Introduction to

Sockets Programming in C
using TCP/IP

Professor: Panagiota Fatourou

TA: Eleftherios Kosmas
CSD - May 2012

Introduction

Computer Network

hosts, routers,
communication channels

Hosts run applications

Routers forward information
Packets: sequence of bytes

Host

Router

Communication
channel

contain control information

e.g. destination host

Protocol is an agreement
meaning of packets
structure and size of packets
e.g. Hypertext Transfer Protocol
(HTTP)

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Protocol Families - TCP/IP

Several protocols for different problems
) Protocol Suites or Protocol Families: TCP/IP

TCP/IP provides end-to-end connectivity specifying how data

should be

formatted,
addressed,
transmitted,
routed, and
received at the destination

can be used in the internet and in stand-alone private networks

it is organized into layers

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TCP/IP
*

FTP, SMTP,
Transport Layer
TCP or UDP
Network Layer
IP
Communication
Channels

* image is taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_model

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Internet Protocol (IP)

provides a datagram service

best-effort protocol

packets are handled and delivered

independently
may loose, reorder or duplicate
packets

each packet must contain an IP

address of its destination

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Addresses - IPv4

The 32 bits of an IPv4 address are broken into 4 octets, or 8 bit fields
(0-255 value in decimal notation).
For networks of different size,

the first one (for large networks) to three (for small networks) octets can
be used to identify the network, while
the rest of the octets can be used to identify the node on the network.
Range of addresses

Class A:

Class B:

24

Network ID

Host ID

1 0

1.0.0.0 to
127.255.255.255

14

16

Network ID

Host ID
21

Class C:

1 1 0

128.0.0.0 to
191.255.255.255
8

Network ID

Host ID

192.0.0.0 to
223.255.255.255

28
Class D (multicast):

1 1 1 0

Multicast address
27

Class E (reserved):

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1 1 1 1 0

unused

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

224.0.0.0 to
239.255.255.255
240.0.0.0 to
255.255.255.255

Local Area Network Addresses - IPv4

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TCP vs UDP

Both use port numbers

application-specific construct serving as a communication endpoint
16-bit unsigned integer, thus ranging from 0 to 65535
) to provide end-to-end transport

UDP: User Datagram Protocol

no acknowledgements
no retransmissions
out of order, duplicates possible
connectionless, i.e., app indicates destination for each packet

TCP: Transmission Control Protocol

reliable byte-stream channel (in order, all arrive, no duplicates)

similar to file I/O

flow control
connection-oriented
bidirectional

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TCP vs UDP

TCP is used for services with a large data capacity, and a persistent
connection
UDP is more commonly used for quick lookups, and single use
query-reply actions.
Some common examples of TCP and UDP with their default ports:
DNS lookup
FTP
HTTP
POP3
Telnet

CS556 - Distributed Systems

UDP
TCP
TCP
TCP
TCP

53
21
80
110
23

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

Berkley Sockets

Universally known as Sockets

It is an abstraction through which an
application may send and receive data
Provide generic access to interprocess
communication services
e.g. IPX/SPX, Appletalk, TCP/IP
Standard API for networking
Application

Application
Socket

Socket

TCP

TCP

IP
Host
CS556 - Distributed Systems

Channel

IP
Router
Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

Channel

IP
Host
10

Sockets

Uniquely identified by

an internet address
an end-to-end protocol (e.g. TCP or UDP)
a port number

Two types of (TCP/IP) sockets

Stream sockets (e.g. uses TCP)

0
1
2

Datagram sockets (e.g. uses UDP)

provide reliable byte-stream service

Descriptor Table

provide best-effort datagram service

messages up to 65.500 bytes

Socket extend the convectional UNIX I/O facilities

file descriptors for network communication

extended the read and write system calls

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internal data
structure for file 1

Family: PF_INET
Service: SOCK_STREAM
Local_IP:
Remote_IP:
Local_Port:
Remote_Port:

11

Sockets
Descriptor
references
Applications

UDP sockets

TCP sockets

Sockets bound to ports

TCP ports

65535

65535

UDP ports

UDP

TCP
IP

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Socket Programming

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Client-Server communication

Server

passively waits for and responds to clients

passive socket

Client

initiates the communication

must know the address and the port of the server
active socket

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Sockets - Procedures

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Client - Server Communication - Unix

Server

Stream
(e.g. TCP)

socket()

Datagram
(e.g. UDP)

Client

Server

socket()

socket()

socket()

bind()

bind()

bind()

Client

listen()
accept()

synchronization
point

connect()

recv()

send()

recvfrom()

sendto()

send()

recv()

sendto()

recvfrom()

close()

close()

close()

close()

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Socket creation in C: socket()

int sockid = socket(family, type, protocol);

sockid: socket descriptor, an integer (like a file-handle)

family: integer, communication domain, e.g.,

type: communication type

SOCK_STREAM - reliable, 2-way, connection-based service

SOCK_DGRAM - unreliable, connectionless, messages of maximum length

protocol: specifies protocol

PF_INET, IPv4 protocols, Internet addresses (typically used)

PF_UNIX, Local communication, File addresses

IPPROTO_TCP IPPROTO_UDP
usually set to 0 (i.e., use default protocol)

upon failure returns -1

) NOTE: socket call does not specify where data will be coming from,
nor where it will be going to it just creates the interface!
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Client - Server Communication - Unix

Server

Stream
(e.g. TCP)

socket()

Datagram
(e.g. UDP)

Client

Server

socket()

socket()

socket()

bind()

bind()

bind()

Client

listen()
accept()

synchronization
point

connect()

recv()

send()

recvfrom()

sendto()

send()

recv()

sendto()

recvfrom()

close()

close()

close()

close()

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Socket close in C: close()

When finished using a socket, the socket should be closed

status = close(sockid);

sockid: the file descriptor (socket being closed)

status: 0 if successful, -1 if error

Closing a socket

closes a connection (for stream socket)

frees up the port used by the socket

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Specifying Addresses

Socket API defines a generic data type for addresses:

struct sockaddr {
unsigned short sa_family; /* Address family (e.g. AF_INET) */
char sa_data[14];
/* Family-specific address information */
}

