Using select() for non-blocking sockets

I am trying to use the select function to have non-blocking i/o between a server and 1 client (no more) where the communication flows nicely (can send at any time and the other will receive without waiting to send). I found a tutorial with some code and tried to adapt it to mine. This is what I have -

Server

#define PORT "4950"
#define STDIN 0

struct sockaddr name;

void set_nonblock(int socket) {
    int flags;
    flags = fcntl(socket,F_GETFL,0);
    assert(flags != -1);
    fcntl(socket, F_SETFL, flags | O_NONBLOCK);
}


// get sockaddr, IPv4 or IPv6:
void *get_in_addr(struct sockaddr *sa) {
    if (sa->sa_family == AF_INET)
        return &(((struct sockaddr_in*)sa)->sin_addr);

    return &(((struct sockaddr_in6*)sa)->sin6_addr);
}

int main(int agrc, char** argv) {
    int status, sock, adrlen, new_sd;

    struct addrinfo hints;
    struct addrinfo *servinfo;  //will point to the results

    //store the connecting address and size
    struct sockaddr_storage their_addr;
    socklen_t their_addr_size;

    fd_set read_flags,write_flags; // the flag sets to be used
    struct timeval waitd;          // the max wait time for an event
    int sel;                      // holds return value for select();

    //socket infoS
    memset(&hints, 0, sizeof hints); //make sure the struct is empty
    hints.ai_family = AF_INET;
    hints.ai_socktype = SOCK_STREAM; //tcp
    hints.ai_flags = AI_PASSIVE;     //use local-host address

    //get server info, put into servinfo
    if ((status = getaddrinfo("127.0.0.1", PORT, &hints, &servinfo)) != 0) {
        fprintf(stderr, "getaddrinfo error: %s\n", gai_strerror(status));
        exit(1);
    }

    //make socket
    sock = socket(servinfo->ai_family, servinfo->ai_socktype, servinfo->ai_protocol);
    if (sock < 0) {
        printf("\nserver socket failure %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }

    //allow reuse of port
    int yes=1;
    if (setsockopt(sock,SOL_SOCKET,SO_REUSEADDR,&yes,sizeof(int)) == -1) {
        perror("setsockopt");
        exit(1);
    }

    //unlink and bind
    unlink("127.0.0.1");
    if(bind (sock, servinfo->ai_addr, servinfo->ai_addrlen) < 0) {
        printf("\nBind error %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }

    freeaddrinfo(servinfo);

    //listen
    if(listen(sock, 5) < 0) {
        printf("\nListen error %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }
    their_addr_size = sizeof(their_addr);

    //accept
    new_sd = accept(sock, (struct sockaddr*)&their_addr, &their_addr_size);
    if( new_sd < 0) {
        printf("\nAccept error %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }

    set_nonblock(new_sd);
    cout<<"\nSuccessful Connection!";

    char* in = new char[255];
    char* out = new char[255];
    int numSent;
    int numRead;


    while(1) {

        waitd.tv_sec = 10;
        FD_ZERO(&read_flags);
        FD_ZERO(&write_flags);
        FD_SET(new_sd, &read_flags);

        if(strlen(out) != 0)
            FD_SET(new_sd, &write_flags);

        sel = select(new_sd+1, &read_flags, &write_flags, (fd_set*)0, &waitd);
        if(sel < 0)
            continue;

        //socket ready for reading
        if(FD_ISSET(new_sd, &read_flags)) {
            FD_CLR(new_sd, &read_flags);

            memset(&in, 0, sizeof(in));

            if(recv(new_sd, in, sizeof(in), 0) <= 0) {
                close(new_sd);
                break;
            }
            else
                cout<<"\n"<<in;
        }   //end if ready for read

        //socket ready for writing
        if(FD_ISSET(new_sd, &write_flags)) {

            FD_CLR(new_sd, &write_flags);
            send(new_sd, out, strlen(out), 0);
            memset(&out, 0, sizeof(out));
        }
    }   //end while

    cout<<"\n\nExiting normally\n";
    return 0;
}

Client (basically the same just minus an accept call) -

#define PORT "4950"

struct sockaddr name;

void set_nonblock(int socket) {
    int flags;
    flags = fcntl(socket,F_GETFL,0);
    assert(flags != -1);
    fcntl(socket, F_SETFL, flags | O_NONBLOCK);
}

