Minitalk

Overview

Minitalk is a 42 Network project that introduces inter-process communication (IPC) through signals in Unix systems. The goal is to create a communication program consisting of a server and a client. The server receives messages sent by the client and displays them.

Features

• Communication between client and server using Unix signals (SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2).
• Send and display ASCII characters one bit at a time.
• Handle edge cases such as null strings and invalid PIDs.

Files

• server.c: Implements the server program that listens for and processes messages from the client.
• client.c: Implements the client program that encodes and sends messages to the server.
• Makefile: Automates compilation of the project.

Usage

Compilation

Use the provided Makefile to compile the project:

make

This generates the server and client executables.

Running the Server

Start the server to obtain its Process ID (PID):

./server

The server will output its PID. For example:

Server PID: 12345

Sending a Message

Run the client with the server's PID and the message you want to send:

./client <server_pid> "Your message here"

Example:

./client 12345 "Hello, world!"

The server will display the message upon receiving it.

Requirements

• Handle errors gracefully, such as invalid PIDs or signal interruptions.
• The communication should be precise, ensuring all characters are sent and received correctly.

Bonus

• Support Unicode characters.
• Add a feature for the client to acknowledge that the message was successfully received.

Resources

• Unix Signals
• Signal Handling in C