The purpose of this project is to code a small data exchange program using UNIX signals. It is an introductory project for the bigger UNIX projects that will appear later on in the cursus.ighly interesting new concept in C programming: static variables.

Status

Finished: 2025-02-28. Grade: 100/100.

Overview

The goal of the Minitalk project is to develop a simple program that allows processes (= programs running on a computer) to communicate with each other using a communication protocol called "minitalk". It corresponds to the protocol that you need to code. The minitalk communication protocol involves sending messages between two processes using a series of signals over a single wire. One process, called the "speaker/client" sends the message by transmitting a series of signals over the wire. The other process, called the "listener/server" receives the message by interpreting the series of signals as a message.

Minitalk is a project that allows inter-process communication using Unix signals. A client sends messages bit by bit to a server, which reconstructs and prints them.

🛠️ Compilation

To compile the project, run:

make

This will generate two executables:

• server → Listens for signals and reconstructs messages.
• client → Sends messages to the server.

To clean compiled files run:

make clean

To remove executables and compiled files run:

make fclean

To fully recompile the project run:

make re

🖥️ Running the Server

Before sending messages, you must start the server run:

./server

This will print the server's PID (Process ID). Example output:

Server PID: 12345

💡 Keep this PID! You will need it to send messages from the client.

To send a message to the server, use:

./client <server_pid> "<message>"

Example:

./client 12345 "Hello, world!"

The server will then print:

Hello, world!

📌 Important Notes

• The server must be running before sending a message.
• The client sends messages character by character, bit by bit using SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2.
• The server will automatically detect the end of a message and print a newline.
• The server can handle multiple messages, but each client call sends only one message at a time.

Here is a useful guide to understand this project: https://42-cursus.gitbook.io/guide/rank-02/minitalk