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hi all

I have to read a network packet, coded by a C program, where
the first two bytes codes the packet type, the following four
the packet length and then the payload. My problem is that the
lengths are integer coded (by the C program) into the network
order (using the htons() and htonl() functions). How can I perform
the decoding form Java? I.e. I read the first two byte:

int c1 = in.read();
int c2 = in.read();

How can I convert c1 and c1 into the packet length?

thanks in advance for ur reply !!!!!

On 10 Nov 2003 23:56:27 -0800, Luke Skywalker wrote:
> My problem is that the lengths are integer coded (by the C program)
> into the network order (using the htons() and htonl() functions).

Network byte order is big endian. Use a DataInputstream; it has
methods to read various data types stored in big endian order.

Alternatively you can shift and add yourself, but this gets tedious:

int n = (c1 << + c2;

/gordon

--
[ do not email me copies of your followups ]
g o r d o n + n e w s @ b a l d e r 1 3 . s e

Gordon Beaton <> wrote:
> On 10 Nov 2003 23:56:27 -0800, Luke Skywalker wrote:
>> My problem is that the lengths are integer coded (by the C program)
>> into the network order (using the htons() and htonl() functions).

> Network byte order is big endian. Use a DataInputstream; it has
> methods to read various data types stored in big endian order.

It is not a coincidence that 'network byte order' happens to coincide with
what Java uses in it's input and output. DataInputStream is the way to go,
and remember that all Java numeric types except char are signed. Java short's
are always 16 bits, int's are always 32 bits and long's are always 64 bits.

If your packet length is stored as a 16 bit value in network byte order, you
coulde read it like so:
try {
DataInputStream din = new DataInputStream(in);
short packetLength = din.readShort();
} catch (IOException ioe) {
// Do something to handle the exception
}

--
Craig West Ph: (416) 666-1645 | It's not a bug,
acwest- | It's a feature...

A. Craig West wrote:
> Gordon Beaton <> wrote:
>
>>On 10 Nov 2003 23:56:27 -0800, Luke Skywalker wrote:
>>
>>>My problem is that the lengths are integer coded (by the C program)
>>>into the network order (using the htons() and htonl() functions).
>
>
>>Network byte order is big endian. Use a DataInputstream; it has
>>methods to read various data types stored in big endian order.
>
>
> It is not a coincidence that 'network byte order' happens to coincide with
> what Java uses in it's input and output. DataInputStream is the way to go,
> and remember that all Java numeric types except char are signed. Java short's
> are always 16 bits, int's are always 32 bits and long's are always 64 bits.
>
> If your packet length is stored as a 16 bit value in network byte order, you
> coulde read it like so:
> try {
> DataInputStream din = new DataInputStream(in);
> short packetLength = din.readShort();
> } catch (IOException ioe) {
> // Do something to handle the exception
> }
>

Since packet lengths are generally unsigned, it would probably be better
to use :

int packetLength = din.readUnsignedShort();

BK

Gordon Beaton <> wrote in message

> Alternatively you can shift and add yourself, but this gets tedious:
>
> int n = (c1 << + c2;
>
> /gordon

thanks for ur help, Gordon ... you have been very kind!

best regards

Gordon Beaton <> wrote in message

> Alternatively you can shift and add yourself, but this gets tedious:
>
> int n = (c1 << + c2;
>
> /gordon

thanks for ur help, Gordon ... you have been very kind!

best regards

Gordon Beaton <> wrote in message

> Alternatively you can shift and add yourself, but this gets tedious:
>
> int n = (c1 << + c2;
>
> /gordon

thanks for ur help, Gordon ... you have been very kind!

best regards

is it possible theoretically that c2 is a negative number?


"Gordon Beaton" <> wrote in message
news:3fb098ba$...
> On 10 Nov 2003 23:56:27 -0800, Luke Skywalker wrote:
> > My problem is that the lengths are integer coded (by the C program)
> > into the network order (using the htons() and htonl() functions).
>
> Network byte order is big endian. Use a DataInputstream; it has
> methods to read various data types stored in big endian order.
>
> Alternatively you can shift and add yourself, but this gets tedious:
>
> int n = (c1 << + c2;
>
> /gordon
>
> --
> [ do not email me copies of your followups ]
> g o r d o n + n e w s @ b a l d e r 1 3 . s e

nos wrote:
> is it possible theoretically that c2 is a negative number?
>
Yes. You really need to mask the bytes as well:

int x = ((c1 & 255) << | (c2 & 255);

Yuk! signed bytes.

Steve

Steve Horsley wrote:
> nos wrote:
>
>> is it possible theoretically that c2 is a negative number?
>>
> Yes. You really need to mask the bytes as well:
>
> int x = ((c1 & 255) << | (c2 & 255);
>
> Yuk! signed bytes.
>

That's true if c1 and c2 are bytes. But in the specific case that was
being discussed, these were declared as type int and are the results of
the read() method from an InputStream - which always returns an int
between 0 and 255. (Of course an end of stream case can return -1, but
then that is a special check that needs to be done for handling errors)

BK