// get sockaddr, IPv4 or IPv6:
void *get_in_addr(struct sockaddr *sa) {
    if (sa->sa_family == AF_INET)
        return &(((struct sockaddr_in*)sa)->sin_addr);

    return &(((struct sockaddr_in6*)sa)->sin6_addr);
}

int main(int agrc, char** argv) {
    int status, sock, adrlen;

    struct addrinfo hints;
    struct addrinfo *servinfo;  //will point to the results

    fd_set read_flags,write_flags; // the flag sets to be used
    struct timeval waitd;          // the max wait time for an event
    int sel;                      // holds return value for select();

    memset(&hints, 0, sizeof hints); //make sure the struct is empty
    hints.ai_family = AF_INET;
    hints.ai_socktype = SOCK_STREAM; //tcp
    hints.ai_flags = AI_PASSIVE;     //use local-host address

    //get server info, put into servinfo
    if ((status = getaddrinfo("127.0.0.1", PORT, &hints, &servinfo)) != 0) {
        fprintf(stderr, "getaddrinfo er开发者_StackOverflow社区ror: %s\n", gai_strerror(status));
        exit(1);
    }

    //make socket
    sock = socket(servinfo->ai_family, servinfo->ai_socktype, servinfo->ai_protocol);
    if (sock < 0) {
        printf("\nserver socket failure %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }

    if(connect(sock, servinfo->ai_addr, servinfo->ai_addrlen) < 0) {
        printf("\nclient connection failure %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }

    cout<<"\nSuccessful connection!";

    set_nonblock(sock);

    char* out = new char[255];
    char* in = new char[255];
    int numRead;
    int numSent;

    while(1) {

        waitd.tv_sec = 10;
        FD_ZERO(&read_flags);
        FD_ZERO(&write_flags);
        FD_SET(sock, &read_flags);

        if(strlen(out) != 0)
            FD_SET(sock, &write_flags);


        sel = select(sock+1, &read_flags, &write_flags, (fd_set*)0, &waitd);
        if(sel < 0)
            continue;

        //socket ready for reading
        if(FD_ISSET(sock, &read_flags)) {
            FD_CLR(sock, &read_flags);

            memset(&in, 0, sizeof(in));

            if(recv(sock, in, sizeof(in), 0) <= 0) {
                close(sock);
                break;
            }
            else
                cout<<"\n"<<in;
        }   //end if ready for read

        //socket ready for writing
        if(FD_ISSET(sock, &write_flags)) {
            FD_CLR(sock, &write_flags);
            send(sock, out, strlen(out), 0);
            memset(&out, 0, sizeof(out));
        }
    }   //end while

    cout<<"\n\nExiting normally\n";
    return 0;
}

The problem is that when I run them, nothing happens. I can type into one and hit enter and nothing shows up on the other screen (and vice versa). Thats not a whole of information for me to debug and this is my first real attempt at using select so I thought maybe I am just unaware of something simple. If anything can be spotted as wrong or weird please point it out, any help is appreciated.

The problem is that when I run them, nothing happens.

The real problem is that people have been pasting stuff from Beej for years without understanding it. That's why I don't really like that guide; it gives large blocks of code without really explaining them in detail.

You're not reading anything and not sending anything; no fgets, scanf, cin, etc. Here's what I would do:

FD_SET(sock, &read_flags);
FD_SET(STDIN_FILENO, &read_flags);

/* .. snip .. */

if(FD_ISSET(STDIN_FILENO, &read_flags)) {
    fgets(out, len, stdin);
}

This will monitor stdin and read from it when input is available; then, when the socket is writeable (FD_ISSET(sock, &write_flags)), it will send the buffer.

