dcmnet: a networking library and utility apps

This module contains a collection of functions that implement DICOM network communication, i.e. the DICOM Upper Layer Finite State Machine, the Association Control Service Element (ACSE) and the DICOM Message Service Element (DIMSE).

The main interfaces are the structs and functions declared in file assoc.h and dimse.h.

There are also two experimental classes for implementing a DICOM Service Class User and Provider:

• DcmSCU
• DcmSCP

The following classes are derived from the above experimental classes and provide a particular DICOM Service:

• DcmStorageSCU

Tools

This module contains the following command line tools:

• dcmsend: Simple DICOM storage SCU (sender)
• echoscu: DICOM verification (C-ECHO) SCU
• findscu: DICOM query (C-FIND) SCU
• getscu: DICOM retrieve (C-GET) SCU
• movescu: DICOM retrieve (C-MOVE) SCU
• storescp: DICOM storage (C-STORE) SCP
• storescu: DICOM storage (C-STORE) SCU
• termscu: DICOM termination SCU

Files

The following files provide further documentation:

• asconfig.txt file
• testing.txt file

Examples

The following example shows a very simple Echo SCU (Verification Service Class SCU). Most error handling code has been omitted for brevity, also OS specific code such as WinSock initialization on Win32 is not shown.

T_ASC_Network *net; // network struct, contains DICOM upper layer FSM etc.
ASC_initializeNetwork(NET_REQUESTOR, 0, 1000 /* timeout */, &net);

T_ASC_Parameters *params; // parameters of association request
ASC_createAssociationParameters(&params, ASC_DEFAULTMAXPDU);

// set calling and called AE titles
ASC_setAPTitles(params, "ECHOSCU", "ANY-SCP", NULL);

// the DICOM server accepts connections at server.nowhere.com port 104
ASC_setPresentationAddresses(params, "localhost", "server.nowhere.com:104");

// list of transfer syntaxes, only a single entry here
const char* ts[] = { UID_LittleEndianImplicitTransferSyntax };

// add presentation context to association request
ASC_addPresentationContext(params, 1, UID_VerificationSOPClass, ts, 1);

// request DICOM association
T_ASC_Association *assoc;
if (ASC_requestAssociation(net, params, &assoc).good())
{
  if (ASC_countAcceptedPresentationContexts(params) == 1)
  {
    // the remote SCP has accepted the Verification Service Class
    DIC_US id = assoc->nextMsgID++; // generate next message ID
    DIC_US status; // DIMSE status of C-ECHO-RSP will be stored here
    DcmDataset *sd = NULL; // status detail will be stored here
    // send C-ECHO-RQ and handle response
    DIMSE_echoUser(assoc, id, DIMSE_BLOCKING, 0, &status, &sd);
    delete sd; // we don't care about status detail
  }
}
ASC_releaseAssociation(assoc); // release association
ASC_destroyAssociation(&assoc); // delete assoc structure
ASC_dropNetwork(&net); // delete net structure