COMP2322 Lab 4

Socket Programming
Toby Lam
March 2, 2016
 Requirement
 Experience in Python Programming
 Python for Programmers
 https://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/Pr
ogrammers

 Learn Python Online

 https://www.codecademy.com/learn/python
 http://www.learnpython.org/

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 Simple Example
 Suppose I am interested in knowing the latitude
and longitude of The Hong Kong Polytechnic
University

 I can enter the following URL in the browser to

obtain the information (in JSON format)
 http://maps.google.com/maps/api/geocode/json?add
ress=The Hong Kong Polytechnic
University&sensor=false&region=Hong Kong

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Client/Server Model

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 Client/Server Model
 Examples of Client
 Google Chrome, Firefox
 Examples of Server
 Apache, IIS

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Make a Raw HTTP Connection

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 socket in Python
 Instead of making an HTTP request through httplib
package
 We can make the request by using socket

 socket – support basic network communications on an

IP network
 Low-level approach

 Raw network communication

 A matter of sending and receiving strings

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Make a Request By Socket

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 Network Sockets
 Used to identify particular processes
(programs) on particular machines
 Network Socket is composed of 2 numbers:
 IP address – machine identifier
 Port number – process identifier
 Well-known ports:
 25 – SMTP (email), 80 - HTTP (web), 110 – POP3 (email), 443 –
HTTPS (secure web)

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 Network Sockets
 Socket() used in previous example is NOT the
lowest protocol level
 The layers below the socket() are:
 Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
 One alternative to TCP is UDP (we focus on TCP in this lab)
 Internet Protocol (IP)
 Link layer

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 “Passive” Listening Socket VS Active
“Connected” Socket
 Server
 The server is a machine that is ready to receive
connections
 It holds the address and the port number

 Passive Listening Socket

 It DOES NOT represent any actual network
conversation
 <= no data can be received / sent by this kind of port!
 (Q: HOW it works then ???)

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 “Passive” Listening Socket VS Active
“Connected” Socket
 When the server get the request from the
passive listening socket
 Server checks with the OS willingness to receive
incoming connections
 If NO, drop the request
 If YES, an active connected socket is then created
 This socket is bounded to one remote conversation partner
 Example: A busy web server, there is a thousand active
sockets all bound to its public IP address at port 80

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A Simple TCP Client and Server

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A Simple TCP Client and Server

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 Limitation
 At the moment, the message must be fixed in 16
characters (octets)!
 Solution:
 Client side, before sending the message
1) Determine the length of the message L [Assume max. number of
length is 255]
– Add L at the beginning of the message
2) Send the new message to server

 Server side, after received the message

1) Extract the length of the message (first 3 characters)
2) Read the rest of the message with the proper length

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Modified TCP Client and Server

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Modified TCP Client and Server

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Lab Exercise (Total mark: 50) [1 / 2]
1. Create 2 python files (10 marks)
– Client file - client_studentID.py
– Server file - server_studentID.py
– E.g. if my student ID is 12345678d, name the client
file as client_12345678d.py

2. Provide your full name and student ID (10 marks)

– At the beginning of each python program, by using
program comment, provide the following information
• Your full name
• Your student ID

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Lab Exercise (Total mark: 50) [2 / 2]
3. Create a simple instant messaging system (25 marks)
– The messaging system should let the client and server
send the message in one by one approach (20 marks)
(more detail description is shown in next page)
– Coding - easy to read (5 marks)
– if there is any syntax error in your programs (i.e. cannot
run), ZERO mark will be given in this section

4. Submission (5 marks)
– Submit two python programs to LEARN@POLYU before
the submission deadline (Monday, 14 March 2016, at
noon)
• It is not required to zip the files!

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 Message in one by one approach
• Message in one by one approach IS NOT the
same as common messaging platform!!
• It works like this:
1. Server is waiting for connection
2. Client is connected to Server
3. Client sends message
4. Server receives message
5. Server sends message
6. Client receives message
7. Go back to (3) until Client/Server sends message
“BYEBYE”
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 Reference
 J. Goerzen and B. Rhodes, Foundations of
Python Network Programming: The
comprehensive guide to building network
applications with Python, Second Edition,
Apress, 2010

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