Particular form of the sockaddr used for TCP/IP addresses:

struct in_addr {
unsigned long s_addr;
/* Internet address (32 bits) */
}
struct sockaddr_in {
unsigned short sin_family;
/* Internet protocol (AF_INET) */
unsigned short sin_port;
/* Address port (16 bits) */
struct in_addr sin_addr;
/* Internet address (32 bits) */
char sin_zero[8];
/* Not used */
}

) Important: sockaddr_in can be casted to a sockaddr

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Client - Server Communication - Unix

Server

Stream
(e.g. TCP)

socket()

Datagram
(e.g. UDP)

Client

Server

socket()

socket()

socket()

bind()

bind()

bind()

Client

listen()
accept()

synchronization
point

connect()

recv()

send()

recvfrom()

sendto()

send()

recv()

sendto()

recvfrom()

close()

close()

close()

close()

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Assign address to socket: bind()

associates and reserves a port for use by the socket

int status = bind(sockid, &addrport, size);

sockid: integer, socket descriptor

addrport: struct sockaddr, the (IP) address and port of the machine

for TCP/IP server, internet address is usually set to INADDR_ANY, i.e.,

chooses any incoming interface

size: the size (in bytes) of the addrport structure

status: upon failure -1 is returned

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bind()- Example with TCP

int sockid;
struct sockaddr_in addrport;
sockid = socket(PF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
addrport.sin_family = AF_INET;
addrport.sin_port = htons(5100);
addrport.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);
if(bind(sockid, (struct sockaddr *) &addrport, sizeof(addrport))!= -1) {
}

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Skipping the bind()

bind can be skipped for both types of sockets

Datagram socket:

if only sending, no need to bind. The OS finds a port each time the socket
sends a packet
if receiving, need to bind

Stream socket:

destination determined during connection setup

dont need to know port sending from (during connection setup, receiving
end is informed of port)

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Client - Server Communication - Unix

Server

Stream
(e.g. TCP)

socket()

Datagram
(e.g. UDP)

Client

Server

socket()

socket()

socket()

bind()

bind()

bind()

Client

listen()
accept()

synchronization
point

connect()

recv()

send()

recvfrom()

sendto()

send()

recv()

sendto()

recvfrom()

close()

close()

close()

close()

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Assign address to socket: bind()

Instructs TCP protocol implementation to listen for connections

int status = listen(sockid, queueLimit);

sockid: integer, socket descriptor

queuelen: integer, # of active participants that can wait for a connection
status: 0 if listening, -1 if error

listen() is non-blocking: returns immediately

The listening socket (sockid)

is never used for sending and receiving

is used by the server only as a way to get new sockets

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Client - Server Communication - Unix

Server

Stream
(e.g. TCP)

socket()

Datagram
(e.g. UDP)

Client

Server

socket()

socket()

socket()

bind()

bind()

bind()

Client

listen()
accept()

synchronization
point

connect()

recv()

send()

recvfrom()

sendto()

send()

recv()

sendto()

recvfrom()

close()

close()

close()

close()

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Establish Connection: connect()

The client establishes a connection with the server by calling

connect()

int status = connect(sockid, &foreignAddr, addrlen);

sockid: integer, socket to be used in connection
foreignAddr: struct sockaddr: address of the passive participant
addrlen: integer, sizeof(name)
status: 0 if successful connect, -1 otherwise

connect() is blocking

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Incoming Connection: accept()

The server gets a socket for an incoming client connection by calling

accept()
int s = accept(sockid, &clientAddr, &addrLen);

s: integer, the new socket (used for data-transfer)

sockid: integer, the orig. socket (being listened on)
clientAddr: struct sockaddr, address of the active participant

addrLen: sizeof(clientAddr): value/result parameter

filled in upon return

must be set appropriately before call
adjusted upon return

accept()

is blocking: waits for connection before returning

dequeues the next connection on the queue for socket (sockid)

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Client - Server Communication - Unix

Server

Stream
(e.g. TCP)

socket()

Datagram
(e.g. UDP)

Client

Server

socket()

socket()

socket()

bind()

bind()

bind()

Client

listen()
accept()

synchronization
point

connect()

recv()

send()

recvfrom()

sendto()

send()

recv()

sendto()

recvfrom()

close()

close()

close()

close()

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Exchanging data with stream socket

int count = send(sockid, msg, msgLen, flags);

int count = recv(sockid, recvBuf, bufLen, flags);

msg: const void[], message to be transmitted

msgLen: integer, length of message (in bytes) to transmit
flags: integer, special options, usually just 0
count: # bytes transmitted (-1 if error)

recvBuf: void[], stores received bytes

bufLen: # bytes received
flags: integer, special options, usually just 0
count: # bytes received (-1 if error)

Calls are blocking

returns only after data is sent / received

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Exchanging data with datagram socket

int count = sendto(sockid, msg, msgLen, flags,

&foreignAddr, addrlen);

int count = recvfrom(sockid, recvBuf, bufLen,

flags, &clientAddr, addrlen);

msg, msgLen, flags, count: same with send()

foreignAddr: struct sockaddr, address of the destination
addrLen: sizeof(foreignAddr)

recvBuf, bufLen, flags, count: same with recv()

clientAddr: struct sockaddr, address of the client
addrLen: sizeof(clientAddr)

Calls are blocking

returns only after data is sent / received

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Example - Echo

A client communicates with an echo server

The server simply echoes whatever it receives back to the client

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Example - Echo using stream socket

The server starts by getting ready to receive client connections

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

34

Example - Echo using stream socket

/* Create socket for incoming connections */
if ((servSock = socket(PF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, IPPROTO_TCP)) < 0)
DieWithError("socket() failed");

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

35

Example - Echo using stream socket

echoServAddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
echoServAddr.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);
echoServAddr.sin_port = htons(echoServPort);

/* Internet address family */

/* Any incoming interface */
/* Local port */

if (bind(servSock, (struct sockaddr *) &echoServAddr, sizeof(echoServAddr)) < 0)

DieWithError("bind() failed");

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

36

Example - Echo using stream socket

/* Mark the socket so it will listen for incoming connections */
if (listen(servSock, MAXPENDING) < 0)
DieWithError("listen() failed");

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

37

Example - Echo using stream socket

for (;;) /* Run forever */
{
clntLen = sizeof(echoClntAddr);
if ((clientSock=accept(servSock,(struct sockaddr *)&echoClntAddr,&clntLen))<0)
DieWithError("accept() failed");
...