I have the program working correctly now.

server -

#define PORT "4950"
#define STDIN 0

struct sockaddr name;

void set_nonblock(int socket) {
    int flags;
    flags = fcntl(socket,F_GETFL,0);
    assert(flags != -1);
    fcntl(socket, F_SETFL, flags | O_NONBLOCK);
}


// get sockaddr, IPv4 or IPv6:
void *get_in_addr(struct sockaddr *sa) {
    if (sa->sa_family == AF_INET)
        return &(((struct sockaddr_in*)sa)->sin_addr);

    return &(((struct sockaddr_in6*)sa)->sin6_addr);
}


int main(int agrc, char** argv) {
    int status, sock, adrlen, new_sd;

    struct addrinfo hints;
    struct addrinfo *servinfo;  //will point to the results

    //store the connecting address and size
    struct sockaddr_storage their_addr;
    socklen_t their_addr_size;

    fd_set read_flags,write_flags; // the flag sets to be used
    struct timeval waitd = {10, 0};          // the max wait time for an event
    int sel;                      // holds return value for select();


    //socket infoS
    memset(&hints, 0, sizeof hints); //make sure the struct is empty
    hints.ai_family = AF_INET;
    hints.ai_socktype = SOCK_STREAM; //tcp
    hints.ai_flags = AI_PASSIVE;     //use local-host address

    //get server info, put into servinfo
    if ((status = getaddrinfo("127.0.0.1", PORT, &hints, &servinfo)) != 0) {
        fprintf(stderr, "getaddrinfo error: %s\n", gai_strerror(status));
        exit(1);
    }

    //make socket
    sock = socket(servinfo->ai_family, servinfo->ai_socktype, servinfo->ai_protocol);
    if (sock < 0) {
        printf("\nserver socket failure %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }

    //allow reuse of port
    int yes=1;
    if (setsockopt(sock,SOL_SOCKET,SO_REUSEADDR,&yes,sizeof(int)) == -1) {
        perror("setsockopt");
        exit(1);
    }

    //unlink and bind
    unlink("127.0.0.1");
    if(bind (sock, servinfo->ai_addr, servinfo->ai_addrlen) < 0) {
        printf("\nBind error %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }

    freeaddrinfo(servinfo);

    //listen
    if(listen(sock, 5) < 0) {
        printf("\nListen error %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }
    their_addr_size = sizeof(their_addr);

    //accept
    new_sd = accept(sock, (struct sockaddr*)&their_addr, &their_addr_size);
    if( new_sd < 0) {
        printf("\nAccept error %m", errno);
        exit(1);
    }

    //set non blocking
    set_nonblock(new_sd);
    cout<<"\nSuccessful Connection!\n";

    char in[255];
    char out[255];
    memset(&in, 0, 255);
    memset(&out, 0, 255);
    int numSent;
    int numRead;

    while(1) {

        FD_ZERO(&read_flags);
        FD_ZERO(&write_flags);
        FD_SET(new_sd, &read_flags);
        FD_SET(new_sd, &write_flags);
        FD_SET(STDIN_FILENO, &read_flags);
        FD_SET(STDIN_FILENO, &write_flags);

        sel = select(new_sd+1, &read_flags, &write_flags, (fd_set*)0, &waitd);

        //if an error with select
        if(sel < 0)
            continue;

        //socket ready for reading
        if(FD_ISSET(new_sd, &read_flags)) {

            //clear set
            FD_CLR(new_sd, &read_flags);

            memset(&in, 0, 255);

            numRead = recv(new_sd, in, 255, 0);
            if(numRead <= 0) {
                printf("\nClosing socket");
                close(new_sd);
                break;
            }
            else if(in[0] != '\0')
                cout<<"\nClient: "<<in;

        }   //end if ready for read

        //if stdin is ready to be read
        if(FD_ISSET(STDIN_FILENO, &read_flags))
            fgets(out, 255, stdin);


        //socket ready for writing
        if(FD_ISSET(new_sd, &write_flags)) {
            //printf("\nSocket ready for write");
            FD_CLR(new_sd, &write_flags);
            send(new_sd, out, 255, 0);
            memset(&out, 0, 255);
        }   //end if
    }   //end while

   cout<<"\n\nExiting normally\n";
    return 0;
}

The client is basically the same...only difference really is the lack of listen and accept.

I just want to add that above example may not work as expected on Linux. On Linux waitd may be modified by select. So for Linux, waitd should be rewritten before select.

See the "timeout" section in the man page for select.