A low-level networking module for the Monkey programming language, meant to abstract internet transport behavior, but not protocol behavior. This is in contrast to 'regal.networking', which handles higher-level concepts like clients, connections and disconnections, and packet reliability. This is not that module, and is in no way directly compatible.
The 'regal.networking' module is tightly connected to the rest of the 'regal' modules, this is not. Everything supplied here is based on the 'brl' modules, and related technologies.
This module is officially available from the Regal Modules project, and may be installed by following the installation guide provided with that distribution.
Although this can be installed with the Regal Modules, this particular module aims to be as dependency free as possible. This means the only requirements this module has are covered by the "standard library" provided with Monkey. This means this module may be used as a completely separate entity, without being tied to 'regal'.
Import syntax varies with usage, with the official distribution using 'regal' as a parent namespace (e.g. regal.transport).
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When communicating, please realize that data is as-is, meaning byte-order and other details are not accounted for.
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The 'Packet' type defined in this module does not reflect 'regal.networking' and its expected behavior. A packet that has been sent asynchronously cannot be used while in transit. This means you can't write one message, then send it to multiple places asynchronously. However, if sent synchronously ('Send'), this limitation does not affect transfer.
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Multi-target requirements are met internally, but must be upheld by users. Everything asynchronous in 'brl.socket' is used when possible. This means there's no implied discrepancies in this module.
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Connected "users" are handled internally, but only for minimum behavior. They are not referenced directly, only through asynchronous bootstrapping. This means the 'NetUser' objects given to you are created on the spot, and should be managed by the programmer using this module.
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When using the UDP protocol, communication is as-is, meaning that packets may or may not be received, and could be presented in any order. In contrast, TCP provides in-order packets and reliable messaging as a whole. Likewise, TCP supports connection and disconnection, where UDP does not. This means users will have to establish their own connection, disconnection, and timeout behavior if needed.
As a reminder, this is a multi-protocol API. Though you could maintain a solid codebase for multiple transport protocols using this module, that's up to you as the programmer. For a higher-level, but more comprehensive networking module, see 'regal.networking'.
This module ('regal.transport') is meant for raw data I/O, meaning it's also useful for situations where either end could be using a programming language other than Monkey. This is something 'regal.networking' does not implicitly cover, as it deals with its own protocol behavior above the internet transport layer.