is willing to provide.
  4. The value of the “Lowest Quality Acceptable” sub-parameter in the N_CONN_IND primitive is identical to that in the N_CONN_REQ primitive;
  5. If the value of the “Available” sub-parameter of the N_CONN_IND primitive is “unspecified” then:
     1. if the called NS user does not agree to accept establishment of a NC with this unspecified quality, the NS user rejects the NC establishment attempt as described in clause 13.4 of ISO 8348 (see ISO8348);
     2. if the called NS user does agree, then the NS user specifies the value “unspecified” in the “Selected” sub-parameter of the N_CONN_RES primitive.
  6. If the value of the “Available” sub-parameter in the N_CONN_IND primitive is not “unspecified” then:
     1. if the called NS user does not agree to a QOS in the range identified by the “Available” and “Lowest Quality Acceptable” sub-parameters of the N_CONN_IND primitive, then the NS user rejects the NC establishment attempt as described in clause 13.4 of ISO 8348 (see ISO8348);
     2. if the called NS user does agree to a QOS in the identified range, then the NS user specifies the agreed value in the “Selected” sub-parameter of the N_CONN_RES primitive.
  7. In the N_CONN_CON primitive, the “Selected” sub-parameter has a value identical to that of “Selected” in the N_CONN_RES primitive.
• The negotiation of the NC priority parameter is conducted as follows:
  1. In the N_CONN_REQ primitive, the calling NS user specifies values for the “Target” and “Lowest Quality Acceptable” sub-parameters; permitted value assignments are:

     Case1:

     both the “Target” and “Lowest Quality Acceptable” are “unspecified”;
     

     Case2:

     values other than “unspecified” are specified for both “Target” and “Lowest Quality Acceptable”;
     

     Case3:

     a value other than “unspecified” is specified for “Target” and the “Lowest Quality Acceptable” is “unspecified”.

     NOTE: In case where “Target” is “unspecified”, the “Lowest Quality Acceptable” must also be “unspecified”.

  2. If the NS provider does not support a choice of NC priority levels, the value of the “Target” parameter is conveyed by the NS provider and passed to the called NS user unchanged as the “Available” sub-parameter in the N_CONN_IND primitive;
  3. If the NS provider does support a choice of NC priority levels, then:
     1. In Case1, the NS provider determines the QOS value to be offered on the NC and specifies it in the “Available” sub-parameter in the N_CONN_IND primitive;
     2. In Case2 and Case3, if the NS provider does not agree to provide a QOS in the requested range, then the NC establishment attempt is rejected as described in clause 13.5 of ISO 8348 (see ISO8348). If the NS provider does agree to provide a QOS in the requested range, then in the N_CONN_IND primitive, the “Available” sub-parameter specifies the highest QOS value within the range which the NS provider is willing to provide.
  4. The value of the “Lowest Quality Acceptable” sub-parameter in the N_CONN_IND primitive is identical to that in the N_CONN_REQ primitive;
  5. If the value of the “Available” sub-parameter of the N_CONN_IND primitive is “unspecified” then:
     1. if the called NS user does not agree to accept establishment of a NC with this unspecified quality, the NS user rejects the NC establishment attempt as described in clause 13.4 of ISO 8348 (see ISO8348);
     2. if the called NS user does agree, then the NS user specifies the value “unspecified” in the “Selected” sub-parameter of the N_CONN_RES primitive.
  6. If the value of the “Available” sub-parameter in the N_CONN_IND primitive is not “unspecified” then:
     1. if the called NS user does not agree to a QOS in the range identified by the “Available” and “Lowest Quality Acceptable” sub-parameters of the N_CONN_IND primitive, then the NS user rejects the NC establishment attempt as described in clause 13.4 of ISO 8348 (see ISO8348);
     2. if the called NS user does agree to a QOS in the identified range, then the NS user specifies the agreed value in the “Selected” sub-parameter of the N_CONN_RES primitive.
  7. In the N_CONN_CON primitive, the “Selected” sub-parameter has a value identical to that of “Selected” in the N_CONN_RES primitive.

Rules for QOS Parameter Selection

When a NS user/provider cannot determine the value of a QOS field, it should return a value of QOS_UNKNOWN.

     #define QOS_UNKNOWN -1

Rules for Receipt Confirmation Selection

• The receipt confirmation selection parameter values on the various primitives are related such that:
  1. on the N_CONN_REQ, either of the defined values may occur (namely, “use of receipt confirmation”, or “no use of receipt confirmation”).
  2. on the N_CONN_IND, the value is either equal to the value on the request primitive, or is “no use of receipt confirmation”.
  3. on the N_CONN_RES, the value is either equal to the value on the indication primitive or is “no use of receipt confirmation”.
  4. on the N_CONN_CON, the value is equal to the value on the response primitive.
• Since the NS users and the NS provider must agree to the use of receipt confirmation selection, there are four possible cases of negotiation of receipt confirmation on an NC:
  1. if the source NS user does not request it—it is not used;
  2. if the source NS user requests it but the NS provider does not provide it — it is not used;
  3. if the source NS user requests it and the NS provider agrees to provide it,but the destination NS user does not agree to its use – it is not used;
  4. if the source NS user requests it, the NS provider agrees to provide it, and the destination NS user agrees to its use – it can be used. Rules for Expedited Data Selection
• The expedited data selection parameter values on the various primitives are related such that:
  1. on the N_CONN_REQ, either of the defined values may occur, (namely “use of expedited data” or “no use of expedited data”);
  2. on the N_CONN_IND, the value is either equal to the value on the request primitive, or is “no use of expedited data”;
  3. on the N_CONN_RES, the value is either equal to the value on the indication primitive, or is “no use of expedited data”;
  4. on the N_CONN_CON, the value is equal to the value on the response primitive.
• Since the NS users and the NS provider must agree to the use of expedited data selection, there are four possible cases of negotiation of expedited data on an NC:
  1. if the source NS user does not request it—it is not used;
  2. if the source NS user requests it but the NS provider does not provide it—it is not used;
  3. if the source NS user requests it and the NS provider agrees to provide it, but the destination NS user does not agree to its use—it is not used;
  4. if the source NS user requests it, the NS provider agrees to provide it, and the destination NS user agrees to its use—it can be used.

N_CONN_REQ

Parameters

QOS_length

Indicates the length of the QOS parameters values that apply to the NC being requested.

The applicable QOS parameters are defined in the following structure:

1. N_QOS_CO_RANGE1

If the NS user cannot determine the value of a QOS parameter, its value should be set to QOS_UNKNOWN. If the NS user does not specify any QOS parameter values, the length of this field should be set to zero.