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

38

Example - Echo using stream socket

Server is now blocked waiting for connection from a client

A client decides to talk to the server

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

39

Example - Echo using stream socket

/* Create a reliable, stream socket using TCP */
if ((clientSock = socket(PF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, IPPROTO_TCP)) < 0)
DieWithError("socket() failed");

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

40

Example - Echo using stream socket

echoServAddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
echoServAddr.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(echoservIP);
echoServAddr.sin_port = htons(echoServPort);

/* Internet address family */

/* Server IP address*/
/* Server port */

if (connect(clientSock, (struct sockaddr *) &echoServAddr,

sizeof(echoServAddr)) < 0)
DieWithError("connect() failed");

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

41

Example - Echo using stream socket

Servers accept procedure in now unblocked and returns clients socket
for (;;) /* Run forever */
{
clntLen = sizeof(echoClntAddr);
if ((clientSock=accept(servSock,(struct sockaddr *)&echoClntAddr,&clntLen))<0)
DieWithError("accept() failed");
...

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

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42

Example - Echo using stream socket

/* Determine input length */

echoStringLen = strlen(echoString);

/* Send the string to the server */

if (send(clientSock, echoString, echoStringLen, 0) != echoStringLen)
DieWithError("send() sent a different number of bytes than expected");

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

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43

Example - Echo using stream socket

/* Receive message from client */
if ((recvMsgSize = recv(clntSocket, echoBuffer, RCVBUFSIZE, 0)) < 0)
DieWithError("recv() failed");
/* Send received string and receive again until end of transmission */
while (recvMsgSize > 0) { /* zero indicates end of transmission */
if (send(clientSocket, echobuffer, recvMsgSize, 0) != recvMsgSize)
DieWithError(send() failed);
if ((recvMsgSize = recv(clientSocket, echoBuffer, RECVBUFSIZE, 0)) < 0)
DieWithError(recv() failed);
}

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

44

Example - Echo using stream socket

Similarly, the client receives the data from the server

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

45

Example - Echo using stream socket

close(clientSock);

close(clientSock);

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

46

Example - Echo using stream socket

Server is now blocked waiting for connection from a client

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Establish connection
Communicate
Close the connection

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Server
1.
2.
3.
4.

Create a TCP socket

Assign a port to socket
Set socket to listen
Repeatedly:
a.
Accept new connection
b.
Communicate
c.
Close the connection

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

47

Example - Echo using datagram socket

/* Create socket for sending/receiving datagrams */
if ((servSock = socket(PF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, IPPROTO_UDP)) < 0)
DieWithError("socket() failed");
/* Create a datagram/UDP socket */
if ((clientSock = socket(PF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, IPPROTO_UDP)) < 0)
DieWithError("socket() failed");

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Server

Create a UDP socket

Assign a port to socket
Communicate
Close the socket

CS556 - Distributed Systems

1.

Create a UDP socket

2.

Assign a port to socket

Repeatedly

3.

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

Communicate

48

Example - Echo using datagram socket

/* Internet address family */
/* Any incoming interface */
/* Local port */

echoServAddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
echoServAddr.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);
echoServAddr.sin_port = htons(echoServPort);

if (bind(servSock, (struct sockaddr *) &echoServAddr, sizeof(echoServAddr)) < 0)

DieWithError("bind() failed");
echoClientAddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
echoClientAddr.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);
echoClientAddr.sin_port = htons(echoClientPort);

/* Internet address family */

/* Any incoming interface */
/* Local port */

if(bind(clientSock,(struct sockaddr *)&echoClientAddr,sizeof(echoClientAddr))<0)

DieWithError("connect() failed");

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Server

Create a UDP socket

Assign a port to socket
Communicate
Close the socket

CS556 - Distributed Systems

1.

Create a UDP socket

2.

Assign a port to socket

Repeatedly

3.

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

Communicate
49

Example - Echo using datagram socket

echoServAddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
echoServAddr.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(echoservIP);
echoServAddr.sin_port = htons(echoServPort);
echoStringLen = strlen(echoString);

/* Internet address family */

/* Server IP address*/
/* Server port */

/* Determine input length */

/* Send the string to the server */

if (sendto( clientSock, echoString, echoStringLen, 0,
(struct sockaddr *) &echoServAddr, sizeof(echoServAddr))
!= echoStringLen)
DieWithError("send() sent a different number of bytes than expected");

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Server

Create a UDP socket

Assign a port to socket
Communicate
Close the socket

CS556 - Distributed Systems

1.

Create a UDP socket

2.

Assign a port to socket

Repeatedly

3.

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

Communicate

50

Example - Echo using datagram socket

for (;;) /* Run forever */
{
clientAddrLen = sizeof(echoClientAddr)

/* Set the size of the in-out parameter */

/*Block until receive message from client*/

if ((recvMsgSize = recvfrom(servSock, echoBuffer, ECHOMAX, 0),
(struct sockaddr *) &echoClientAddr, sizeof(echoClientAddr))) < 0)
DieWithError(recvfrom() failed");
if (sendto(servSock, echobuffer, recvMsgSize, 0,
(struct sockaddr *) &echoClientAddr, sizeof(echoClientAddr))
!= recvMsgSize)
DieWithError(send() failed);
}

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Server

Create a UDP socket

Assign a port to socket
Communicate
Close the socket

CS556 - Distributed Systems

1.

Create a UDP socket

2.

Assign a port to socket

Repeatedly

3.

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

Communicate
51

Example - Echo using datagram socket

Similarly, the client receives the data from the server

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Server

Create a UDP socket

Assign a port to socket
Communicate
Close the socket

CS556 - Distributed Systems

1.

Create a UDP socket

2.

Assign a port to socket

Repeatedly

3.

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

Communicate

52

Example - Echo using datagram

socket
close(clientSock);

Client
1.
2.
3.
4.

Server

Create a UDP socket

Assign a port to socket
Communicate
Close the socket

CS556 - Distributed Systems

1.

