Understanding Sockets in Unix, NT, and Java

By Ken Nordby
2003-05-26


Understanding Sockets in Unix, NT, and Java
In software development these days, networks are all-important. For example, Sun Microsystems uses the slogan, "the network is the computer." IBM promotes a network-based business model called "e-business." It's taken for granted that programs talk to each other across the network. But just how do they do it? Surprisingly, a technology that is more than 15 years old still provides the foundation for most of today's connectivity at the application level. This technology is based on an idea called sockets.

To understand how programs communicate, it's helpful to understand sockets technology. This paper explains the basic concepts of sockets and provides source code for three sample programs that illustrate fundamental sockets principles. Each program runs in a different environment (Unix, NT, and Java) to illustrate the cross-platform capability of sockets.

Although the general trend in software development is toward higher levels of abstraction that hide nitty-gritty functional details, knowing the basic principles of sockets-based communication is important for anyone who develops software. Sockets technology is a building block for computer communications.

Tutorial Pages:
» Understanding Sockets in Unix, NT, and Java
» Basic sockets concepts
» A simple example
» Sample sockets application
» Server program (Unix)
» Client program (NT)
» Client program (Java)
» Further study


First published by IBM DeveloperWorks

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