Flags

REC_CONF_OPT

The receipt confirmation selection parameter indicates whether receipt confirmation service is desired by the calling NS user on the NC. The receipt confirmation service must be provided in the network service to be used on the NC. When set, it indicates “use of receipt confirmation”, and when not set it indicates “no use of receipt confirmation”.

EX_DATA_OPT

The expedited data selection parameter indicates whether the expedited data service is desired by the calling NS user on the NC. The expedited data transfer service must be provided by the NS provider for it to be used on the NC. When set, it indicates “use of expedited data”, and when not set it indicates “no use of expedited data”.

N_CONN_IND

Parameters

QOS_length

Indicates the length of the QOS parameters values that are negotiated during NC establishment.

The applicable QOS parameters are defined in the following structure:

1. N_QOS_CO_RANGE1

If the NS provider does not support or cannot determine the value of a QOS parameter, its value will be set to QOS_UNKNOWN. If the NS provider does not specify any QOS parameter values, the length of this field should be set to zero.

QOS_offset

Indicates the offset of the QOS parameters from the beginning of the M_PROTO message block.

Flags

REC_CONF_OPT

The receipt confirmation selection parameter indicates whether the receipt confirmation service is available on the NC and the calling NS user desires its use. The receipt confirmation service must be provided in the network service to be used on the NC. When set, it indicates “use of receipt confirmation”, and when not set, it indicates “no use of receipt confirmation”. The value on the N_CONN_IND is either equal to the value on the request primitive or is “no use of receipt confirmation”.

EX_DATA_OPT

The expedited data selection parameter indicates whether the expedited data transfer service is available on the NC and the calling NS user desires its use. The expedited data transfer service must be provided by the NS provider for it to be used on the NC. When set, it indicates “use of expedited data” or “no use of expedited data”. The value on the N_CONN_IND is either equal to the value on the request primitive or is “no use of expedited data”.

N_CONN_RES

Parameters

QOS_length

Indicates the length of the QOS parameters values that are negotiated during NC establishment. The applicable QOS parameters are defined in the following structure:

1. N_QOS_CO_SEL1

If the NS user does not agree to the QOS values, it will reject the NC establishment by invoking a N_DISCON_REQ primitive (the originator parameter in the N_DISCON_REQ primitive will indicate NS user invoked release). If the NS user cannot determine the value of a QOS parameter, its value should be set to QOS_UNKNOWN. If the NS user does not specify any QOS parameter values, the length of this field should be set to zero.

Flags

REC_CONF_OPT

The receipt confirmation selection parameter indicates whether the receipt confirmation service can be used on the NC. The receipt confirmation service must be provided in the network service to be used on the NC. When set, it indicates “use of receipt confirmation”, and when not set it indicates “no use of receipt confirmation”. The value on the N_CONN_RES is either equal to the value on the indication primitive or is “no use of receipt confirmation”.

EX_DATA_OPT

The expedited data selection parameter indicates whether the expedited data transfer service can be used on the NC. The expedited data transfer service must be provided by the NS provider for it to be used on the NC. When set, it indicates “use of expedited data”, and when not set, it indicates “no use of expedited data”. The value on the N_CONN_RES is either equal to the value on the indication primitive or is “no use of expedited data”.

N_CONN_CON

Parameters

QOS_length

Indicates the length of the QOS parameters values selected by the responding NS user. The applicable QOS parameters are defined in the following structure:

1. N_QOS_CO_SEL1

If the NS provider does not support or cannot determine the selected value of a QOS parameter, its value will be set to QOS_UNKNOWN. If the NS provider does not specify any QOS parameter values, the length of this field should be set to zero.

Flags

REC_CONF_OPT

The receipt confirmation selection parameter indicates whether the receipt confirmation service can be used on the NC. The receipt confirmation service must be provided in the network service to be used on the NC. When set, it indicates “use of receipt confirmation”, and when not set it indicates “no use of receipt confirmation”. The value on the N_CONN_CON is equal to the value on the response primitive.

EX_DATA_OPT

The expedited data selection parameter indicates whether the expedited data transfer service can be used on the NC. The expedited data transfer service must be provided by the NS provider for it to be used on the NC. When set, it indicates “use of expedited data”, and when not set, it indicates “no use of expedited data”. The value on the N_CONN_CON is equal to the value on the response primitive.

CONS Reset Service

N_RESET_REQ

Parameters

RESET_reason

Gives information indicating the cause of the reset. Rules governing the value of the RESET_reason parameter For an N_RESET_REQ, the reason shall always indicate N_USER_RESYNC.

N_RESET_IND

Parameters

RESET_orig

This parameter indicates the source of the reset.

Reset Originator

N_PROVIDER

NS provider originated reset

N_USER

NS user originated reset

N_UNDEFINED

reset originator undefined

RESET_reason

Gives information indicating the cause of the reset.

Rules governing the value of the RESET_reason parameter

The value conveyed in this parameter will be as follows:

1. when the originator parameter indicates an NS provider invoked reset; the parameter is one of:

   N_CONGESTION

   reset due to congestion;
   

   N_RESET_UNSPECIFIED

   reset-reason unspecified.

2. when the originator parameter indicates an NS user invoked reset, the value is:

   N_USER_RESYNC

   user resynchronization.

3. when the originator parameter has the value “undefined”, then the value of the reason parameter is:

   N_REASON_UNDEFINED

   reset reason undefined

CONS NC Release Phase

N_DISCON_REQ

Parameters:

DISCON_reason

Gives information about the cause of the release.

Rules governing the value of the DISCON_reason parameter

The value conveyed in the parameter will be as follows:

N_DISC_NORMAL

“disconnection-normal condition”

N_DISC_ABNORMAL

“disconnection-abnormal condition”

N_REJ_P

“connection rejection-permanent condition”

N_REJ_T

“connection rejection-transient condition”

N_REJ_QOS_UNAVAIL_P

“connection rejection-QOS not available/permanent condition”

N_REJ_QOS_UNAVAIL_T

“connection rejection-QOS not available/transient condition”

N_REJ_INCOMPAT_INFO

“connection rejection-incompatible information in NS user data”

N_REJ_UNSPECIFIED

“connection rejection-reason unspecified”

N_DISCON_IND

Parameters

DISCON_orig

Indicates the source of the NC release. Its value are as follows:

N_PROVIDER

NS provider originated disconnect

N_USER

NS user originated disconnect

N_UNDEFINED

disconnect originator undefined

The value “undefined” is not permitted when an N_DISCON_IND is issued by an NS user or the NS provider in order to reject an NC establishment attempt.