Create a UDP socket

2.

Assign a port to socket

Repeatedly

3.

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

Communicate

53

Client - Server Communication - Unix

Server

Stream
(e.g. TCP)

socket()

Datagram
(e.g. UDP)

Client

Server

socket()

socket()

socket()

bind()

bind()

bind()

Client

listen()
accept()

synchronization
point

connect()

recv()

send()

recvfrom()

sendto()

send()

recv()

sendto()

recvfrom()

close()

close()

close()

close()

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

54

Constructing Messages - Encoding Data

Client wants to send two integers x and y to server

1st Solution: Character Encoding

&
&

e.g. ASCII
the same representation is used to print or display them to screen
allows sending arbitrarily large numbers (at least in principle)

e.g. x = 17,998,720 and y = 47,034,615

49

55

57

57

56

55

50

48

32

52

55

48

51

52

54

49

53

32

sprintf(msgBuffer, %d %d , x, y);
send(clientSocket, strlen(msgBuffer), 0);

CS556 - Distributed Systems

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55

Constructing Messages - Encoding Data

Pitfalls

the second delimiter is required

otherwise the server will not be able to separate it from whatever it

follows

msgBuffer must be large enough

strlen counts only the bytes of the message

not the null at the end of the string

' This solution is not efficient

' each digit can be represented using 4 bits, instead of one byte
' it is inconvenient to manipulate numbers
2nd Solution: Sending the values of x and y

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56

Constructing Messages - Encoding Data

2nd Solution: Sending the values of x and y

pitfall: native integer format
) a protocol is used

how many bits are used for each integer

what type of encoding is used (e.g. twos complement, sign/magnitude,
unsigned)

1st Implementation
typedef struct {
int x,y;
} msgStruct;

msgStruct.x = x; msgStruct.y = y;
send(clientSock, &msgStruct, sizeof(msgStruct), 0);
2nd Implementation
send(clientSock, &x, sizeof(x)), 0);
send(clientSock, &y, sizeof(y)), 0);

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

2nd implementation
works in any case?
57

Constructing Messages - Byte Ordering

Address and port are stored as integers

u_short sin_port; (16 bit)

in_addr sin_addr; (32 bit)

Problem:

different machines / OSs use different word orderings

little-endian: lower bytes first
big-endian: higher bytes first

these machines may communicate with one another over the

network

Big-Endian
machine

128.119.40.12
128

119

CS556 - Distributed Systems

40

Little-Endian
machine

12
Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

128

119

12.40.119.128
40

12
58

Constructing Messages - Byte Ordering

Big-Endian:

Little-Endian:

CS556 - Distributed Systems

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

59

Constructing Messages - Byte Ordering Solution: Network Byte Ordering

Host Byte-Ordering: the byte ordering used by a host (big or little)

Network Byte-Ordering: the byte ordering used by the network
always big-endian
u_long htonl(u_long x);
u_short htons(u_short x);

u_long ntohl(u_long x);

u_short ntohs(u_short x);

On big-endian machines, these routines do nothing

On little-endian machines, they reverse the byte order

128

12
119

CS556 - Distributed Systems

40

Little-Endian
machine

12
Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

128

12
119

40

128.119.40.12
40 119 128

ntohl

hto
nl

128
119 40
128.119.40.12

Big-Endian
machine

12
60

Constructing Messages - Byte Ordering Client

Example

unsigned short clientPort, message;

unsigned int messageLenth;

servPort = 1111;
message = htons(clientPort);
messageLength = sizeof(message);
if (sendto( clientSock, message, messageLength, 0,
(struct sockaddr *) &echoServAddr, sizeof(echoServAddr))
!= messageLength)
DieWithError("send() sent a different number of bytes than expected");

Server
unsigned short clientPort, rcvBuffer;
unsigned int recvMsgSize ;
if ( recvfrom(servSock, &rcvBuffer, sizeof(unsigned int), 0),
(struct sockaddr *) &echoClientAddr, sizeof(echoClientAddr)) < 0)
DieWithError(recvfrom() failed");
clientPort = ntohs(rcvBuffer);
printf (Clients port: %d, clientPort);
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61

Constructing Messages - Alignment and Padding

consider the following 12 byte structure

typedef struct {
int x;
short x2;
int y;
short y2;
} msgStruct;

After compilation it will be a 14 byte structure!

Why? Alignment!
Remember the following rules:

data structures are maximally aligned, according to the size of the largest native integer
other multibyte fields are aligned to their size, e.g., a four-byte integers address will be
divisible by four
x

x2

y2

4 bytes

2 bytes

4 bytes

2 bytes

4 bytes

This can be avoided

include padding to data structure

reorder fields

CS556 - Distributed Systems

x2

2 bytes 2 bytes

typedef struct {
int x;
short x2;
char pad[2];
int y;
short y2;
} msgStruct;

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

[pad]

y2

4 bytes

2 bytes

typedef struct {
int x;
int y;
short x2;
short y2;
} msgStruct;

62

Constructing Messages - Framing and Parsing

Framing is the problem of formatting the information so that the

receiver can parse messages
Parse means to locate the beginning and the end of message

This is easy if the fields have fixed sizes

e.g., msgStruct

For text-string representations is harder

Solution: use of appropriate delimiters

caution is needed since a call of recv may return the messages sent by
multiple calls of send

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63

Socket Options

getsockopt and setsockopt allow socket options values to be

queried and set, respectively

int getsockopt (sockid, level, optName, optVal,
optLen);
sockid: integer, socket descriptor
level: integer, the layers of the protocol stack (socket, TCP, IP)
optName: integer, option
optVal: pointer to a buffer; upon return it contains the value of the
specified option
optLen: integer, in-out parameter
it returns -1 if an error occured

int setsockopt (sockid, level, optName, optVal,

optLen);

optLen is now only an input parameter

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64

Socket Options
- Table

Socket Options - Example

Fetch and then double the current number of bytes in the sockets
receive buffer
int rcvBufferSize;
int sockOptSize;

