Description
Introduction
In this machine problem we improve the request channel to provide communication across the
network. Specifically, we allow the the client-side end of a request channel to reside on one machine,
and the server-side end of the channel on another machine. The communication over a request
channel is to be provided by a single TCP connection.
In order to establish request channels over the network, the interface of the request channel must
be modified somewhat. Below is a definition of the NetworkRequestChannel class that supports
request channels across machine boundaries:
NetworkRequestChannel(const string _server_host_name, const unsigned short _port_no);
/* Creates a CLIENT-SIDE local copy of the channel. The channel is connected
to the given port number at the given server host.
THIS CONSTRUCTOR IS CALLED BY THE CLIENT. */
NetworkRequestChannel(const unsigned short _port_no,
void * (*connection_handler) (int *));
/* Creates a SERVER-SIDE local copy of the channel that is accepting connections
at the given port number.
NOTE that multiple clients can be connected to the same server-side end of the
request channel. Whenever a new connection comes in, it is accepted by the
the server, and the given connection handler is invoked. The parameter to
the connection handler is the file descriptor of the slave socket returned
by the accept call.
NOTE that the connection handler does not want to deal with
closing the socket. You will have to close the socket once the
connection handler is done. */
~NetworkRequestChannel();
/* Destructor of the local copy of the channel. */
string send_request(string _request);
/* Send a string over the channel and wait for a reply. */
string cread();
/* Blocking read of data from the channel. Returns a string of characters
read from the channel. Returns NULL if read failed. */
int cwrite(string _msg);
/* Write the data to the channel. The function returns the number of
characters written to the channel. */
You are to modify the data server program from MP3/MP4 to handle incoming requests over
network request channels instead of request channels. The data server must be able to handle
Ver 2017C Page 1
CPSC–313 Machine Problem 5
multiple request channels, either from the same client or from different clients, possibly on different
machines.
You also have to modify the client from MP4 to send requests over network request channels.1
Use the same source code of the data server as in MP3 or MP4 (in file dataserver.C) to compile
and then to execute as part of your program (i.e. in a separate process).
The Assignment
You are to write a program (call it client.C) that consist of a number of request threads, one
for each person, a number of worker threads, and a number of statistics threads, one for each
person. The number of persons is fixed to three in this MP (Joe Smith, Jane Smith, and John
Doe). The number of data requests per person and the number of worker threads are to be passed
as arguments to the invocation of the client program. As explained earlier, the request threads
generate the requests and deposit them into a bounded buffer. The size of this buffer is passed as
an argument to the client program.
Design your dataserver so that multiple instances of the client program, either from the same
or from different client machines, can connect to the dataserver simultaneously.
The client program is to be called in the following form:
client -n
-b
-w
-h
-p The data server is to be called in the following form:
dataserver -p -b
What to Hand In
• You are to hand in one ZIP file, called .zip, which contains a
directory called .
For this machine problem, Jane Student would submit one ZIP file, called JANE STUDENT MP5.zip,
which contains a folder called JANE STUDENT MP5.
This directory contains all needed files for the TA to compile and run your program. (The
expectation is that the TA, after typing make, will get two fully operational programs, one
called client and the other dataserver, which then can be tested.) The directory should
contain at least the following files:
– Your implementation of the Network Request Channel, to be submitted in two files:
NetworkRequestChannel.H and NetworkRequestChannel.C.
– The updated client, with name client.C.
– The updated data server, with name dataserver.C.
1You can use the client code from MP3 if you did not get MP4 to run. Clearly state this in your documentation
and your report! Otherwise the TA will hate you.
Ver 2017C Page 2
CPSC–313 Machine Problem 5
– Any other file that is needed to compile and test your solution, including the updated
makefile.
• Submit a report, called report.pdf, which you include as part of the submission directory.
In this report you present a brief performance evaluation of the system with varying numbers
clients and sizes of the backlog buffer on the server.
Ver 2017C Page 3