DISCON_reason

Gives information about the cause of the release.

Rules governing the value of the DISCON_reason parameter

The value conveyed in the parameter will be as follows:

1. When the originator parameter indicates an NS provider invoked release, the value is one of:

   N_DISC_P

   “disconnection-permanent condition”
   

   N_DISC_T

   “disconnection-transient condition”
   

   N_REJ_NSAP_UNKNOWN

   “connection rejection-NSAP address unknown (permanent condition)”
   

   N_REJ_NSAP_UNREACH_P

   “connection rejection-NSAP unreachable(permanent condition)”
   

   N_REJ_NSAP_UNREACH_T

   “connection rejection-NSAP unreachable(transient condition)”
   

   N_REJ_QOS_UNAVAIL_P

   “connection rejection-QOS not available/permanent condition”
   

   N_REJ_QOS_UNAVAIL_T

   “connection rejection-QOS not available/transient condition”
   

   N_REJ_UNSPECIFIED

   “connection rejection-reason unspecified”

2. When the originator parameter indicates an NS user invoked release, the value is one of:

   N_DISC_NORMAL

   “disconnection-normal condition”
   

   N_DISC_ABNORMAL

   “disconnection-abnormal condition”
   

   N_REJ_P

   “connection rejection-permanent condition”
   

   N_REJ_T

   “connection rejection-transient condition”
   

   N_REJ_QOS_UNAVAIL_P

   “connection rejection-QOS not available/permanent condition”
   

   N_REJ_QOS_UNAVAIL_T

   “connection rejection-QOS not available/transient condition”
   

   N_REJ_INCOMPAT_INFO

   “connection rejection-incompatible information in NS user data”
   

   N_REJ_UNSPECIFIED

   “connection rejection-reason unspecified”

3. When the originator parameter value is undefined, then the value of the reason parameter shall be:

   N_REASON_UNDEFINED

   disconnect reason undefined

CLNS

N_UDERROR_IND

Parameters

ERROR_type

Specifies the reason for the error. The possible values are:

N_UD_UNDEFINED

no reason specified;

N_UD_TD_EXCEEDED

transit delay exceeded;

N_UD_CONGESTION

NS provider congestion;

N_UD_QOS_UNAVAIL

other requested QOS/service characteristic unavailable;

N_UD_LIFE_EXCEEDED

NSDU lifetime exceeded;

N_UD_ROUTE_UNAVAIL

suitable route unavailable.

N_UD_SEG_REQUIRED

segmentation required where none permitted.

Appendix A Mapping NPI to ISO 8348 and CCITT X.213

Table A-1 shows a mapping of the NPI primitives to the OSI network service definition primitives.

Appendix B State/Event Tables

This appendix contains tables showing the network-user's view of the possible states that the NPI may enter due to an event, and the possible events that may occur on the interface. The N_INFO_REQ, N_INFO_ACK, N_TOKEN_REQ, and N_TOKEN_ACK primitives are excluded from the state transition table because they can be issued from several states, and secondly, they do not cause a state transition to occur. However, the N_INFO_REQ and the N_TOKEN_REQ primitives may not be issued by the NS user when a local acknowledgement to a previously issued primitive is pending.

Table B-2 and Table B-3 describe the variables and outputs used in the state tables.

Table B-4 shows outgoing events that are initiated by the network-user entity. These events are either requests to the network provider or responses to an event of the network provider.

Table B-5 shows incoming events that are initiated by the network provider. These events are either confirmations of a request, or are indications to the NS user entity that an event has occurred.

Table B-6 and Table B-7 describe the possible events the NPI may enter given a current state and event. The contents of each box represent the next state given the current state (column) and the current incoming or outgoing event (row). An empty box represents a state/event combination that is invalid. Along with the next state, each box may include an action. The network provider must take specific actions in the order specified in the state table.

Appendix C Primitive Precedence Tables

Table C-1 and Table C-2 describe the precedence of the NPI primitives for both the Stream write and read queues. In both these tables, primitive Y is already on the queue and primitive X is about to be put on the queue. The Stream write queue contains network user initiated primitives and the Stream read queue contains network provider initiated primitives. The column headings are a shorthand notation for the row headings.

Appendix D NPI Header File Listing

This appendix contains a listing of the NPI header file needed by implementations.

/*
   npi.h header for the Network Provider Interface (OSI Conforming)
 */

#ifndef SYS_NPI_H
#define SYS_NPI_H               /* mark file as included */

typedef int32_t np_long;
typedef u_int32_t np_ulong;
typedef u_int16_t np_ushort;

#define N_CURRENT_VERSION   0x02        /* current version of NPI */
#define N_VERSION_2         0x02        /* version of npi, December 16, 1991 */

/*
   Primitives that are initiated by the network user.
 */
#define N_CONN_REQ               0      /* NC request */
#define N_CONN_RES               1      /* Accept previous connection indication */
#define N_DISCON_REQ             2      /* NC disconnection request */
#define N_DATA_REQ               3      /* Connection-Mode data transfer request */
#define N_EXDATA_REQ             4      /* Expedited data request */
#define N_INFO_REQ               5      /* Information Request */
#define N_BIND_REQ               6      /* Bind a NS user to network address */
#define N_UNBIND_REQ             7      /* Unbind NS user from network address */
#define N_UNITDATA_REQ           8      /* Connection-less data send request */
#define N_OPTMGMT_REQ            9      /* Options Management request */

/*
   Primitives that are initiated by the network provider.
 */
#define N_CONN_IND              11      /* Incoming connection indication */
#define N_CONN_CON              12      /* Connection established */
#define N_DISCON_IND            13      /* NC disconnected */
#define N_DATA_IND              14      /* Incoming connection-mode data indication */
#define N_EXDATA_IND            15      /* Incoming expedited data indication */
#define N_INFO_ACK              16      /* Information Acknowledgement */
#define N_BIND_ACK              17      /* NS User bound to network address */
#define N_ERROR_ACK             18      /* Error Acknowledgement */
#define N_OK_ACK                19      /* Success Acknowledgement */
#define N_UNITDATA_IND          20      /* Connection-less data receive indication */
#define N_UDERROR_IND           21      /* UNITDATA Error Indication */

/*
   Additional NPI Primitivies
 */
#define N_DATACK_REQ            23      /* Data acknowledgement request */
#define N_DATACK_IND            24      /* Data acknowledgement indication */
#define N_RESET_REQ             25      /* NC reset request */
#define N_RESET_IND             26      /* Incoming NC reset request indication */
#define N_RESET_RES             27      /* Reset processing accepted */
#define N_RESET_CON             28      /* Reset processing complete */

