Client & server networks updated to support the IoT

On the HTTP client side, the addition of WebSocket allows for a full duplex communication channel over a single TCP/HTTP connection. In this manner, WebSocket makes more interaction between a client and a server possible, facilitating live content and real-time data. WebSocket is part of the HTML5 specification, and the new implementation has been validated with the Autobahn Testsuite for WebSocket. 

Upgrades to the HTTP server include persistent connection, simplified run-time, HTTP instance configuration, file system-free configuration and automatic scaling of HTTP resources. New hook functions include the ability to receive HTTP request body data in case the application wants to parse, and the ability for an application to feed the server with the data to send in the HTTP response with the chunked transfer encoding, which allows the application to send a large amount of data without having to load it entirely in RAM. A related new API helps users correctly format/set the parameters for an HTTP response. A new authentication module manages users and rights, so it can be used to restrict access to some resources (URI). Finally, an optional REST module facilitates the development of RESTful applications, and authentication and REST can be used together.

"A key challenge for the IoT is device connectivity, in particular, an ability to facilitate live content and real-time data," said Jean Labrosse, President and CEO, Micrium. "The upgrades announced today directly address these issues. In doing so, they strengthen the performance of our Micrium Spectrum, pre-integrated, end-to-end portfolio of embedded software, protocol stacks and cloud services designed to facilitate development of IoT applications."

"Although Web applications are not necessarily real-time, many IoT systems already require more performance, or soon will," said Christian Légaré, Vice President and CTO, Micrium. "These enhancements to HTTP client and server address these emerging requirements. WebSocket, for example, simplifies much of the complexity around bidirectional Web communication and connection management. At the same time, the REST framework accelerates development of Web applications, meaning faster time-to-market."