BILLTP Protocol Definition
The Better Internet Lists of Lists Transfer
Protocol (BILLTP) provides an Internet interface to my favorite
lists... things like movies and quotes and students, you know.
BILLTP was created for CSC 469 Program #1.
Protocol Specification
BILLTP is simple. Here a table of the client
requests (commands) and their respective server replies:
| Client
Request |
Server Action/Reply/Example |
|
LISTS |
Action: Server lists the
names of the lists that it currently knows about
Reply: a comma-separated string
list names. If no lists are available, then an empty
string ""
is returned.
Example:
movies,quotes,1969
Chicago Cubs baseball players |
|
LIST <num> |
Action: Server sets the
"current list" to the number specified. If
<num>
is not specified or out of range, then a list is chosen
randomly. Reply: the
number of objects in the current list. If no lists are
available to the server, then 0 is returned.
Example:
17 |
|
ITEM <num> |
Action: Retrieve the
<num>
element in the list. If
<num> is not specified or out
of bounds, then an item is chosen randomly and returned.
Reply: the value of the item
at that position in the
list
Example:
It's a Wonderful Life |
|
HELP |
Action:
Server returns a help string of the available commands.
Reply: a list of the commands
that the server knows
Example:
erful Life |
|
EXIT |
Action:
Closes the server's
socket connection to the client.
Reply: always
"OK"
Example:
OK |
Running the Server
The BILLTP server is written in Java; it's
Java class BilltpServer.
so it can be run using the following DOS command:
java BilltpServer
By default the BILLTP uses port number 7870.
You can override this by passing in an alternative port number to
the server. In the next example, the BILLTP server is set to port
5555:
java BilltpServer 5555
That's it. Error-check (and the protocol
itself) are minimal, but email me (
wtkrieger@noctrl.edu ) with any problems.
thanks... yow, bill
|