/*
   The following are the events that drive the state machine
 */

/*
   Initialization events
 */
#define NE_BIND_REQ              0      /* bind request */
#define NE_UNBIND_REQ            1      /* unbind request */
#define NE_OPTMGMT_REQ           2      /* manage options request */
#define NE_BIND_ACK              3      /* bind acknowledgement */
#define NE_ERROR_ACK             5      /* error acknowledgement */
#define NE_OK_ACK1               6      /* ok ack, outcnt == 0 */
#define NE_OK_ACK2               7      /* ok ack, outcnt == 1, q == rq */
#define NE_OK_ACK3               8      /* ok ack, outcnt == 1, q! == rq */
#define NE_OK_ACK4               9      /* ok ack, outcnt > 1 */

/*
   Connection-Mode events
 */
#define NE_CONN_REQ             10      /* connect request */
#define NE_CONN_RES             11      /* connect response */
#define NE_DISCON_REQ           12      /* disconnect request */
#define NE_DATA_REQ             13      /* data request */
#define NE_EXDATA_REQ           14      /* expedited data request */
#define NE_CONN_IND             16      /* connect indication */
#define NE_CONN_CON             17      /* connect confirm */
#define NE_DATA_IND             18      /* data indication */
#define NE_EXDATA_IND           19      /* expedited data indication */
#define NE_DISCON_IND1          21      /* disconnect indication, outcnt == 0 */
#define NE_DISCON_IND2          22      /* disconnect indication, outcnt == 1 */
#define NE_DISCON_IND3          23      /* disconnect indication, outcnt > 1 */
#define NE_PASS_CON             24      /* pass connection */
#define NE_RESET_REQ            28      /* reset request */
#define NE_RESET_RES            29      /* reset response */
#define NE_DATACK_REQ           30      /* data acknowledgement request */
#define NE_DATACK_IND           31      /* data acknowledgement indication */
#define NE_RESET_IND            32      /* reset indication */
#define NE_RESET_CON            33      /* reset confirm */

/*
   Connection-less events
 */
#define NE_UNITDATA_REQ         25      /* unitdata request */
#define NE_UNITDATA_IND         26      /* unitdata indication */
#define NE_UDERROR_IND          27      /* unitdata error indication */

#define NE_NOEVENTS             36      /* no events */

/*
   NPI interface states
 */
#define NS_UNBND                 0      /* NS user not bound to network address */
#define NS_WACK_BREQ             1      /* Awaiting acknowledgement of N_BIND_REQ */
#define NS_WACK_UREQ             2      /* Pending acknowledgement for N_UNBIND_REQ */
#define NS_IDLE                  3      /* Idle, no connection */
#define NS_WACK_OPTREQ           4      /* Pending acknowledgement of N_OPTMGMT_REQ */
#define NS_WACK_RRES             5      /* Pending acknowledgement of N_RESET_RES */
#define NS_WCON_CREQ             6      /* Pending confirmation of N_CONN_REQ */
#define NS_WRES_CIND             7      /* Pending response of N_CONN_REQ */
#define NS_WACK_CRES             8      /* Pending acknowledgement of N_CONN_RES */
#define NS_DATA_XFER             9      /* Connection-mode data transfer */
#define NS_WCON_RREQ            10      /* Pending confirmation of N_RESET_REQ */
#define NS_WRES_RIND            11      /* Pending response of N_RESET_IND */
#define NS_WACK_DREQ6           12      /* Waiting ack of N_DISCON_REQ */
#define NS_WACK_DREQ7           13      /* Waiting ack of N_DISCON_REQ */
#define NS_WACK_DREQ9           14      /* Waiting ack of N_DISCON_REQ */
#define NS_WACK_DREQ10          15      /* Waiting ack of N_DISCON_REQ */
#define NS_WACK_DREQ11          16      /* Waiting ack of N_DISCON_REQ */

#define NS_NOSTATES             18      /* No states */

/*
   N_ERROR_ACK error return code values
 */
#define NBADADDR                 1      /* Incorrect address format/illegal address information */
#define NBADOPT                  2      /* Options in incorrect format or contain illegal
                                           information */
#define NACCESS                  3      /* User did not have proper permissions */
#define NNOADDR                  5      /* NS Provider could not allocate address */
#define NOUTSTATE                6      /* Primitive was issues in wrong sequence */
#define NBADSEQ                  7      /* Sequence number in primitive was incorrect/illegal */
#define NSYSERR                  8      /* UNIX system error occurred */
#define NBADDATA                10      /* User data spec. outside range supported by NS provider */
#define NBADFLAG                16      /* Flags specified in primitive were illegal/incorrect */
#define NNOTSUPPORT             18      /* Primitive type not supported by the NS provider */
#define NBOUND                  19      /* Illegal second attempt to bind listener or default
                                           listener */
#define NBADQOSPARAM            20      /* QOS values specified are outside the range supported by
                                           the NS provider */
#define NBADQOSTYPE             21      /* QOS structure type specified is not supported by the NS
                                           provider */
#define NBADTOKEN               22      /* Token used is not associated with an open stream */
#define NNOPROTOID              23      /* Protocol id could not be allocated */

/*
   N_UDERROR_IND reason codes
 */
#define N_UD_UNDEFINED          10      /* no reason specified */
#define N_UD_TD_EXCEEDED        11      /* Transit delay exceeded */
#define N_UD_CONGESTION         12      /* NS Provider congestion */
#define N_UD_QOS_UNAVAIL        13      /* Requested QOS/service characteristic unavailable */
#define N_UD_LIFE_EXCEEDED      14      /* NSDU Lifetime exceeded */
#define N_UD_ROUTE_UNAVAIL      15      /* Suitable route unavailable */
#define N_UD_SEG_REQUIRED       16      /* Segmentation reqd where none permitted */

/*
   NPI Originator for Resets and Disconnects
 */
#define N_PROVIDER              0x0100  /* provider originated reset/disconnect */
#define N_USER                  0x0101  /* user originated reset/disconnect */
#define N_UNDEFINED             0x0102  /* reset/disconnect originator undefined */

/*
   NPI Disconnect & Reset reasons when the originator is the N_UNDEFINED
 */
#define N_REASON_UNDEFINED      0x0200

/*
   NPI Disconnect reasons when the originator is the N_PROVIDER
 */
#define N_DISC_P                0x0300  /* Disconnection-permanent condition */
#define N_DISC_T                0x0301  /* Disconnection-transient condition */
#define N_REJ_NSAP_UNKNOWN      0x0302  /* Connection rejection-NSAP address unknown (permanent
                                           condition) */
#define N_REJ_NSAP_UNREACH_P    0x0303  /* Connection rejection-NSAP unreachable (permanent
                                           condition) */
#define N_REJ_NSAP_UNREACH_T    0x0304  /* Connection rejection-NSAP unreachable (transient
                                           condition) */

