Creating a DICOM Associate Connection

Once a DICOM Network Connection has been established, a DICOM Associate Connection must be established before DICOM messages and data can be transferred between two AEs.

The AE acting as an SCP must have a DICOM Associate object and the AE acting as an SCU must have a DICOM Associate object. Steps for establishing a DICOM Associate connection are given below for both the SCU and the SCP.

Establishing a DICOM Associate Connection (SCU)

• Create the DICOM Associate object by instantiating the DicomAssociate class.

• Initialize the newly created DICOM Associate object by calling DicomAssociate.Default, or set the object using the following class members:

  DicomAssociate.IsRequest

  DicomAssociate.Version

  DicomAssociate.Called

  DicomAssociate.Calling

  DicomAssociate.ApplicationContextName

  DicomAssociate.SetPresentationContextID

  DicomAssociate.SetResult

  DicomAssociate.SetAbstract

  DicomAssociate.SetTransfer

  DicomAssociate.MaxLength

  DicomAssociate.ImplementClass

  DicomAssociate.SetAsynchronousOperations

  DicomAssociate.SetRoleSelect

  DicomAssociate.ImplementationVersionName

  DicomAssociate.SetUserInformation

  DicomAssociate.SetExtendedData

  DicomAssociate.AddPresentationContext

  DicomAssociate.AddTransfer

• To connect to an SCP, call DicomNet.SendAssociateRequest. This will generate a call to DicomNet.OnReceiveAssociateRequest on the SCP to let the SCP know an associate connection request has been received.

• The SCP may accept or reject the request and respond by calling DicomNet.SendAssociateAccept or DicomNet.SendAssociateReject. This will generate a call to DicomNet.OnReceiveAssociateAccept or DicomNet.OnReceiveAssociateReject. If DicomNet.OnReceiveAssociateAccept is called, the DICOM Associate Connection has been established.

Establishing a DICOM Associate Connection (SCP)

• When an SCU requests a DICOM Associate connection, the SCU calls DicomNet.SendAssociateRequest. This generates a call to DicomNet.OnReceiveAssociateRequest on the SCP.

• When the DicomNet.OnReceiveAssociateRequest method is called, create the DICOM Associate object by instantiating the DicomAssociate class.

• Reset the newly created DICOM Associate object to an Associate Accept by calling DicomAssociate.Reset, or set the object using the class members given above.

• The DICOM Associate connection request can be accepted or rejected. To accept the Associate connection request, call DicomNet.SendAssociateAccept. This will generate a call to DicomNet.OnReceiveAssociateAccept on the SCU. At this time the DICOM Associate connection has been established. To reject the Associate connection request, call DicomNet.SendAssociateReject. This will generate a call to DicomNet.OnReceiveAssociateReject on the SCU.