Webserver

I am considering migrating to AVRco Pascal due to what appears to be excellent multitasking and Modbus support. I will need to have a webserver and have not seen any indication that anyone has done this with this compiler. I will probably use the Wiznet chip to offload the TCP/IP stack overhead. I will also need to be able to send email using authentication, etc. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks!

Rene,
I agree with the limitations but the only other option is to switch processors (Rabbit would be the best choice for an embedded internet project, maybe Zilog) or to use a module such as Lantronix. We have tried the Lantronics and it has serious limitations as well as cost. We could replace the AVR with a Rabbit 4000 and the other necessary parts for way less than the Xport device at about $49 US.

We need a simple web server to put up pages which will allow a user to monitor and change parameters for a remote device. Simple access control to keep someone from stumbing on the device is necessary but if our customer requires more security we would recommend that they buy a VPN router or similar external security solution.

We do need to send email with some intelligent message such as "TEMP 1 WARNING: 68 DEGREES" as an example. The lantronix module only lets us set 3 messages. If you use a character string to trigger the alarms then you can only send 7 bit ASCII data over the serial port or risk accidentally triggering an alarm with binary data. In addition the Xport requires you to know the IP address of your email server rather than mail.customer.server, etc.

I had assumed that offloading the raw TCP/IP stack into the Wiznet part would help. The new Wiznet W5100 is the same part with a built in ethernet MAC and PHY so that and an RJ45 with integrated magnetics make it a 2 part solution! I guess that I can either consider porting in a webserver application from some of the C code out there or give it a whirl myself but asking on a forum like this usually results in finding someone who has already done it. Why reinvent the wheel, right?

This compiler looks like a great product and we are otherwise happy with AVR so it would be a nice tool to work with. If the web server issue can't be resolve though we may need to migrate to a Rabbit processor since they offer a full featured webserver package for $150 US or Zilog (webserver is free). I would hate to do that but sometimes time pressures prevail.

Thanks!

Rolf,
I have been told by Wiznet that the W5100 is identical to the W3150 with an onboard MAC and PHY. It is essentially one of their modules on a single chip. I am not aware of the bugs but they recommend using the module for the W3150 to develop W5100 applications. If there are bugs in the W5100 then we can design in a connector for the module until the issues are resolved.

Our current need is to design out the Lantronix module which has many problems and very poor tech support. Has anyone written a server or email application with this compiler? If not, what is your timeframe for having this support?

Thanks.
Ron

Rolf,
I have found the Wiznet tech support to be somewhat lacking unless you speak Korean. That is not a criticism as much as a fact. I have found that their US distributor (www.saelig.com) provides much more prompt and coherent answers. If you can tell me what the issues were I will certainly attempt to help resolve them since support for this functionality would make your compiler EXACTLY what I need for my work.

Thanks.
Ron