{% trans -%} See the Streaming page for an overview of the Streaming Library. {%- endtrans %}
{% trans -%} The format of a single packet in the streaming protocol is: {%- endtrans %}
{% highlight %} +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | send Stream ID | rcv Stream ID | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | sequence Num | ack Through | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | nc | NACKs ... +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | rd | flags | opt size| opt data +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ ... | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | payload ... +----+----+----+----// {% endhighlight %}| {{ _('Field') }} | {{ _('Length') }} | {{ _('Contents') }} |
|---|---|---|
| sendStreamId | 4 byte Integer | Random number selected by the connection recipient and constant for the life of the connection. 0 in the SYN message sent by the originator, and in subsequent messages, until a SYN reply is received, containing the peer's stream ID. |
| receiveStreamId | 4 byte Integer | Random number selected by the connection originator and constant for the life of the connection. May be 0 if unknown, for example in a RESET packet. |
| sequenceNum | 4 byte Integer | The sequence for this message, starting at 0 in the SYN message, and incremented by 1 in each message except for plain ACKs and retransmissions. If the sequenceNum is 0 and the SYN flag is not set, this is a plain ACK packet that should not be ACKed. |
| ackThrough | 4 byte Integer | The highest packet sequence number that was received on the receiveStreamId. This field is ignored on the initial connection packet (where receiveStreamId is the unknown id) or if the NO_ACK flag set. All packets up to and including this sequence number are ACKed, EXCEPT for those listed in NACKs below. |
| NACK count | 1 byte Integer | The number of 4-byte NACKs in the next field |
| NACKs | n * 4 byte Integers | Sequence numbers less than ackThrough that are not yet received. Two NACKs of a packet is a request for a 'fast retransmit' of that packet. |
| resendDelay | 1 byte Integer | How long is the creator of this packet going to wait before resending this packet (if it hasn't yet been ACKed). The value is seconds since the packet was created. Currently ignored on receive. |
| flags | 2 byte value | See below. |
| option size | 2 byte Integer | The number of bytes in the next field |
| option data | 0 or more bytes | As specified by the flags. See below. |
| payload | remaining packet size |
{% trans -%} The flags field above specifies some metadata about the packet, and in turn may require certain additional data to be included. The flags are as follows. Any data structures specified must be added to the options area in the given order. {%- endtrans %}
Bit order: 15....0 (15 is MSB)
| Bit | Flag | Option Data | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | SYNCHRONIZE | -- | Similar to TCP SYN. Set in the initial packet and in the first response. FROM_INCLUDED and SIGNATURE_INCLUDED must be set also. |
| 1 | CLOSE | -- | Similar to TCP FIN. If the response to a SYNCHRONIZE fits in a single message, the response will contain both SYNCHRONIZE and CLOSE. SIGNATURE_INCLUDED must be set also. |
| 2 | RESET | -- | Abnormal close. SIGNATURE_INCLUDED must be set also. |
| 3 | SIGNATURE_INCLUDED | 40 byte DSA Signature | Currently sent only with SYNCHRONIZE, CLOSE, and RESET, where it is required. The signature uses the Destination's DSA signing keys to sign the entire header and payload with the 40-byte space in the option data field for the signature being set to all zeroes. |
| 4 | SIGNATURE_REQUESTED | -- | Unused. Requests every packet in the other direction to have SIGNATURE_INCLUDED |
| 5 | FROM_INCLUDED | 387+ byte Destination | Currently sent only with SYNCHRONIZE, where it is required. |
| 6 | DELAY_REQUESTED | 2 byte Integer | Optional delay. How many milliseconds the sender of this packet wants the recipient to wait before sending any more data. A value greater than 60000 indicates choking. |
| 7 | MAX_PACKET_SIZE_INCLUDED | 2 byte Integer | Currently sent with SYNCHRONIZE only. Was also sent in retransmitted packets until release 0.9.1. |
| 8 | PROFILE_INTERACTIVE | -- | Unused or ignored; the interactive profile is unimplemented. |
| 9 | ECHO | -- | Unused except by ping programs |
| 10 | NO_ACK | -- | This flag simply tells the recipient to ignore the ackThrough field in the header. Currently unused, the ackThrough field is always valid. |
| 11-15 | unused |