/* Retrieve and print the default buffer size */

sockOptSize = sizeof(recvBuffSize);
if (getsockopt(sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_RCVBUF, &rcvBufferSize, &sockOptSize) < 0)
DieWithError(getsockopt() failed);
printf(Initial Receive Buffer Size: %d\n, rcvBufferSize);
/* Double the buffer size */
recvBufferSize *= 2;
/* Set the buffer size to new value */
if (setsockopt(sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_RCVBUF, &rcvBufferSize,
sizeof(rcvBufferSize)) < 0)
DieWithError(getsockopt() failed);

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66

Dealing with blocking calls

Many of the functions we saw block (by default) until a certain

event

accept: until a connection comes in

connect: until the connection is established
recv, recvfrom: until a packet (of data) is received

what if a packet is lost (in datagram socket)?

send: until data are pushed into sockets buffer

sendto: until data are given to the network subsystem

For simple programs, blocking is convenient

What about more complex programs?

multiple connections
simultaneous sends and receives
simultaneously doing non-networking processing

CS556 - Distributed Systems

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67

Dealing with blocking calls

Non-blocking Sockets
Asynchronous I/O
Timeouts

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68

Non-blocking Sockets

If an operation can be completed immediately, success is returned;

otherwise, a failure is returned (usually -1)
errno is properly set, to distinguish this (blocking) failure from
other - (EINPROGRESS for connect, EWOULDBLOCK for the other)

1st Solution: int fcntl (sockid, command, argument);

sockid: integer, socket descriptor

command: integer, the operation to be performed (F_GETFL, F_SETFL)
argument: long, e.g. O_NONBLOCK

) fcntl (sockid, F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK);

2nd Solution: flags parameter of send, recv, sendto, recvfrom

MSG_DONTWAIT

not supported by all implementations

CS556 - Distributed Systems

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69

Signals

Provide a mechanism for operating system to notify processes that

certain events occur

e.g., the user typed the interrupt character, or a timer expired

signals are delivered asynchronously

upon signal delivery to program

it may be ignored, the process is never aware of it

the program is forcefully terminated by the OS
a signal-handling routine, specified by the program, is executed

the signal is blocked, until the program takes action to allow its delivery

each process (or thread) has a corresponding mask

Each signal has a default behavior

this happens in a different thread

e.g. SIGINT (i.e., Ctrl+C) causes termination

it can be changed using sigaction()

Signals can be nested (i.e., while one is being handled another is delivered)

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70

Signals

int sigaction(whichSignal, &newAction, &oldAction);

whichSignal: integer
newAction: struct sigaction, defines the new behavior
oldAction: struct sigaction, if not NULL, then previous behavior is copied
it returns 0 on success, -1 otherwise
struct sigaction {
void (*sa_handler)(int); /* Signal handler */
sigset_t sa_mask;
/* Signals to be blocked during handler execution */
int sa_flags;
/* Flags to modify default behavior */
};

sa_handler determines which of the first three possibilities occurs when signal is

delivered, i.e., it is not masked

SIG_IGN, SIG_DFL, address of a function

sa_mask specifies the signals to be blocked while handling whichSignal

whichSignal is always blocked
it is implemented as a set of boolean flags
int
int
int
int

sigemptyset (sigset_t *set);

sigfullset (sigset_t *set);
sigaddset(sigset_t *set, int
sigdelset(sigset_t *set, int

CS556 - Distributed Systems

/* unset all the flags */

/* set all the flags */
whichSignal); /* set individual flag */
whichSignal); /* unset individual flag */

Tutorial by Eleftherios Kosmas

71

Signals - Example
#include <stdio.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <unistd.h>
void DieWithError(char *errorMessage);
void InterruptSignalHandler(int signalType);
int main (int argc, char *argv[]) {
struct sigaction handler;

/* Signal handler specification structure */

handler.sa_handler = InterruptSignalHandler; /* Set handler function */

if (sigfillset(&handler.sa_mask) < 0)
/* Create mask that masks all signals */
DieWithError (sigfillset() failed);
handler.sa_flags = 0;
if (sigaction(SIGINT, &handler, 0) < 0)

/* Set signal handling for interrupt signals */

DieWithError (sigaction() failed);

/* Suspend program until signal received */

for(;;) pause();
exit(0);
}

void InterruptHandler (int signalType) {

printf (Interrupt received. Exiting program.\n);
exit(1);
}
CS556 - Distributed Systems

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72

Asynchronous I/O

' Non-blocking sockets require polling

& With asynchronous I/O the operating system informs the program
when a socket call is completed

the SIGIO signal is delivered to the process, when some I/O-related event
occurs on the socket

Three steps:
/* i. inform the system of the desired disposition of the signal */
struct sigaction handler;
handler.sa_handler = SIGIOHandler;
if (sigfillset(&handler.sa_mask) < 0) DiewithError();
handler.sa_flags = 0;
if (sigaction(SIGIO, &handler, 0) < 0) DieWithError();
/* ii. ensure that signals related to the socket will be delivered to this process */
if (fcntl(sock, F_SETOWN, getpid()) < 0) DieWithError();
/* iii. mark the socket as being primed for asynchronous I/O */
if (fcntl(sock, F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK | FASYNC) < 0) DieWithError();

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73

Timeouts

Using asynchronous I/O the operating system informs the program

for the occurrence of an I/O related event

what happens if a UPD packet is lost?

We may need to know if something doesnt happen after some time

unsigned int alarm (unsigned int secs);

starts a timer that expires after the specified number of seconds (secs)
returns
the number of seconds remaining until any previously scheduled alarm was
due to be delivered,

or zero if there was no previously scheduled alarm

process receives SIGALARM signal when timer expires and errno is set to
EINTR

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74

Asynchronous I/O - Example

/* Inform the system of the desired disposition of the signal */
struct sigaction myAction;
myAction.sa_handler = CatchAlarm;
if (sigfillset(&myAction.sa_mask) < 0) DiewithError();
myAction.sa_flags = 0;
if (sigaction(SIGALARM, &handler, 0) < 0) DieWithError();
/* Set alarm */
alarm(TIMEOUT_SECS);
/* Call blocking receive */
if (recvfrom(sock, echoBuffer, ECHOMAX, 0, ) < 0) {
if (errno = EINTR) /*Alarm went off */
else DieWithError(recvfrom() failed);
}

