read text file using LAN

[km76107]

Hi,

I would appreciate any help in figuring out the best way to read text file from another machine to my machine using ethernet. Consider for example, 2 sensors sending information continously to a single board processor(computer) and the sensor data is saved in a text file within the single board computer. I would like to continously read that data to a main PC which has labview installed in it, using Ethernet. I cannot install any labview executables in that single board computer as it runs on MS-DOS. My host PC is running in Windows NT. I have tried to use Datasocket but it works only on Windows platforms. Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

[John Lum]

I have no experience with single-board processor machines, but it seems to me that simple is the way to go on that side; simple probably means a small executable developed in LabWindows/DOS, Borland C, BASIC, or whatever. (As opposed to elegant, which would be exposing the DOS filesystem to the network through some proprietary protocol like Banyan VINES, etc.) You can program the LabVIEW side of things for whatever analysis flexibility is needed.

That simple executable on the DOS side would:
1. Listen at a particular port for a TCP connection from the LabVIEW client
2. Once the connection is made, spew the contents of the file over on a regular basis; perhaps use some "diff" logic to spew over only the changes
3. If the connection is dropped, create a new
listener

On the LabVIEW side, you'd have a simple app along the lines of the Data Client.vi/Data Server.vi Networking examples.

This isn't much specific help, but I bet there are people out there familiar enough with networking/socket programming in common tools like C and BASIC to rip off the DOS executable without much trouble.

Regards,
John Lum
National Instruments

[km76107]

Thanks John,

I think your answer helped me out. I was thinking along the same lines, however, I was more familiar with using datasocket. I was wondering if I could use Datasocket for this application, but I guess not!!! Thanks again John.