TCP Socket Programming concepts

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What is a socket?
• An abstract interface provided to the application
programmer
– File descriptor, allows apps to read/write to the network
• Allows to processes on remotely connected computers to
talk to each other

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Three types of sockets
• SOCK_STREAM  SOCK_DGRAM
– TCP
– connection oriented,
 UDP
bidirectional  no connection
– reliable, in-order delivery
 unreliable delivery, no
guarantee on the
 SOCK_RAW order
 can send/receive
 UNIX Domain
 they're used for interposes
communication
 can send/receive
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Socket-programming using TCP
Socket: a door between application process and end-
end-transport protocol (UDP or TCP)
TCP service: reliable transfer of bytes from one
process to another

controlled by
controlled by process application
application process
developer
developer socket socket
controlled by TCP with TCP with controlled by
buffers, operating
operating buffers, internet system
system variables variables

host or host or
server server

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Socket programming with TCP
Client must contact server • When contacted by client,
• server process must first be server TCP creates new
running socket for server process to
• server must have created communicate with client
socket (door) that welcomes – allows server to talk with
client’s contact multiple clients
– source port numbers used
Client contacts server by:
to distinguish clients
• creating client-local TCP
socket
• specifying IP address, port
number of server process application viewpoint
• When client creates socket:
client TCP establishes TCP provides reliable, in-order
connection to server TCP transfer of bytes (“pipe”)
between client and server

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Ports
• Used to address processes on a host
– 0-1024 is usually reserved for known service

FTP Web
Server Server
21 80
Transport
Layer
Network
Layer
DLL/Physical

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 Socket Programming - Flow
socket() socket()

bind()
connect()

listen()
Client Server
send()
accept()
wait for
recv() connection
.. recv() request from next

.
client

send()

close() close()

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Socket call
• Means by which an application attached to the network
• int socket(int family, int type, int protocol)
• Family: address family (protocol family)
– AF_UNIX, AF_INET, AF_NS, AF_IMPLINK
• Type: semantics of communication
– SOCK_STREAM, SOCK_DGRAM, SOCK_RAW
– Not all combinations of family and type are valid
• Protocol: Usually set to 0 but can be set to specific value.
– Family and type usually imply the protocol
• Return value is a handle for new socket

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Bind call

• Binds a newly created socket to the specified address

• Int bind(int socket, struct sockaddr *address, int addr_len)
• Socket: newly created socket handle
• Address: data structure of address of local system
– IP address and port number (demux keys)
– Same operation for both connection-oriented and connectionless
servers
• Can use well known port or unique port

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 Listen call
• Used by connection-oriented servers to indicate an
application is willing to receive connections
• Int(int socket, int backlog)
• Socket: handle of newly creates socket
• Backlog: number of connection requests that can be queued
by the system while waiting for server to execute accept call.

CS 640 10
Accept call

• After executing listen, the accept call carries out a passive

open (server prepared to accept connects).
• Int accept(int socket, struct sockaddr *address, int
addr_len)
• It blocks until a remote client carries out a connection
request.
• When it does return, it returns with a new socket that
corresponds with new connection and the address contains
the clients address

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Connect call

• Client executes an active open of a connection

• Int connect(int socket, struct sockaddr *address, int
addr_len)
• Call does not return until the three-way handshake (TCP) is
complete
• Address field contains remote system’s address
• Client OS usually selects random, unused port

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Send(to), Recv(from)
• After connection has been made, application uses send/recv
to data
• Int send(int socket, char *message, int msg_len, int
flags)
– Send specified message using specified socket
• Int recv(int scoket, char *buffer, int buf_len, int flags)
– Receive message from specified socket into specified buffer

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Socket Implimentation

• Protocol implementation
– Process per protocol
• Use a separate process to implement each protocol
• Messages are passes between processes
– Process per message
• Use one process to handle each message/communication
• Generally more efficient
• Buffer use
– Applications use buffers as do protocols
• Copies are VERY expensive
• Message abstraction enables pointers to be used and minimal copies

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Practical issues – using sockets
• You have to be very careful when using these calls
– Specific data structures and formats
– Ports cannot be less than 1024
• You can use other tools to see if things are working
– Tcpdump
– /proc
– netstat
• Client and server can be on same system
• Think about error handling methods
• Refer to Stevens
• Baby steps!!

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Address Structure
• Declare address structure
– struct sockaddr_in sockAdd;
• Set family
– sockAdd.sin_family = AF_INET;
• Set IP address (2 ways)
//specify address to listen to
– inet_pton(AF_INET, “127.0.0.1”, &sockAdd.sin_addr.s_addr)
//listen to any local address
– sockAdd.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY)

• Set port
– sockAdd.sin_port = htons(9999);

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 Stream jargon
keyboard monitor

• A stream is a sequence of
characters that flow into or out
of a process.

inFromUser
input
stream
• An input stream is attached to Client
some input source for the Process
process
process, e.g., keyboard or
socket.
• An output stream is attached
to an output source, e.g.,

inFromServer
outToServer
output input
monitor or socket. stream stream

client
clientSocket
TCP
socket TCP
socket

to network from network

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Demo Ends Here

Thanks for your time

Questions?

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