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75

Iterative Stream Socket Server

Handles one client at a time

Additional clients can connect while one is being served

connections are established

they are able to send requests

but, the server will respond after it finishes with the first client
& Works well if each client required a small, bounded amount of
work by the server
' otherwise, the clients experience long delays

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76

Iterative Server - Example: echo using stream socket

#include
#include
#include
#include
#include
#include

<stdio.h>
<sys/socket.h>
<arpa/inet.h>
<stdlib.h>
<string.h>
<unistd.h>

#define MAXPENDING 5

/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*

for
for
for
for
for
for

printf() and fprintf() */

socket(), bind(), connect(), recv() and send() */
sockaddr_in and inet_ntoa() */
atoi() and exit() */
memset() */
close() */

/* Maximum outstanding connection requests */

void DieWithError(char *errorMessage);

void HandleTCPClient(int clntSocket);

/* Error handling function */

/* TCP client handling function */

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

int servSock;
int clntSock;
struct sockaddr_in echoServAddr;
struct sockaddr_in echoClntAddr;
unsigned short echoServPort;
unsigned int clntLen;

Socket descriptor for server */

Socket descriptor for client */
Local address */
Client address */
Server port */
Length of client address data structure */

/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*

if (argc != 2) {
/* Test for correct number of arguments */
fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s <Server Port>\n", argv[0]);
exit(1);
}
echoServPort = atoi(argv[1]);

/* First arg:

local port */

/* Create socket for incoming connections */

if ((servSock = socket(PF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, IPPROTO_TCP)) < 0)
DieWithError("socket() failed");
...

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77

Iterative Server - Example: echo using stream socket

...
/* Construct local address structure */
memset(&echoServAddr, 0, sizeof(echoServAddr));
echoServAddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
echoServAddr.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);
echoServAddr.sin_port = htons(echoServPort);

/*
/*
/*
/*

Zero out structure */

Internet address family */
Any incoming interface */
Local port */

/* Bind to the local address */

if (bind(servSock, (struct sockaddr *) &echoServAddr, sizeof(echoServAddr)) < 0)
DieWithError("bind() failed");
/* Mark the socket so it will listen for incoming connections */
if (listen(servSock, MAXPENDING) < 0)
DieWithError("listen() failed");
for (;;) /* Run forever */
{
/* Set the size of the in-out parameter */
clntLen = sizeof(echoClntAddr);
/* Wait for a client to connect */
if ((clntSock = accept(servSock, (struct sockaddr *) &echoClntAddr,
&clntLen)) < 0)
DieWithError("accept() failed");
/* clntSock is connected to a client! */
printf("Handling client %s\n", inet_ntoa(echoClntAddr.sin_addr));
HandleTCPClient(clntSock);
}
/* NOT REACHED */
}

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78

Iterative Server - Example: echo using stream socket

#define RCVBUFSIZE 32

/* Size of receive buffer */

void HandleTCPClient(int clntSocket)

{
char echoBuffer[RCVBUFSIZE];
int recvMsgSize;

/* Buffer for echo string */

/* Size of received message */

/* Receive message from client */

if ((recvMsgSize = recv(clntSocket, echoBuffer, RCVBUFSIZE, 0)) < 0)
DieWithError("recv() failed");
/* Send received string and receive again until end of transmission */
while (recvMsgSize > 0)
/* zero indicates end of transmission */
{
/* Echo message back to client */
if (send(clntSocket, echoBuffer, recvMsgSize, 0) != recvMsgSize)
DieWithError("send() failed");
/* See if there is more data to receive */
if ((recvMsgSize = recv(clntSocket, echoBuffer, RCVBUFSIZE, 0)) < 0)
DieWithError("recv() failed");
}
close(clntSocket);

/* Close client socket */

CS556 - Distributed Systems

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79

Multitasking - Per-Client Process

For each client connection request, a new process is created to

handle the communication

int fork();
a new process is created, identical to the calling process, except for its
process ID and the return value it receives from fork()
returns 0 to child process, and the process ID of the new child to
parent
Caution:
when a child process terminates, it does not automatically disappears
use waitpid() to parent in order to harvest zombies

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80

Multitasking - Per-Client Process

- Example: echo using stream socket
#include <sys/wait.h>

/* for waitpid() */

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

int servSock;
int clntSock;
unsigned short echoServPort;
pid_t processID;
unsigned int childProcCount = 0;

/*
/*
/*
/*
/*

Socket descriptor for server */

Socket descriptor for client */
Server port */
Process ID from fork()*/
Number of child processes */

if (argc != 2) {
/* Test for correct number of arguments */
fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s <Server Port>\n", argv[0]);
exit(1);
}
echoServPort = atoi(argv[1]);
/* First arg: local port */
servSock = CreateTCPServerSocket(echoServPort);
for (;;) { /* Run forever */
clntSock = AcceptTCPConnection(servSock);
if ((processID = fork()) < 0) DieWithError (fork() failed); /* Fork child process */
else if (processID = 0) {
/* This is the child process */
close(servSock);
/* child closes listening socket */
HandleTCPClient(clntSock);
exit(0);
/* child process terminates */
}
close(clntSock);
childProcCount++;

/* parent closes child socket */

/* Increment number of outstanding child processes */

...

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81

Multitasking - Per-Client Process

- Example: echo using stream socket
...
while (childProcCount) {
processID = waitpid((pid_t) -1, NULL, WHOANG);
if (processID < 0) DieWithError (...);
else if (processID == 0) break;
else childProcCount--;
}

/* Clean up all zombies */

/* Non-blocking wait */
/* No zombie to wait */
/* Cleaned up after a child */

}
/* NOT REACHED */
}

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82

Multitasking - Per-Client Thread

' Forking a new process is expensive

duplicate the entire state (memory, stack, file/socket descriptors, )

& Threads decrease this cost by allowing multitasking within the

same process

threads share the same address space (code and data)

An example is provided using POSIX Threads

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83

Multitasking - Per-Client Thread

- Example: echo using stream socket
#include <pthread.h>

/* for POSIX threads */

void *ThreadMain(void *arg)

/* Main program of a thread */

struct ThreadArgs {
int clntSock;
};

