SunNET’s Language

• DATA - transmits normal data through SunNET
• SECURE - though currently not implemented, this command will send secured data.
• CLOSE - Close down the connection this command was sent on. This can be used when a site is about to go offline for some reason.

DATA {ReturnACK, TimeStamp, PacketID, Path, Destination, Protocol, Message}

Each DATA command has the following seven elements:

• ReturnACK This is somewhat obsolete in 2.1. SunNET 2.0 used it to determine if an ACK packet should be returned to the calling site. In SunNET 2.1, ACK is always sent except when ACK itself is received, or if the Destination is GENERAL. I keep this because I may use it in the future for another purpose, at which point ReturnACK will disappear entirely and replaced with something new.
• TimeStamp This is the time when the packet was sent from the source site.
• PacketID This is the number of the packet. It is a unique number generated on the source site. Usually, two consecutive packets are consecutively numbered.
• Path This is the path this packet followed from the source to the destination. It is a list of strings containing the names of the sites which helped deliver the packet. Path[1] is the source site, while Path[$] is the last site to handle this packet. Each site simply adds their name to the end of this list.
• Destination This is the name of the site that should eventually handle this packet. A special Destination of GENERAL simply says that the packet should be sent to all SunNET capable sites.
• Protocol This is the name of the protocol for this message. If there is a protocol handler for this protocol, it is called with a set of arguments including the Message field.

• Message The Message field is any valid MOO value that will be passed to the protocol handler on the Destination Site.