Quote:
Originally Posted by kwemheuer
Hi,
thanks for the details. It would be nice to get the wireless device connection working. What are the networking differences between the connection types?
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Up through the TCP layer there isn't any significant difference. Both make TCP connections to a listening calibre server. However, at the application level the two are completely different.
The content server is a "pure" HTTP connection, where the client has control. You (the user) talk to CC, not calibre. The client asks the server to do things for it. The server is stateless. The server can support multiple clients connecting at the same time.
The wireless device is a private application protocol based on JSON. After connecting, the client (the device) is passive, waiting for calibre to tell it what to do. You (the user) talk to calibre, not CC. Neither the client nor the server are stateless. Calibre can support one device connection at a time (any device, not just a wireless device). Calibre keeps information from connect to connect (a cache file) that reduces the time required to send metadata updates to the client.
In both cases you must tell calibre to start the appropriate server, providing the port that the server is to use. You do this using calibre's Connect/Share toolbar button.
It is rare that CC can connect to a calibre instance with one connection type but not with the other. Failures are almost always related to firewall rules and anti-virus software.