/*
   NPI Disconnect reasons when the originator is the N_USER
 */
#define N_DISC_NORMAL           0x0400  /* Disconnection-normal condition */
#define N_DISC_ABNORMAL         0x0401  /* Disconnection-abnormal condition */
#define N_REJ_P                 0x0402  /* Connection rejection-permanent condition */
#define N_REJ_T                 0x0403  /* Connection rejection-transient condition */
#define N_REJ_INCOMPAT_INFO     0x0406  /* Connection rejection-incompatible information in
                                           NS-user-data */

/*
   NPI Disconnect reasons when the originator is the N_USER or N_PROVIDER
 */
#define N_REJ_QOS_UNAVAIL_P     0x0305  /* Connection rejection-QOS unavailable (permanent
                                           condition) */
#define N_REJ_QOS_UNAVAIL_T     0x0306  /* Connection rejection-QOS unavailable (transient
                                           condition) */
#define N_REJ_UNSPECIFIED       0x0307  /* Connection rejection-reason unspecified */

/*
   NPI Reset reasons when originator is N_PROVIDER
 */
#define N_CONGESTION            0x0500  /* Reset due to congestion */
#define N_RESET_UNSPECIFIED     0x0501  /* Reset-reason "unspecified" */

/*
   NPI Reset reasons when originator is N_USER
 */
#define N_USER_RESYNC           0x0600  /* Reset due to user resynchronization */

/*
   CONN_flags definition; (used in N_conn_req, N_conn_ind, N_conn_res, and N_conn_con primitives)

   Flags to indicate support of network provider options; (used with the OPTIONS_flags field of
   N_info_ack primitive)
 */
#define REC_CONF_OPT            0x00000001L     /* Receipt Confirmation Selection and Support */
#define EX_DATA_OPT             0x00000002L     /* Expedited Data Selection and Support */

/*
   This flag is used with the OPTIONS_flags field of N_info_ack as well as the OPTMGMT_flags field
   of the N_optmgmt_req primitive
 */
#define DEFAULT_RC_SEL          0x00000004L     /* Indicates if default receipt confirmation is
                                                   selected */

/*
   BIND_flags; (used with N_bind_req primitive)
 */

#define DEFAULT_LISTENER        0x00000001L     /* indicates if this stream is the default listener
                                                 */
#define TOKEN_REQUEST           0x00000002L     /* indicates if "token" should be assigned to the
                                                   stream */
#define DEFAULT_DEST            0x00000004L     /* indicates if default dest. stream */

/*
   QOS Parameter Definitions
 */

/*
   Throughput

   This parameter is specified for both directions.
 */
typedef struct {
        np_long thru_targ_value;        /* target throughput values */
        np_long thru_min_value;         /* minimum acceptable throughput value */
} thru_values_t;

/*
   Transit Delay
 */
typedef struct {
        np_long td_targ_value;          /* target transit delay */
        np_long td_max_value;           /* maximum acceptable transit delay */
} td_values_t;

/*
   Protection Values
 */
typedef struct {
        np_long protect_targ_value;     /* target protection value */
        np_long protect_min_value;      /* minimum or available protection */
} protection_values_t;

/*
   Priority Values
 */
typedef struct {
        np_long priority_targ_value;    /* target priority */
        np_long priority_min_value;     /* minimum acceptable priority */
} priority_values_t;

/*
   Types of protection specifications
 */
#define N_NO_PROT               0x00000000L     /* no protection */
#define N_PASSIVE_PROT          0x00000001L     /* protection against passive monitoring */
#define N_ACTIVE_PROT           0x00000002L     /* protection against active monitoring */
#define N_ACTIVE_PASSIVE_PROT   0x00000003L     /* protection against active and passive monitoring
                                                 */

/*
   Cost Selection
 */
#define N_LEAST_EXPENSIVE       0x00000000L     /* choose least expensive means */

/*
   QOS STRUCTURE TYPES AND DEFINED VALUES
 */
#define N_QOS_CO_RANGE1         0x0101
#define N_QOS_CO_SEL1           0x0102
#define N_QOS_CL_RANGE1         0x0103
#define N_QOS_CL_SEL1           0x0104
#define N_QOS_CO_OPT_RANGE1     0x0105
#define N_QOS_CO_OPT_SEL1       0x0106

/*
   When a NS user/provider cannot determine the value of a QOS field, it should return a value of
   QOS_UNKNOWN.
 */
#define QOS_UNKNOWN                     -1

/*
   QOS range for CONS. (Used with N_CONN_REQ and N_CONN_IND.)
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong n_qos_type;            /* always N_QOS_CO_RANGE */
        thru_values_t src_throughput_range;     /* source throughput range */
        thru_values_t dest_throughput_range;    /* destination throughput range */
        td_values_t transit_delay_range;        /* transit delay range */
        protection_values_t protection_range;   /* protection range */
        priority_values_t priority_range;       /* priority range */
} N_qos_co_range_t;

/*
   QOS selected for CONS. (Used with N_CONN_RES and N_CONN_CON.)
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong n_qos_type;            /* always N_QOS_CO_SEL */
        np_long src_throughput_sel;     /* source throughput selected */
        np_long dest_throughput_sel;    /* destination throughput selected */
        np_long transit_delay_sel;      /* transit delay selected */
        np_long protection_sel;         /* NC protection selected */
        np_long priority_sel;           /* NC priority selected */
} N_qos_co_sel_t;

/*
   QOS range for CLNS options management. (Used with N_INFO_ACK.)
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong n_qos_type;            /* always N_QOS_CL_RANGE */
        td_values_t transit_delay_max;  /* maximum transit delay */
        np_ulong residual_error_rate;   /* residual error rate */
        protection_values_t protection_range;   /* protection range */
        priority_values_t priority_range;       /* priority range */
        np_long max_accept_cost;        /* maximum acceptable cost */
} N_qos_cl_range_t;

/*
   QOS selection for CLNS options management. (Used with N_OPTMGMT_REQ and N_INFO_ACK.)
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong n_qos_type;            /* always N_QOS_CL_sel */
        np_long transit_delay_max;      /* maximum transit delay */
        np_ulong residual_error_rate;   /* residual error rate */
        np_long protection_sel;         /* protection selected */
        np_long priority_sel;           /* priority selected */
        np_long max_accept_cost;        /* maximum acceptable cost */
} N_qos_cl_sel_t;

