TCP Concurrent Echo Program Using Fork and Thread

International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication
Volume: 3 Issue: 4
ISSN: 2321-8169
2225 2229
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TCP Concurrent Echo Program using Fork and Thread

Ms.Rupilaa V.M., Ms.Sangeetha M., Mr.Sathya Seelan K., Mr.Vadivel R.
Assistant Professor
Adithya Institute of Technology
Abstract In networking, client-server model plays a vital role in exchanging information between processes. Client-server model
predominantly relies on socket programming. Sockets allow communication between processes on same or different machines. Servers in the
client-server model are of two types- Iterative and Concurrent. This paper describes about the elementary socket function for TCP client/server.
An implementation of TCP Echo program for concurrent server using fork and thread is also given.
Keywords Socket, TCP, Concurrent server, fork, thread
__________________________________________________*****_________________________________________________
I.
INTRODUCTION
Rapid growth of Internet leads to the ultimate

development of many net applications which use the clientserver model. Fig. 1 shows the client-server model. Clientserver model allows communication between processes or
applications to exchange some information. The client
process always initiates a connection to the server, while the
server process always waits for requests from any client.
a. Process-based using fork

Spawn one server process to handle each client
connection
Kernel automatically interleaves multiple server
processes
Each server process has its own private address
space
Fig. 2 shows the concurrent server implemented using
fork(). In Fig. 2, client A has already established a
connection with the server, which has created a child server
process to handle the transaction. This allows the server to
process client B request, without waiting for client A to
complete
TCP/IP
Fig. 1 Client-Server Model

Socket is used in client-server application
framework. Sockets are of four types Stream sockets,
datagram sockets, raw sockets and sequenced-packet sockets
[1]. A stream socket uses TCP as end-to-end protocol and of
type SOCK_STREAM. Datagram socket uses UDP as endto-end protocol and of type SOCK_DGRAM. A raw socket
is of type SOCK_RAW and provides raw network protocol
access. A sequenced-packet socket is similar to stream
socket, with the exception that record boundaries are
preserved and of type SOCK_SEQPACKET.
Servers are of two types in client-server model
Iterative server and concurrent server. Iterative server
handles single request at a time and are easy to implement.
Concurrent server handles multiple requests at a time but
difficult to design and build.
Concurrent Server
Concurrent servers are designed using three basic
mechanisms.
a. Process-based using fork
b. Event-based using I/O Multiplexing
c. Threads
Client B
Client A
Concurrent
Child server
process
Fig. 2 Fork Execution Model

b. Event-based using I/O Multiplexing
One process, one thread, but programmer manually
interleaves multiple connections
Relies on lower-level system abstractions
c. Threads
Create one server thread to handle each client
connection
Kernel automatically interleaves multiple server
threads
All threads share the same address space
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IJRITCC | April 2015, Available @ http://www.ijritcc.org
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Volume: 3 Issue: 4
ISSN: 2321-8169
2225 2229
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
close function used to close a socket and terminate a TCP
connection
and
included
in
the
header
file
#include<unistd.h>
Syntax: int close(int sockfd);
Fig. 3 Thread Execution Model

Fig. 3 shows the thread execution model. The main
thread creates peer thread and handles multiple client
requests.
This paper describes about the socket functions and
thread functions used in TCP client-server communication
in section 2. In section 3, the client-server model using
socket function is given. Implementation of concurrent
server using fork and thread is given in subsequent sections.
II.
SOCKET AND THREAD FUNCTIONS
A. SOCKET FUNCTIONS
All the functions used in TCP client/server
communication is defined in the header file
#include<sys/socket.h>.
socket function this function specifies the type of
communication protocol. This function is used by both
client and server.
Syntax: int socket(int family, int type, int protocol);
connect function used by a TCP client to establish a
connection with a TCP server.
Syntax: int connect(int sockfd, const struct sockaddr
*servaddr, socklen_t addrlen);
B. THREAD FUNCTIONS
All the functions are defined in the header file
#include<pthread.h>.
pthread_create create a new thread.
Syntax: int pthread_create(pthread_t *restrict thread, const
pthread_attr_t *restrict attr, void *(*start_routine)(void*),
void *restrict arg);
pthread_self obtain ID of the calling thread.
Syntax: pthread_t pthread_self(void);
pthread_detach detach a thread.
Syntax: int pthread_detach(pthread_t thread);
pthread_exit thread termination
Syntax: void pthread_exit(void *value_ptr);
III.
ELEMENTARY TCP SOCKETS
Fig. 4 shows a timeline of the typical scenario that

takes place between a TCP client and server. First, the
server is started, and sometime later, the client is started and
connects to the server. The client sends a request to the
server, the server processes the request, and the server sends
a reply back to the client. This continues until the client
closes its end of the connection. The server then closes its
end of the connection and either terminates or waits for a
new client connection [3].
bind function assigns a local protocol address to a socket.

