> my problem is, that like it is designed now my application needs a fixed > IP address since I only use one single socket which does all the > receiving and which is set up to some fixed IP/port for this. Those > devices are set up as well in a way that all data they want to send me > goes to this fixed IP/port.
Fixed IP has no relation with the number of sockets. It's just a matter of DNS. All your devices can have a hostname and you can resolve that host name to IP at runtime in your Delphi program. TWSocket will even do it automatically for you but it is best you do it explicitely once at program startup and then use the IP or on a regular basis if your program runs 24h/24. (Dynamic IP's are frequently assigned using a DHCP server which may be configured to always give the same IP to the same computer, or change the IP address after some programmable time. Your devices can also do the same to reach your control program. Of course your devices must know how to query the DNS to resolve hostnames to IP addresses. If you use TWSocket.ReceiveFrom, you'll be able to know which device sent something and then send the reply back to the same IP. You can also use UDP broadcast so that your control program or your devices can find automatically each other. Broadcast only works on a single subnet. Your control program can periodicaly advertize his services using a UDP boradcast (or multicast if you have several groups of devices or control programs). The devices will receive that broadcast and so will "discover" where the control program is. All devices can also broadcast something to have the control program reply and say: "Hey I'm here". btw: I have no idea if you have control on the devices program. If you haven't, of course you are limited to what the device designer has done. Contribute to the SSL Effort. Visit http://www.overbyte.be/eng/ssl.html -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] The author of the freeware multi-tier middleware MidWare The author of the freeware Internet Component Suite (ICS) http://www.overbyte.be -- To unsubscribe or change your settings for TWSocket mailing list please goto http://lists.elists.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/twsocket Visit our website at http://www.overbyte.be
