Minitalk

A client-server communication program using UNIX signals for data transmission.

About

Minitalk is a small data exchange program that uses UNIX signals (SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2) for character-by-character communication between processes.

Features

• Reliable communication using only SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2 signals
• Server displays its PID on startup
• Client can send messages to server using PID
• Server acknowledges received messages
• Handles multiple clients simultaneously
• Buffer-based output for efficiency

Usage

1. Start the server:

./server

The server will display its PID.

2. Send messages using the client:

./client <server_pid> "Your message here"

Example

# Terminal 1
> ./server
The server is ready [PID: 12345]

# Terminal 2
> ./client 12345 "Hello World!"

Technical Details

• Signal handling using sigaction
• Bit-by-bit data transmission
• Buffer-based output management
• Error handling for process communication
• Client acknowledgment system