Syntax: int bind(int sockfd, const struct sockaddr *myaddr,
socklen_t addrlen);
listen function converts an unconnected socket into a
passive socket and specifies the maximum number of
connections the kernel should queue for this socket. This
function is called only by TCP server. Syntax: int listen(int
sockfd, int backlog);
accept function return the next completed connection
from the front of the completed connection queue.
Syntax: int accept(int sockfd, struct sockaddr *cliaddr,
socklen_t *addrlen);
send function send a message on a socket.
Syntax: ssize_t send(int socket, const void *buffer, size_t
length, int flags);
recv function receive data from a connected socket.
Syntax: ssize_t recv(int socket, void *buffer, size_t length,
int flags);
Fig. 4 Socket functions for elementary TCP client/server
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Volume: 3 Issue: 4
ISSN: 2321-8169
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IV.
close(ls);
return 0;
TCP ECHO CLIENT/SERVER
fgets
stdin
TCP
stdout
client
fputs
send
recv
recv
send
}
TCP
VI.
server
Fig. 5 Echo client/server

Fig. 5 depicts the echo client/server along with the
functions used for input and output. An echo client/server
program performs the following steps:
The client reads a line of text from the standard input
and writes the line to the server.
The server reads the line from the network input and
echoes the line back to the client.
The client reads the echoed line and prints it on its
standard output.
V.
IMPLEMENTATION OF ECHO PROGRAM
FOR CLIENT
#include<stdio.h>
#include<sys/socket.h>
#include<sys/types.h>
#include<netinet/in.h>
void str_echo(int s)
{
char buf[50],buf1[50];
puts("Enter the Message...");
fgets(buf,50,stdin);

FOR CONCURRENT SERVER USING FORK
#include<stdio.h>
#include<stdlib.h>
{
char buf[50];
//receiving data from client
recv(s,buf,50,0);
puts("Message from Client...");
fputs(buf,stdout);
send(s,buf,50,0);
}
int main()
{
int ls,cs,len;
struct sockaddr_in serv,cli;
pid_t pid;
send(s,buf,50,0); //sending data to server
puts("I am Server...");
//receiving data from server

recv(s,buf1,50,0);
puts("Message from Server...");
fputs(buf1,stdout);
//creating socket
ls=socket(AF_INET,SOCK_STREAM,0);
puts("Socket Created Successfully...");
}
int main()
{
int ls;
struct sockaddr_in cli;
puts("I am Client...");
/*creating socket*/
/*socket address structure*/
cli.sin_family=AF_INET;
cli.sin_addr.s_addr=inet_addr("127.0.0.1");
cli.sin_port=htons(5000);
/*connecting to server*/
connect(ls,(struct sockaddr*)&cli,sizeof(cli));
puts("Connected with Server...");
str_echo(ls);
//socket address structure

serv.sin_family=AF_INET;
serv.sin_addr.s_addr=INADDR_ANY;
serv.sin_port=htons(5000);
bind(ls,(struct sockaddr*)&serv,sizeof(serv));
puts("Binding Done...");
listen(ls,3);
puts("Listening for Client...");
for(; ;)
{
len=sizeof(cli);
//accepting client connection
cs=accept(ls,(struct sockaddr*)&cli,&len);
puts("\nConnected to Client...");
//creating child process
if((pid=fork()) == 0)
{
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Volume: 3 Issue: 4
ISSN: 2321-8169
2225 2229
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
puts("Child process created...");
close(ls);
str_echo(cs);
close(cs);
exit(0);
Fig. 6 shows the data read from client 1. Fig. 7

shows the data read from client 2. Fig.8 shows the data
processed by concurrent server from client 1 and client 2.
}
close(cs);
}
return 0;
}
VII.

FOR CONCURRENT SERVER USING
THREAD
#include<stdio.h>
#include<pthread.h>
{
char buf[20];
recv(s,buf,20,0);
puts("Message from Client...");
fputs(buf,stdout);
send(s,buf,20,0);
}
Fig. 6 Execution of Echo Client 1
static void *doit(void *arg)
{
pthread_detach(pthread_self());
str_echo((int)arg);
close((int)arg);
pthread_exit(0);
return NULL;
}
int main()
{
int ls,cs,len;
struct sockaddr_in serv,cli;

pid_t pid;
pthread_t th;
puts("I am Server...");
//creating socket
//socket address structure
serv.sin_family=AF_INET;
serv.sin_addr.s_addr=INADDR_ANY;
serv.sin_port=htons(5000);
bind(ls,(struct sockaddr*)&serv,sizeof(serv));
puts("Binding Done...");
Fig. 8 Execution of Concurrent Echo Server
listen(ls,3);
puts("Listening for Client...");
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Volume: 3 Issue: 4
ISSN: 2321-8169
2225 2229
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
for(; ;)
{
len=sizeof(cli);
cs=accept(ls,(struct sockaddr*)&cli,&len);
puts("Connected to Client...");
//creating thread
pthread_create(&th,NULL,&doit,(void *)cs);
}
return 0;
}
VIII.
CONCLUSION
This paper describes about the elementary socket

and thread functions needed for the implementation of
concurrent server. Echo client/server program for concurrent
server using fork and thread is implemented and shown
along with the execution. Synchronization problem exist
with threads which can be overcome by using mutex and
condition variables. To expand the echo client/server into
any application, change what the server does with the input
it receives from its clients.
REFERENCES
[1] W. Richard Stevens, Unix Network Programming

Vol-I, Second Edition, Pearson Education, 1998.
[2] D.E. Comer, Internetworking with TCP/IP Vol III, (BSD Sockets Version), Second Edition,
Pearson Education, 200 UNIT III
[3] Michael J. Donahoo and Kenneth L. Calvert,
"TCP/IP Sockets in C: Practical Guide for
Programmers",
Second
Edition,
Morgan
Kaufmann, 2001.
[4] Stefan Bocking,Socket++: A Uniform Application
Programming
Interface
for
Basic-Level
Communication Services, IEEE Communication
Magazine December 1996.
[5] Mattew Cook and Syed(shawon)M. Rahman, Java
and C/C++ language feature in terms of Network
Programming, 2005.
[6] https://computing.llnl.gov/tutorials/pthreads/
[7] http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/7908799/xsh
/pthread.h.html
Fig. 11 Execution of Concurrent Echo Server
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International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication