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More information about communications can be found in EPOC Overview: Communications.
8.3.3.3.4 Connectivity
EPOC Connect uses a sockets protocol, PLP, implemented using an ESOCK protocol module
plp.prt on both the EPOC side (ROM-based implementation), and PC side (WINC
implementation). A higher-level protocol, PRC, sends client-server requests over a PLP
connection.
On the EPOC side, turning on “the link” from the System application starts the PLP server, and
reserves the serial link exclusively for PLP/PRC protocols (it cannot then be used for TCP/IP
applications, such as Email and Web).
The EPOC-side PLP server handles PRC requests for file manipulation, file transfer, backup and
restore, synchronization, closing down and restarting applications etc. It also provides for the
implementation of custom server modules (with
.rsy extensions) so that PRC may be extended.
Printing from EPOC machine to PC is handled by an EPOC printer driver that drives PRC. On
the PC side, EPOC Connect provides a server to drive the default PC printer.
EPOC Connect’s converters and synchronizers require access to EPOC application data. Rather
than using application data files directly, they access them through EPOC’s application engine,
DBMS and STORE APIs.
The PRC, PLP and application engine APIs used by EPOC Connect are built from the same
source code as their equivalents on a target machine. The binaries are identical to those used to
build the emulator versions of these components. On the PC, EPOC Connect runs EPOC
components under the WINC version of the EPOC base.
At a higher level, EPOC Connect provides COM APIs to allow converters, synchronizers and users
of PLP’s RPC servers to be written in Visual C++, or Visual Basic, using standard Windows
programming paradigms.
PLP and PRC are legacy protocols from EPOC’s 16-bit predecessor, SIBO — though in EPOC, all
APIs are 32-bit. The use of PLP and PRC enables EPOC Connect to communicate with SIBO
devices (mainly in the Psion Series 3 range) as well as EPOC devices.
More information about EPOC Connect can be found in the forthcoming EPOC Overview:
Connectivity paper.
8.3.4. EPOC Connect conversions and synchronizations
The general capabilities of EPOC Connect were described in earlier. The table below shows all
supported conversions. Asterisked conversions and synchronizations are new in EPOC Connect
release 5.
You can convert EPOC files to and from the following PC file formats:
File format PC file formats
EPOC Word
Word for Windows 2.0, 6.0, 95 and 97
Word Perfect 5.1, 5.2, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0
Works for Windows 3.0 WP and 4.0 WP
Ami Pro 3.0 and 3.1
Rich Text Format
Plain Text (ANSI and ASCII)
EPOC Sheet
Excel 4.0, 5.0, 95 and 97
1-2-3 WK1, WK3 and WK4
Quattro Pro 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0
Works for Windows 3.0 SS and 4.0 SS
*EPOC Contacts
Via synchronization:
Lotus Organizer 2.1 and 97
Schedule+ 7 and 7a
Outlook 97 and 98
EPOC Agenda
Via agenda synchronization:0
Lotus Organizer 2.1 and 97
Schedule+ 7 and 7a
Outlook 97 and 98
EPOC Data
Via database conversion:
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