/*
   QOS range for CONS options management. (Used with N_OPTMGMT_REQ.)
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong n_qos_type;            /* always N_QOS_CO_OPT_RANGE */
        thru_values_t src_throughput;   /* source throughput values */
        thru_values_t dest_throughput;  /* dest throughput values */
        td_values_t transit_delay_t;    /* transit delay values */
        np_long nc_estab_delay;         /* NC establishment delay */
        np_ulong nc_estab_fail_prob;    /* NC estab failure probability */
        np_ulong residual_error_rate;   /* residual error rate */
        np_ulong xfer_fail_prob;        /* transfer failure probability */
        np_ulong nc_resilience;         /* NC resilience */
        np_long nc_rel_delay;           /* NC release delay */
        np_ulong nc_rel_fail_prob;      /* NC release failure probability */
        protection_values_t protection_range;   /* protection range */
        priority_values_t priority_range;       /* priority range */
        np_long max_accept_cost;        /* maximum acceptable cost */
} N_qos_co_opt_range_t;

/*
   QOS values selected for CONS options management. (Used with N_OPTMGMT_REQ and N_INFO_ACK.)
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong n_qos_type;            /* always N_QOS_CO_OPT_SEL */
        thru_values_t src_throughput;   /* source throughput values */
        thru_values_t dest_throughput;  /* dest throughput values */
        td_values_t transit_delay_t;    /* transit delay values */
        np_long nc_estab_delay;         /* NC establishment delay */
        np_ulong nc_estab_fail_prob;    /* NC estab failure probability */
        np_ulong residual_error_rate;   /* residual error rate */
        np_ulong xfer_fail_prob;        /* transfer failure probability */
        np_ulong nc_resilience;         /* NC resilience */
        np_long nc_rel_delay;           /* NC release delay */
        np_ulong nc_rel_fail_prob;      /* NC release failure probability */
        np_long protection_sel;         /* protection selected */
        np_long priority_sel;           /* priority selected */
        np_long max_accept_cost;        /* maximum acceptable cost */
} N_qos_co_opt_sel_t;

/*
   NPI Primitive Definitions
 */

/*
   Local management service primitives
 */

/*
   Information request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_INFO_REQ */
} N_info_req_t;

/*
   Information acknowledgement
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_INFO_ACK */
        np_ulong NSDU_size;             /* maximum NSDU size */
        np_ulong ENSDU_size;            /* maximum ENSDU size */
        np_ulong CDATA_size;            /* connect data size */
        np_ulong DDATA_size;            /* discon data size */
        np_ulong ADDR_size;             /* address size */
        np_ulong ADDR_length;           /* address length */
        np_ulong ADDR_offset;           /* address offset */
        np_ulong QOS_length;            /* QOS values length */
        np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* QOS values offset */
        np_ulong QOS_range_length;      /* length of QOS values' range */
        np_ulong QOS_range_offset;      /* offset of QOS values' range */
        np_ulong OPTIONS_flags;         /* bit masking for options supported */
        np_ulong NIDU_size;             /* network i/f data unit size */
        np_long SERV_type;              /* service type */
        np_ulong CURRENT_state;         /* current state */
        np_ulong PROVIDER_type;         /* type of NS provider */
        np_ulong NODU_size;             /* optimal NSDU size */
        np_ulong PROTOID_length;        /* length of bound protocol ids */
        np_ulong PROTOID_offset;        /* offset of bound protocol ids */
        np_ulong NPI_version;           /* version # of npi that is supported */
} N_info_ack_t;

/*
   Service types supported by NS provider
 */
#define N_CONS 1                /* Connection-mode network service supported */
#define N_CLNS 2                /* Connection-less network service supported */

/*
   Valid provider types
 */
#define N_SNICFP 1
#define N_SUBNET 2

/*
   Bind request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_BIND_REQ */
        np_ulong ADDR_length;           /* length of address */
        np_ulong ADDR_offset;           /* offset of address */
        np_ulong CONIND_number;         /* requested # of connect-indications to be queued */
        np_ulong BIND_flags;            /* bind flags */
        np_ulong PROTOID_length;        /* length of bound protocol ids */
        np_ulong PROTOID_offset;        /* offset of bound protocol ids */
} N_bind_req_t;

/*
   Bind acknowledgement
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_BIND_ACK */
        np_ulong ADDR_length;           /* address length */
        np_ulong ADDR_offset;           /* offset of address */
        np_ulong CONIND_number;         /* connection indications */
        np_ulong TOKEN_value;           /* value of "token" assigned to stream */
        np_ulong PROTOID_length;        /* length of bound protocol ids */
        np_ulong PROTOID_offset;        /* offset of bound protocol ids */
} N_bind_ack_t;

/*
   Unbind request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_UNBIND_REQ */
} N_unbind_req_t;

/*
   Options management request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_OPTMGMT_REQ */
        np_ulong QOS_length;            /* length of QOS parameter values */
        np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* offset of QOS parameter values */
        np_ulong OPTMGMT_flags;         /* options management flags */
} N_optmgmt_req_t;

/*
   Error acknowledgement for CONS services
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_ERROR_ACK */
        np_ulong ERROR_prim;            /* primitive in error */
        np_ulong NPI_error;             /* NPI error code */
        np_ulong UNIX_error;            /* UNIX error code */
} N_error_ack_t;

/*
   Successful completion acknowledgement
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_OK_ACK */
        np_ulong CORRECT_prim;          /* primitive being acknowledged */
} N_ok_ack_t;

/*
   CONS PRIMITIVES
 */

/*
   Network connection request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_CONN_REQ */
        np_ulong DEST_length;           /* destination address length */
        np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* destination address offset */
        np_ulong CONN_flags;            /* bit masking for options flags */
        np_ulong QOS_length;            /* length of QOS parameter values */
        np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* offset of QOS parameter values */
} N_conn_req_t;

/*
   Connection indication
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_CONN_IND */
        np_ulong DEST_length;           /* destination address length */
        np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* destination address offset */
        np_ulong SRC_length;            /* source address length */
        np_ulong SRC_offset;            /* source address offset */
        np_ulong SEQ_number;            /* sequence number */
        np_ulong CONN_flags;            /* bit masking for options flags */
        np_ulong QOS_length;            /* length of QOS parameter values */
        np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* offset of QOS parameter values */
} N_conn_ind_t;

