This document outlines a laboratory activity for implementing a basic client-server communication system using TCP sockets in Python. Participants will create a server that listens for client connections and a client that connects to the server to receive messages, while also learning error-handling techniques. The activity includes step-by-step instructions for writing the server and client code, running them, and post-laboratory questions and tasks for further exploration.
This document outlines a laboratory activity for implementing a basic client-server communication system using TCP sockets in Python. Participants will create a server that listens for client connections and a client that connects to the server to receive messages, while also learning error-handling techniques. The activity includes step-by-step instructions for writing the server and client code, running them, and post-laboratory questions and tasks for further exploration.
This document outlines a laboratory activity for implementing a basic client-server communication system using TCP sockets in Python. Participants will create a server that listens for client connections and a client that connects to the server to receive messages, while also learning error-handling techniques. The activity includes step-by-step instructions for writing the server and client code, running them, and post-laboratory questions and tasks for further exploration.
This document outlines a laboratory activity for implementing a basic client-server communication system using TCP sockets in Python. Participants will create a server that listens for client connections and a client that connects to the server to receive messages, while also learning error-handling techniques. The activity includes step-by-step instructions for writing the server and client code, running them, and post-laboratory questions and tasks for further exploration.
In this laboratory activity, you will learn how to implement a basic client-server communication system using TCP sockets in Python. You will create both a server that listens for client connections and a client that connects to the server and receives a message.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this activity, you should be able to:
1. Understand how TCP/IP socket programming works in Python.
2. Implement a basic server that listens for incoming client connections. 3. Create a client that connects to the server and receives data. 4. Apply error-handling techniques to ensure the reliability of the client-server communication.
Materials Needed:
1. A computer with Python installed (preferably version 3.x).
2. Text editor (e.g., VS Code, notepad) to write and run the code.
Activity Steps:
Step 1: Create the Server (surname_server.py)
1. Open a text editor and create a file named surname_server.py.
2. In the surname_server.py file, write the following code:
import socket
def start_server(): # Define host and port for the server host = '127.0.0.1' # Localhost (the server will run on your machine) port = 12345 # Port number for the server to listen on
# Wait for a client to connect client_socket, client_address = server_socket.accept() print(f"Connection established with {client_address}")
# Send a message to the client
message = "Hello from the server!" client_socket.send(message.encode())
# Close the connection
client_socket.close()
if __name__ == "__main__": start_server()
Step 2: Create the Client (surname_client.py)
1. Open a text editor and create a file named surname_client.py.
2. In the surname_client.py file, write the following code:
import socket
def start_client(): # Define the server's host and port host = '127.0.0.1' # The server's IP address port = 12345 # The port number the server is listening on
message = client_socket.recv(1024) print("Received from server:", message.decode())
# Close the connection
client_socket.close()
if __name__ == "__main__": start_client()
Step 3: Run the Server
1. Open a terminal or command prompt.
2. Navigate to the folder where you saved the surname_server.py file. 3. Run the server by typing:
python surname_server.py
4. The server will start and wait for a connection from the client, displaying:
Server listening on 127.0.0.1:12345...
Step 4: Run the Client
1. Open another terminal or command prompt.
2. Navigate to the folder where you saved the surname_client.py file. 3. Run the client by typing:
python surname_client.py
4. The client will connect to the server and receive the message:
Received from server: Hello from the server!
Post-Laboratory Requirements:
1. Screenshot output of client and server.
Post-Laboratory Questions:
2. What happens if you try to run the client before starting the server? 3. Modify the server to handle multiple clients. How does the program behavior change when multiple clients connect simultaneously? 4. What would happen if the server crashes while the client is connected? How can you handle such situations using exception handling in Python? 5. What is the significance of the IP address 127.0.0.1? Can you change it to 0.0.0.0 or a different IP? Explain. 6. What does the client_socket.recv(1024) function do? What would happen if you changed the size parameter?
Additional Tasks (for advanced students):
1. Client-Server with Dynamic Interaction:
o Modify the program to allow the client to send a message to the server, and the server should reply back. o Use a loop to keep the server running and interact with multiple clients. 2. Error Handling: o Add error handling in both the client and server to manage situations like network errors, timeouts, or connection errors. 3. Use Multi-threading on the Server: o Modify the server code to handle multiple clients simultaneously using threads. o Each client should run in its own thread so that the server can handle multiple connections concurrently.