/* Structure of arguments to pass to client thread */

/* socket descriptor for client */

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

int servSock;
int clntSock;
unsigned short echoServPort;
pthread_t threadID;
struct ThreadArgs *threadArgs;

/*
/*
/*
/*
/*

Socket descriptor for server */

Socket descriptor for client */
Server port */
Thread ID from pthread_create()*/
Pointer to argument structure for thread */

if (argc != 2) {
/* Test for correct number of arguments */
fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s <Server Port>\n", argv[0]);
exit(1);
}
echoServPort = atoi(argv[1]);
/* First arg: local port */
servSock = CreateTCPServerSocket(echoServPort);
for (;;) { /* Run forever */
clntSock = AcceptTCPConnection(servSock);
/* Create separate memory for client argument */
if ((threadArgs = (struct ThreadArgs *) malloc(sizeof(struct ThreadArgs)))) == NULL) DieWithError();
threadArgs -> clntSock = clntSock;
/* Create client thread */
if (pthread_create (&threadID, NULL, ThreadMain, (void *) threadArgs) != 0) DieWithError();
}
/* NOT REACHED */
}

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84

Multitasking - Per-Client Thread

- Example: echo using stream socket
void *ThreadMain(void *threadArgs)
{
int clntSock;

/* Socket descriptor for client connection */

pthread_detach(pthread_self()); /* Guarantees that thread resources are deallocated upon return */

/* Extract socket file descriptor from argument */
clntSock = ((struct ThreadArgs *) threadArgs) -> clntSock;
free(threadArgs);
/* Deallocate memory for argument */
HandleTCPClient(clntSock);
return (NULL);
}

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Multitasking - Constrained

Both process and thread incurs overhead

As their numbers increases

creation, scheduling and context switching

this overhead increases
after some point it would be better if a client was blocked

Solution: Constrained multitasking. The server:

begins, creating, binding and listening to a socket

creates a number of processes, each loops forever and accept
connections from the same socket
when a connection is established

the client socket descriptor is returned to only one process

the other remain blocked

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Multitasking - Constrained
- Example: echo using stream socket
void ProcessMain(int servSock);

/* Main program of process */

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {

int servSock;
unsigned short echoServPort;
pid_t processID;
unsigned int processLimit;
unsigned int processCt;

/*
/*
/*
/*
/*

Socket descriptor for server*/

Server port */
Process ID */
Number of child processes to create */
Process counter */

if (argc != 3) {
/* Test for correct number of arguments */
fprintf(stderr,"Usage: %s <SERVER PORT> <FORK LIMIT>\n", argv[0]);
exit(1);
}
echoServPort = atoi(argv[1]);
processLimit = atoi(argv[2]);

/* First arg: local port */

/* Second arg: number of child processes */

servSock = CreateTCPServerSocket(echoServPort);
for (processCt=0; processCt < processLimit; processCt++)
if ((processID = fork()) < 0) DieWithError("fork() failed");
else if (processID == 0) ProcessMain(servSock);
exit(0);

/* Fork child process */

/* If this is the child process */

/* The children will carry on */

}
void ProcessMain(int servSock) {
int clntSock;

/* Socket descriptor for client connection */

for (;;) { /* Run forever */

clntSock = AcceptTCPConnection(servSock);
printf("with child process: %d\n", (unsigned int) getpid());
HandleTCPClient(clntSock);
}
}

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Multiplexing

So far, we have dealt with a single I/O channel

We may need to cope with multiple I/O channels

Problem: from which socket the server should accept connections

or receive messages?

e.g., supporting the echo service over multiple ports

it can be solved using non-blocking sockets

' but it requires polling

Solution: select()

specifies a list of descriptors to check for pending I/O operations

blocks until one of the descriptors is ready
returns which descriptors are ready

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Multiplexing

int select (maxDescPlus1, &readDescs, &writeDescs,

&exceptionDescs, &timeout);
maxDescsPlus1: integer, hint of the maximum number of descriptors
readDescs: fd_set, checked for immediate input availability
writeDescs: fd_set, checked for the ability to immediately write data
exceptionDescs: fd_set, checked for pending exceptions
timeout: struct timeval, how long it blocks (NULL forever)
- returns the total number of ready descriptors, -1 in case of error
- changes the descriptor lists so that only the corresponding positions are set
int
int
int
int

FD_ZERO
FD_CLR
FD_SET
FD_ISSET

(fd_set *descriptorVector);
(int descriptor, fd_set *descriptorVector);
(int descriptor, fd_set *descriptorVector);
(int descriptor, fd_set *descriptorVector);

struct timeval {
time_t tv_sec;
time_t tv_usec;
};
CS556 - Distributed Systems

/* removes all descriptors from vector */

/* remove descriptor from vector */
/* add descriptor to vector */
/* vector membership check */

/* seconds */
/* microseconds */

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Multiplexing - Example: echo using stream socket

#include <sys/time.h>

/* for struct timeval {} */

int main(int argc, char *argv[])

{
int *servSock;
int maxDescriptor;
fd_set sockSet;
long timeout;
struct timeval selTimeout;
int running = 1;
int noPorts;
int port;
unsigned short portNo;

/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*
/*

Socket descriptors for server */

Maximum socket descriptor value */
Set of socket descriptors for select() */
Timeout value given on command-line */
Timeout for select() */
1 if server should be running; 0 otherwise */
Number of port specified on command-line */
Looping variable for ports */
Actual port number */

if (argc < 3) {
/* Test for correct number of arguments */
fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s <Timeout (secs.)> <Port 1> ...\n", argv[0]);
exit(1);
}
timeout = atol(argv[1]);
noPorts = argc - 2;

/* First arg: Timeout */

/* Number of ports is argument count minus 2 */

servSock = (int *) malloc(noPorts * sizeof(int)); /* Allocate list of sockets for incoming connections */
maxDescriptor = -1;
/* Initialize maxDescriptor for use by select() */
for (port = 0; port < noPorts; port++) {
/* Create list of ports and sockets to handle ports */
portNo = atoi(argv[port + 2]);
/* Add port to port list. Skip first two arguments */
servSock[port] = CreateTCPServerSocket(portNo); /* Create port socket */
if (servSock[port] > maxDescriptor)
maxDescriptor = servSock[port];

/* Determine if new descriptor is the largest */

}
...