/*
   Connection response
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_CONN_RES */
        np_ulong TOKEN_value;           /* NC response token value */
        np_ulong RES_length;            /* responding address length */
        np_ulong RES_offset;            /* responding address offset */
        np_ulong SEQ_number;            /* sequence number */
        np_ulong CONN_flags;            /* bit masking for options flags */
        np_ulong QOS_length;            /* length of QOS parameter values */
        np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* offset of QOS parameter values */
} N_conn_res_t;

/*
   Connection confirmation
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_CONN_CON */
        np_ulong RES_length;            /* responding address length */
        np_ulong RES_offset;            /* responding address offset */
        np_ulong CONN_flags;            /* bit masking for options flags */
        np_ulong QOS_length;            /* length of QOS parameter values */
        np_ulong QOS_offset;            /* offset of QOS parameter values */
} N_conn_con_t;

/*
   Connection mode data transfer request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DATA_REQ */
        np_ulong DATA_xfer_flags;       /* data transfer flags */
} N_data_req_t;

/*
   NPI MORE_DATA_FLAG for segmenting NSDU into more than 1 NIDUs
 */
#define N_MORE_DATA_FLAG        0x00000001L     /* Indicates that the next NIDU is part of this
                                                   NSDU */

/*
   NPI Receipt confirmation request set flag
 */
#define N_RC_FLAG               0x00000002L     /* Indicates if receipt confirmation is required */

/*
   Incoming data indication for an NC
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DATA_IND */
        np_ulong DATA_xfer_flags;       /* data transfer flags */
} N_data_ind_t;

/*
   Data acknowledgement request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DATACK_REQ */
} N_datack_req_t;

/*
   Data acknowledgement indication
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DATACK_IND */
} N_datack_ind_t;

/*
   Expedited data transfer request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_EXDATA_REQ */
} N_exdata_req_t;

/*
   Expedited data transfer indication
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_EXDATA_IND */
} N_exdata_ind_t;

/*
   NC reset request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_RESET_REQ */
        np_ulong RESET_reason;          /* reason for reset */
} N_reset_req_t;

/*
   NC reset indication
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_RESET_IND */
        np_ulong RESET_orig;            /* reset originator */
        np_ulong RESET_reason;          /* reason for reset */
} N_reset_ind_t;

/*
   NC reset response
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_RESET_RES */
} N_reset_res_t;

/*
   NC reset confirmed
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_RESET_CON */
} N_reset_con_t;

/*
   NC disconnection request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DISCON_REQ */
        np_ulong DISCON_reason;         /* reason */
        np_ulong RES_length;            /* responding address length */
        np_ulong RES_offset;            /* responding address offset */
        np_ulong SEQ_number;            /* sequence number */
} N_discon_req_t;

/*
   NC disconnection indication
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_DISCON_IND */
        np_ulong DISCON_orig;           /* originator */
        np_ulong DISCON_reason;         /* reason */
        np_ulong RES_length;            /* address length */
        np_ulong RES_offset;            /* address offset */
        np_ulong SEQ_number;            /* sequence number */
} N_discon_ind_t;

/*
   CLNS PRIMITIVES
 */

/*
   Unitdata transfer request
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_UNITDATA_REQ */
        np_ulong DEST_length;           /* destination address length */
        np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* destination address offset */
        np_ulong RESERVED_field[2];     /* reserved field for DLPI compatibility */
} N_unitdata_req_t;

/*
   Unitdata transfer indication
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_UNITDATA_IND */
        np_ulong SRC_length;            /* source address length */
        np_ulong SRC_offset;            /* source address offset */
        np_ulong DEST_length;           /* source address length */
        np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* source address offset */
        np_ulong ERROR_type;            /* reserved field for DLPI compatibility */
} N_unitdata_ind_t;

/*
   Unitdata error indication for CLNS services
 */
typedef struct {
        np_ulong PRIM_type;             /* always N_UDERROR_IND */
        np_ulong DEST_length;           /* destination address length */
        np_ulong DEST_offset;           /* destination address offset */
        np_ulong RESERVED_field;        /* reserved field for DLPI compatibility */
        np_ulong ERROR_type;            /* error type */
} N_uderror_ind_t;

/*
   The following represents a union of all the NPI primitives
 */
union N_primitives {
        np_ulong type;
        N_info_req_t info_req;          /* information request */
        N_info_ack_t info_ack;          /* information acknowledgement */
        N_bind_req_t bind_req;          /* bind request */
        N_bind_ack_t bind_ack;          /* bind acknowledgement */
        N_unbind_req_t unbind_req;      /* unbind request */
        N_optmgmt_req_t optmgmt_req;    /* options management request */
        N_error_ack_t error_ack;        /* error acknowledgement */
        N_uderror_ind_t uderror_ind;    /* unitdata error indication */
        N_ok_ack_t ok_ack;              /* ok acknowledgement */
        N_conn_req_t conn_req;          /* connect request */
        N_conn_ind_t conn_ind;          /* connect indication */
        N_conn_res_t conn_res;          /* connect response */
        N_conn_con_t conn_con;          /* connect confirm */
        N_data_req_t data_req;          /* data request */
        N_data_ind_t data_ind;          /* data indication */
        N_datack_req_t datack_req;      /* data acknowledgement request */
        N_datack_ind_t datack_ind;      /* data acknowledgement indication */
        N_exdata_req_t exdata_req;      /* expedited data request */
        N_exdata_ind_t exdata_ind;      /* expedited data indication */
        N_reset_req_t reset_req;        /* reset request */
        N_reset_ind_t reset_ind;        /* reset indication */
        N_reset_res_t reset_res;        /* reset response */
        N_reset_con_t reset_con;        /* reset confirm */
        N_discon_req_t discon_req;      /* disconnect request */
        N_discon_ind_t discon_ind;      /* disconnect indication */
        N_unitdata_req_t unitdata_req;  /* unitdata request */
        N_unitdata_ind_t unitdata_ind;  /* unitdata indication */
};

#endif                          /* SYS_NPI_H */

Glossary

Signalling Data Link Service Data Unit

A grouping of SDL user data whose boundaries are preserved from one end of the signalling data link connection to the other.

Data transfer

The phase in connection and connectionless modes that supports the transfer of data between to signalling data link users.

SDL provider

The signalling data link layer protocol that provides the services of the signalling data link interface.

SDL user

The user-level application or user-level or kernel-level protocol that accesses the services of the signalling data link layer.

Local management

The phase in connection and connectionless modes in which a SDL user initializes a Stream and attaches a PPA address to the Stream. Primitives in this phase generate local operations only.

PPA

The point at which a system attaches itself to a physical communications medium.

PPA identifier

An identifier of a particular physical medium over which communication transpires.

