Network aware application 'a la MSN'

[Lloyd Dupont]

I'm about to write a network aware application.
Of course I intend to do UDP broadcasting to detect other app on my network.
But I would like my application to be usable over the internet as well.
Between to end user computer.

Ideally if user could connect through MSN identity that would be perfect!
Is there a way to do that?
Some MSN server wrapper for .NET?

[Josh McFarlane]

Lloyd Dupont wrote:

I'm about to write a network aware application.
Of course I intend to do UDP broadcasting to detect other app on my network.
But I would like my application to be usable over the internet as well.
Between to end user computer.

Ideally if user could connect through MSN identity that would be perfect!
Is there a way to do that?
Some MSN server wrapper for .NET?

Be forewarned: UDP offers no promises. You may or may not receive any
package you transmit at all. You may or may not receive the entire
package. You may or may not receive the correct bytes for packages you
send. Your package may or may not be fragmented.

If you need any sort of reliable network communication on the internet
/ internal network, use TCP. UDP should not be relied on for anything
in normal program behavior.

[Lloyd Dupont]

Maybe I explained myself not very well?
(I am also not very knoledgeable in this area).

I know there is some broacasting protocol on the network, where you could
send a messsage on the local network to anyone. Isn't that what they call
UDP broadcatsing?
I think I played with it only once....
And is there a better way that what I call UDP broadcasting (to discover
peers on a local network)?

But allright, I guesses after a program broadcasted its IP & waiting stage,
the other program should ocntact it one to one with a standart socket
mechanism if I understand you right.

Be forewarned: UDP offers no promises. You may or may not receive any
package you transmit at all. You may or may not receive the entire
package. You may or may not receive the correct bytes for packages you
send. Your package may or may not be fragmented.

If you need any sort of reliable network communication on the internet
/ internal network, use TCP. UDP should not be relied on for anything
in normal program behavior.

[hB]

Why MSN msngr sometimes fail to reach the destination when both users
are online.
(Some messages drops in between - "...Message could not be sent...")
?

---
hB

[hB]

UDP broadcatsing on the local network
host.mask address
192.168.0.255 -> broadcasts -> 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.255

UDP broadcasting (to discover peers on a local network)?
This UDP boradcasts is superb!
But it will not work on internet.

There is another thing (for LAN) , Multicast it is also good. But it
will also not work on Internet.

For internet You need a Central Catalog server.
Think of p2p servers.
Or more super IRC Server.

(Don't ever think that MSN Messenger infrastructure is best)
---
hB

[Lloyd Dupont]

> UDP broadcatsing on the local network

host.mask address
192.168.0.255 -> broadcasts -> 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.255

UDP broadcasting (to discover peers on a local network)?
This UDP boradcasts is superb!
But it will not work on internet.
I knew!

There is another thing (for LAN) , Multicast it is also good. But it
will also not work on Internet.

For internet You need a Central Catalog server.
Think of p2p servers.
Or more super IRC Server.

(Don't ever think that MSN Messenger infrastructure is best)

I don't care about best, I just want something I could use with minimmal
overhead (with minimal work from the user, such as register, blah, blah,
blah..)