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Multiplexing - Example: echo using stream socket

printf("Starting server: Hit return to shutdown\n");
while (running) {
/* Zero socket descriptor vector and set for server sockets */
/* This must be reset every time select() is called */
FD_ZERO(&sockSet);
FD_SET(STDIN_FILENO, &sockSet); /* Add keyboard to descriptor vector */
for (port = 0; port < noPorts; port++) FD_SET(servSock[port], &sockSet);
/* Timeout specification */
/* This must be reset every time select() is called */
selTimeout.tv_sec = timeout;
/* timeout (secs.) */
selTimeout.tv_usec = 0;
/* 0 microseconds */
/* Suspend program until descriptor is ready or timeout */
if (select(maxDescriptor + 1, &sockSet, NULL, NULL, &selTimeout) == 0)
printf("No echo requests for %ld secs...Server still alive\n", timeout);
else {
if (FD_ISSET(0, &sockSet)) { /* Check keyboard */
printf("Shutting down server\n");
getchar();
running = 0;
}
for (port = 0; port < noPorts; port++)
if (FD_ISSET(servSock[port], &sockSet)) {
printf("Request on port %d: ", port);
HandleTCPClient(AcceptTCPConnection(servSock[port]));
}
}
}
for (port = 0; port < noPorts; port++) close(servSock[port]);
free(servSock);
exit(0);

/* Close sockets */
/* Free list of sockets */

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Multiple Recipients

So far, all sockets have dealt with unicast communication

i.e., an one-to-one communication, where one copy (uni) of the data

is sent (cast)

what if we want to send data to multiple recipients?

1st Solution: unicast a copy of the data to each recipient

' inefficient, e.g.,

consider we are connected to the internet through a 3Mbps line

a video server sends 1-Mbps streams
then, server can support only three clients simultaneously

2nd Solution: using network support

broadcast, all the hosts of the network receive the message
multicast, a message is sent to some subset of the host
) for IP: only UDP sockets are allowed to broadcast and multicast

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Multiple Recipients - Broadcast

Only the IP address changes

Local broadcast: to address 255.255.255.255

Directed broadcast:

send the message to every host on the same broadcast network

not forwarded by the routers
for network identifier 169.125 (i.e., with subnet mask 255.255.0.0)
the directed broadcast address is 169.125.255.255

No network-wide broadcast address is available

why?

# In order to use broadcast the options of socket must change:

int broadcastPermission = 1;
setsockopt(sock, SOL_SOCKET, SO_BROADCAST, (void*)
&broadcastPermission, sizeof(broadcastPermission));
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Multiple Recipients - Multicast

Using class D addresses

range from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255

hosts send multicast requests for specific addresses

a multicast group is formed

# we need to set TTL (time-to-live), to limit the number of hops

- using sockopt()

# no need to change the options of socket

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Useful Functions

int atoi(const char *nptr);

converts the initial portion of the string pointed to by nptr to int

int inet_aton(const char *cp, struct in_addr *inp);

converts the Internet host address cp from the IPv4 numbers-anddots notation into binary form (in network byte order)
stores it in the structure that inp points to.
it returns nonzero if the address is valid, and 0 if not
char *inet_ntoa(struct in_addr in);
converts the Internet host address in, given in network byte order, to
a string in IPv4 dotted-decimal notation
typedef uint32_t in_addr_t;
struct in_addr {
in_addr_t s_addr;
};

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Useful Functions

int getpeername(int sockfd, struct sockaddr *addr,

socklen_t *addrlen);
returns the address (IP and port) of the peer connected to the socket
sockfd, in the buffer pointed to by addr
0 is returned on success; -1 otherwise

int getsockname(int sockfd, struct sockaddr *addr,

socklen_t *addrlen);
returns the current address to which the socket sockfd is bound, in the
buffer pointed to by addr
0 is returned on success; -1 otherwise

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Domain Name Service

struct hostent *gethostbyname(const char *name);

returns a structure of type hostent for the given host name
name is a hostname, or an IPv4 address in standard dot notation
e.g. gethostbyname(www.csd.uoc.gr);

struct hostent *gethostbyaddr(const void *addr,

socklen_t len, int type);
returns a structure of type hostent for the given host address addr of
length len and address type type
struct hostent {
char *h_name;
char **h_aliases;
int
h_addrtype;
int
h_length;
char **h_addr_list;
}

/* official name of host */

/* alias list (strings) */
/* host address type (AF_INET) */
/* length of address */
/* list of addresses (binary in network byte order) */

#define h_addr h_addr_list[0] /* for backward compatibility */

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Domain Name Service

struct servent *getservbyname(const char *name,

const char *proto);
returns a servent structure for the entry from the database that
matches the service name using protocol proto.
if proto is NULL, any protocol will be matched.

e.g. getservbyname(echo, tcp) ;

struct servent *getservbyport(int port, const char

*proto);
returns a servent structure for the entry from the database that
matches the service name using port port
struct servent {
char *s_name;
char **s_aliases;
int
s_port;
char *s_proto;
}

CS556 - Distributed Systems

/* official service name */

/* list of alternate names (strings)*/
/* service port number */
/* protocol to use (tcp or udp)*/

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Compiling and Executing

include the required header files

Example:

milo:~/CS556/sockets> gcc -o TCPEchoServer TCPEchoServer.c DieWithError.c HandleTCPClient.c

milo:~/CS556/sockets> gcc -o TCPEchoClient TCPEchoClient.c DieWithError.c
milo:~/CS556/sockets> TCPEchoServer 3451 &
[1] 6273
milo:~/CS556/sockets> TCPEchoClient 0.0.0.0 hello! 3451
Handling client 127.0.0.1
Received: hello!
milo:~/CS556/sockets> ps
PID TTY
TIME CMD
5128 pts/9
00:00:00 tcsh
6273 pts/9
00:00:00 TCPEchoServer
6279 pts/9
00:00:00 ps
milo:~/CS556/sockets> kill 6273
milo:~/CS556/sockets>
[1]
Terminated
TCPEchoServer 3451
milo:~/CS556/sockets>

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The End - Questions

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