Acronyms

References

[X.213]

ITU-T Recommendation X.213 (1986), [ISO/IEC 8348], Network Service Definition for Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) for CCITT Applications, Blue Book, 1986, (Geneva), ITU, ITU-T Telecommunication Standardization Sector of ITU, (Previously “CCITT Recommendation”).

[ISO8348]

ISO/IEC 8348 : 1987, [ITU-T Recommendation X.213], Information Processing Systems—Data Communications—Network Service Definition, April 15, 1987, (Geneva), ISO/IEC, International Organization for Standardization, International Engineering Consortium.

[ISO8348/AD1]

ISO/IEC 8348/AD1 : 1987, [ITU-T Recommendation X.213, Amd. 1], Information Processing Systems—Data Communications—Network Service Definition—Addendum 1: Connectionless Mode Transmission, April 15, 1987, (Geneva), ISO/IEC, International Organization for Standardization, International Engineering Consortium.

[ISO8473]

ISO/IEC 8473 : 1987, [ITU-T Recommendation X.233], [ITU-T Recommendation X.622], [ITU-T Recommendation X.623], Information Processing Systems—Data Communications Protocol for Providing the Connectionless Mode Network Service, SC6 N4542, (Geneva), ISO/IEC, International Organization for Standardization, International Engineering Consortium.

[ISO8208]

ISO/IEC 8208 : 1987, [ITU-T Recommendation X.25], [ITU-T Recommendation X.75], Information Processing Systems—X.25 Packet Level Protocol for Data Terminal Equipment, September 15, 1987, (Geneva), ISO/IEC, International Organization for Standardization, International Engineering Consortium.

[ISO8878]

ISO/IEC 8878 : 1987, [ITU-T Recommendation X.223], Information Processing Systems—Data Communications—Use of X.25 to Provide the OSI Connection-Mode Network Service, September 1, 1987, (Geneva), ISO/IEC, International Organization for Standardization, International Engineering Consortium.

[SVID]

System V Interface Definition, Issue 2, Volume 3.

[X.210]

ITU-T Recommendation X.210, [ISO/IEC 10731 : 1994], Information Technology—Open Systems Interconnection—Basic reference model: Conventions for the definition of OSI services, Red Book, 1984, (Geneva), ITU, ITU-T Telecommunication Standardization Sector of ITU. (Previously “CCITT Recommendation”).

Index

• Called NS User: Introduction
• Calling NS user: Introduction
• CLNP: Introduction
• CLNS: Introduction
• CONP: Introduction
• CONS: Introduction
• DLSAP: Introduction
• getmsg(2s): Model of the NPI
• ISO: Introduction
• N_BIND_ACK: N_BIND_ACK
• N_bind_ack_t: N_BIND_ACK
• N_BIND_REQ: N_BIND_REQ
• N_bind_req_t: N_BIND_REQ
• N_CONN_CON: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_CONN_CON: N_CONN_CON
• N_conn_con_t: N_CONN_CON
• N_CONN_IND: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_CONN_IND: N_CONN_IND
• N_conn_ind_t: N_CONN_IND
• N_CONN_REQ: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_CONN_REQ: N_CONN_REQ
• N_conn_req_t: N_CONN_REQ
• N_CONN_RES: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_CONN_RES: N_CONN_RES
• N_conn_res_t: N_CONN_RES
• N_DATA_IND: N_DATA_IND
• N_DATA_REQ: N_DATA_REQ
• N_data_req_t: N_DATA_REQ
• N_DATACK_IND: N_DATACK_IND
• N_datack_ind_t: N_DATACK_IND
• N_DATACK_REQ: N_DATACK_REQ
• N_datack_req_t: N_DATACK_REQ
• N_DISCON_IND: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_DISCON_IND: N_DISCON_IND
• N_discon_ind_t: N_DISCON_IND
• N_DISCON_REQ: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_DISCON_REQ: N_DISCON_REQ
• N_discon_req_t: N_DISCON_REQ
• N_ERROR_ACK: N_ERROR_ACK
• N_error_ack_t: N_ERROR_ACK
• N_EXDATA_IND: N_EXDATA_IND
• N_exdata_ind_t: N_EXDATA_IND
• N_EXDATA_REQ: N_EXDATA_REQ
• N_exdata_req_t: N_EXDATA_REQ
• N_INFO_ACK: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_INFO_ACK: N_INFO_ACK
• N_info_ack_t: N_INFO_ACK
• N_INFO_REQ: N_INFO_REQ
• N_info_req_t: N_INFO_REQ
• N_OK_ACK: N_OK_ACK
• N_ok_ack_t: N_OK_ACK
• N_OPTMGMT_REQ: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_OPTMGMT_REQ: N_OPTMGMT_REQ
• N_optmgmt_req_t: N_OPTMGMT_REQ
• N_QOS_CL_RANGE1: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_qos_cl_range1_t: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_QOS_CL_SEL1: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_qos_cl_sel1_t: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_QOS_CO_OPT_RANGE1: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_qos_co_opt_range1_t: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_QOS_CO_OPT_SEL1: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_qos_co_opt_sel1_t;: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_QOS_CO_RANGE1: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_qos_co_range1_t: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_QOS_CO_SEL1: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_qos_co_sel1_t: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_RESET_CON: N_RESET_CON
• N_reset_con_t: N_RESET_CON
• N_RESET_IND: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_RESET_IND: N_RESET_IND
• N_reset_ind_t: N_RESET_IND
• N_RESET_REQ: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_RESET_REQ: N_RESET_REQ
• N_reset_req_t: N_RESET_REQ
• N_RESET_RES: N_RESET_RES
• N_reset_res_t: N_RESET_RES
• N_UDERROR_IND: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• N_UDERROR_IND: N_UDERROR_IND
• N_uderror_ind_t: N_UDERROR_IND
• N_UNBIND_REQ: N_UNBIND_REQ
• N_unbind_req_t: N_UNBIND_REQ
• N_UNITDATA_IND: N_UNITDATA_IND
• N_unitdata_ind_t: N_UNITDATA_IND
• N_UNITDATA_REQ: N_UNITDATA_REQ
• N_unitdata_req_t: N_UNITDATA_REQ
• NC: Introduction
• Network Provider: Introduction
• Network User: Introduction
• NIDU: Introduction
• NPI: Introduction
• NS: Introduction
• NSAP: Introduction
• NSDU: Introduction
• OSI: Introduction
• priority_values_t: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• protection_values_t: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• putmsg(2s): Model of the NPI
• QOS: Introduction
• STREAMS: Introduction
• td_values_t: Addendum for OSI Conformance
• thru_values_t: Addendum for OSI Conformance