Protocol

This page describes the dnet protocol, from user messaging all the way to inter-server communication.

Server-side

The server expects a TCP connection on a given port, so far there is no multiple listener support that would allow for binding to IPv6 and IPv4 at the same time or to other address families such as UNIX domain sockets (this will be a feature in the near future).

Commands

Every command starts with a 1 byte code specifying the command.

|-- command (1 byte) --|-- dependant on command (n bytes) --|

auth

Sets this connection's connection mode to that of Client and attempts to login with the provided credentials. Setting this mode means that the auth and link commands will no longer be available and only the commands that a Client may use will be allowed to execute.

Request format:

|-- 0 --|-- usernameLength (1 byte) --|-- username --|-- password --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|

Request format:

|-- 1 --|-- todo

Reply format:

reg

Request format:

2

Reply format:

join

Joins the given channel.

Request format:

|-- 3 --|-- channelToJoin(CSV) --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|

TODO: Support redirects?

part

Leaves the given channel.

Request format:

|-- 4 --|-- channelToPart(CSV) --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|

msg

Sends a message to either a channel or a user.

Request format:

|-- 5 --|-- type (1 byte) --|-- locationSize (1 byte) --|-- location (n-bytes) --|-- message (n-bytes) --|
  • The type field specifies whether the message is to be sent to a user or channel
    • 0 - this is for a user as the destination
    • 1 - this is for a channel as the destination

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|

list

Retrieves a list of all channels on the server.

Request format:

|-- 6 --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|-- channelnames(CSV) --|

membercount

Returns the number of people in the given channel.

Request format:

|-- 8 --|-- channel --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|-- member count (4 bytes - big endian) --|

memberlist

Retrieve a list of all the users in the given channel.

Request format:

|-- 9 --|-- channel --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|-- channel members (CSV) --|

serverinfo

Returns server information.

Request format:

|-- 10 --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|-- server info(CSV) --|
Format of server info (CSV)
<serverName>,<networkName>,<userCount>,<channelCount>

motd

Retrieves the server's message-of-the-day.

Request format:

|-- 11 --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|-- motd --|

memberinfo

TODO: This is still a work in progress

Retrieves informaiton for the given member.

Request format:

|-- 12 -- |-- username --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|-- logonTime --|-- serverOn --|-- <status> (CSV) --|

status

Sets your status. The concept of a status on dnet is simply a comma-seperated (CSV) string of attribute values, however there is no particular format with regards to what it should contain or what the ordering of elements should be, therefore it is up to the clinets to decide on which information makes it into the status message.

A simple example of a usaeful status message could be something like:

<availability (available/busy/away)>,<message>

Request format:

|-- 13 -- |-- username --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|

chanprop

Returns the property line of the given channel. Like the concept of a user's status, the channel's properties plays a similiar role in the sense that arbitrary comma-seperated values can be placed into it.

A traditional usage for the channel property field could be something that throws us back to the IRC days such as for a channel's topic:

<topic>

Although we could add more onto this if one wanted.

Request format:

|-- 14 -- |-- channelName --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|-- channel property (CSV) --|

setprop

Sets the given channel's property.

Request format:

|-- 15 -- |-- channelName (1 byte) --|-- property line (CSV) --|

Reply format:

|-- status (1 byte) --|

Unknown commands

Anything that isn't a command above will return with 2 which means unknown command. 1 generally means that everything went well but commands can send more data after it, it depends, and 0 means error - also more data may follow.

notifications

We know as tristanable tag 1, but then types of notifications is the important factor described here.

|-- notifyTYpe (1 byte) --|-- ..

TODO: message receive format (notifyType=0)

For a normal channel message or direct message

TODO

TODO: channel status message (notifyType=1)

types within:

  1. 0 - 1 byte: Member leave
  2. 1 - 1 byte: Member join