[erlang-questions] Flash client communication with Erlang Server problem

16 views
Skip to first unread message

Ryan Lepidi

unread,
Jan 4, 2009, 6:59:02 PM1/4/09
to erlang-q...@erlang.org
This is an erlang problem, it seems. I have this code to test the client sending data, written in Actionscript 3:

Code:
var socket:Socket=new Socket("localhost", 2345);
socket.addEventListener(Event.CONNECT, connected);

private function connected(event:Event):void {
    socket.writeInt(12); //packet length, should be correct? 4 bytes each?
    socket.writeInt(3);
    socket.writeInt(6);
    socket.writeInt(9);
    socket.flush();
}


Then I have this small server, written in Erlang:

Code:
start_nano_server() ->
    {ok, Listen} = gen_tcp:listen(2345, [binary, {packet, 0},
                                 {reuseaddr, true},
                                 {active, true},
                                {packet_size, 128}]),
    {ok, Socket} = gen_tcp:accept(Listen),
    gen_tcp:close(Listen),
    receive_data(Socket, []).

receive_data(Socket, SoFar) ->
    receive
    {tcp,Socket,Bin} ->   
        receive_data(Socket, [Bin|SoFar]);
    {tcp_closed,Socket} ->
        Bytes=list_to_binary(reverse(SoFar)),
        io:format("~p~n",[Bytes])
    end.


Now, no matter what I send from the client, I ALWAYS get [<<0,0,0,4,0,0,0,32>>] as the response. I can try writing bytes to the socket directly instead of ints, and I get the same thing. I can write more or less data, same result. UTF strings same result. Even when specifying "4" as the packet header length, I just get the same consistant result of [<<0,0,0,32>>] instead. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong here.

Steve Vinoski

unread,
Jan 4, 2009, 8:53:54 PM1/4/09
to Ryan Lepidi, erlang-q...@erlang.org
On 1/4/09, Ryan Lepidi <rye...@gmail.com> wrote:
> This is an erlang problem, it seems. I have this code to test the client
> sending data, written in Actionscript 3:
>
>
> Code:
> var socket:Socket=new Socket("localhost", 2345);
> socket.addEventListener(Event.CONNECT, connected);
>
> private function connected(event:Event):void {
> socket.writeInt(12); //packet length, should be correct? 4 bytes each?

Sending a packet length isn't needed given your Erlang code, since you
specify {packet, 0}. If you want packets to have a 4-byte length, you
should specify {packet, 4} in your server.

> socket.writeInt(3);
> socket.writeInt(6);
> socket.writeInt(9);
> socket.flush();
> }

Just curious: are these integers written big-endian or little-endian?

> Then I have this small server, written in Erlang:
>
>
> Code:
> start_nano_server() ->
> {ok, Listen} = gen_tcp:listen(2345, [binary, {packet, 0},
> {reuseaddr, true},
> {active, true},
> {packet_size, 128}]),
> {ok, Socket} = gen_tcp:accept(Listen),
> gen_tcp:close(Listen),
> receive_data(Socket, []).
>
> receive_data(Socket, SoFar) ->
> receive
> {tcp,Socket,Bin} ->
> receive_data(Socket, [Bin|SoFar]);
> {tcp_closed,Socket} ->
> Bytes=list_to_binary(reverse(SoFar)),
> io:format("~p~n",[Bytes])
> end.
>
> Now, no matter what I send from the client, I ALWAYS get
> [<<0,0,0,4,0,0,0,32>>] as the response.

By "response" here, do you mean that your io:format call in your
tcp_closed clause always prints <<0,0,0,4,0,0,0,32>> ? Also, just to
be clear, are you really seeing [<<0,0,0,4,0,0,0,32>>], i.e., a binary
within a list, or are you seeing just a binary?

> I can try writing bytes to the
> socket directly instead of ints, and I get the same thing. I can write more
> or less data, same result. UTF strings same result. Even when specifying "4"
> as the packet header length, I just get the same consistant result of
> [<<0,0,0,32>>] instead. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong here.

I took your code, compiled it with R12B-5 on OS X, and ran an Erlang
client against it that did what your ActionScript code does, and it
worked as expected. I ran a similar Python client against it, and that
worked as expected too. I don't have ActionScript to try. So either
the ActionScript client isn't doing what you think it is, or maybe
some other client is interfering on that port (maybe try another
port), or you're not showing us all the code.

Have you tried using wireshark to see what's actually going across the network?

--steve
_______________________________________________
erlang-questions mailing list
erlang-q...@erlang.org
http://www.erlang.org/mailman/listinfo/erlang-questions

Ryan Lepidi

unread,
Jan 4, 2009, 7:18:55 PM1/4/09
to erlang-q...@erlang.org

Johnny Billquist

unread,
Jan 4, 2009, 7:44:32 PM1/4/09
to Ryan Lepidi, erlang-q...@erlang.org
Have you tried running tcpdump or something similar to verity that you
actually send what you think?

Johnny

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages