Object Exchange (OBEX)

Object Exchange (OBEX)
The RFCOMM layer emulates serial port capability and, as we highlighted, it supports
a host of Infrared applications. The OBEX layer is specifically concerned in realizing
these applications which, in turn, enables the IrDA protocol to run over the Bluetooth
protocol stack, as shown in Figure 11.15.
The OBEX layer is not limited to support serial-based communications either,
the Bluetooth specification also discusses the possibility of supporting OBEX over TCP/IP,
but does not explicitly define how you should implement TCP/IP over Bluetooth.
The OBEX layer prescribes in particular, three use cases, namely Synchronization, File
Transfer and Object Push. These applications are historically based within the Infrared
protocol and it is surprising, even today, how many Bluetooth-enabled devises do not
support this basic functionality.