Please help, how would you realize simple messaging between remote (internet) Phindows session user and local QNX4 node Photon 1.13 user (the same machine)?
It is a relation of the boss (remote Phindows) and the operator in control room. The boss would like to send the operator a text message (visible and audible alert on QNX4 Photon machine) and operator should answer - send the reply text message to the Phindows session user (visual alert).
I mean some file(s) editing and “sending”=sharing (it’s on the same machine in fact) or so…
Additional question: Is there some E-mail client for QNX4 Photon 1.13?
Your post makes it sound like you want to send a message between a Windows machine and a QNX 4 machine, but I think you just want something posted on the Phindows machine. This has nothing to do with Phindows. You just want your Photon application to get the message. There’s an API for receiving messages in a Photon program. Since you want two way communication (and you don’t want to use threads on QNX 4, really you don’t) you need a third mailbox process. Then the two Photon programs can periodically poll this process for updates or put a new message in the other guy’s mailbox.
Thank you for your answer maschoen. Yes, in general, I need simple messaging (date+time+short message, archive of the messages, visual alert for both guys) between Win machine and QNX4+Photon machine.
One way is let’s say standard - using some simple E-mail client - is there some E-mail client (with GUI) for QNX4+Photon 1.13 available?
This alternative would require the cooperation of the plant network admin and their E-mail provider - to ensure the QNX node access to their E-mail server. The disadvantage is that even if the simple client exists, it would be probably only in English.
The other way is to do this “inside” QNX4+Photon - because the remote Win machine runs Phindows connected to the “host” QNX4+Photon node (control room SCADA application).
We are thinking the way to make our task (with GUI) for reading+writing+sending the messages, automatic date+time appending while pressing the “Send” button and storing the date+time+messages in SQL database table (cyclic “buffer” of limited history).
As for the visual alerting we intend to use already existing alarm system of our SCADA - pressing the “Send” button may invoke some alarm alert (in “New Message” new alarm class).
But if we find better (more simple) way, it would be fine.
I don’t know why you would consider using E-mail with a QNX E-mail client, nor why you would want to use an SQL database. Both ideas seem like overkill. There probably is an E-mail client for QNX 4, but I don’t remember. It might be text based like “pine” or there might be a GUI version. In my post the term “mailbox” does not mean e-mail. There was an SQL database for QNX 4, but I doubt it is still supported. If you already own it you could use it to store your archive. Writing a process to implement a set of cyclic buffers on disk should be easy if you know how to program in QNX 4.
Well, I am not a programmer. I am looking for possible ways how to do it - maybe our programmer would have to do that.
I would prefer non-programming a kind of standard solution - that’s why I considered even QNX4+Photon E-mail client (if exists and is free or not expensive), even if it would be some overkill. Plus E-mail client would open another possibilities of communication - not only between the two guys.
SQL database (Sybase, former Watcom) is already included in our QNX4 based SCADA system (stores project configuration, production summaries…) So when I asked our programmer she considered storing the “message buffer” in our SQL database.
Yes, mario, that post-it type of thing is msgpad, but it has no date+time and no history. Furthermore, it seems not working through Phindows. But thanks anyway.