Develop Reference

Java - Which IP to use for the ServerSocket and Socket classes?

I just recently found the ServerSocket and Socket class found in the Java library and so I wanted to make a simple messaging app. The purpose of the app is to be able to communicate with someone on a different network than mine (I am the server side and have my own client side).
Here is the Messenger_Server.java's connecting method
public static void main (String [] args)throws IOException{
InetAddress ip;
try{
final int PORT = 444;
ip = InetAddress.getLocalHost();
ServerSocket server = new ServerSocket(PORT);
System.out.println("Waiting for clients...");
System.out.println(server.getInetAddress() + " " + ip.getHostAddress());
while(true){
Socket sock = server.accept();
connectionArray.add(sock);
System.out.println("Client connected from " + sock.getLocalAddress().getHostName());
addUserName(sock);
Messenger_Server_Return chat = new Messenger_Server_Return(sock);
Thread X = new Thread(chat);
X.start();
}
} catch(Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
Here is the client's connecting method from Messenger_Client.java
public static void connect(){
try{
final int PORT = 444;
// the ip below is the one i get as my ipv4
Socket sock = new Socket ("10.122.***.***",PORT);
System.out.println("you be connected to: " + InetAddress.getByAddress(InetAddress.getLocalHost().getAddress()));
chatClient = new Messenger_Client(sock);
PrintWriter out = new PrintWriter(sock.getOutputStream());
out.println(userName);
out.flush();
Thread X = new Thread(chatClient);
X.start();
}catch (Exception X){
X.printStackTrace();
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Server not responding.");
System.exit(0);
}
}
So I gave the client side of the program to my friend and he said the host could not be found. Which IP should I use so my friend can connect to my ServerSocket, and could there be anything limiting my friend from connecting to me?

Android Java Server Socket does not connect

I am writing an app which needs to receive a string from a server. The following code works if the IP Adress connected to is "127.0.0.1" (The Client and the server are on the same phone, just for testing purpose), but not if it is the "real" IP Adress of the phone.
Server:
ServerSocket echoServer = null;
String line;
DataInputStream is;
PrintStream os;
Socket clientSocket = null;
// Try to open a server socket on port 9999
try {
echoServer = new ServerSocket(1109);
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.println(e);
}
// Create a socket object from the ServerSocket to listen and
// accept
// connections.
// Open input and output streams
try {
clientSocket = echoServer.accept();
is = new DataInputStream(clientSocket.getInputStream());
os = new PrintStream(clientSocket.getOutputStream());
// As long as we receive data, echo that data back to the
// client.
os.println("Das ist ein Test immernoch");
publish("Fertig");
} catch (IOException e) {
publish("Fertig");
} catch (Exception e) {
publish("Fertig");
}
Client:
Socket smtpSocket = null;
DataOutputStream os = null;
DataInputStream is = null;
try {
smtpSocket = new Socket();
smtpSocket.connect(new InetSocketAddress("46.114.153.58", 1109), 10000); //That is the critcal line, if the IP is "127.0.0.1" everything works perfectly fine
os = new DataOutputStream(smtpSocket.getOutputStream());
is = new DataInputStream(smtpSocket.getInputStream());
} catch (UnknownHostException e) {
return "Fehler";
} catch (IOException e) {
return "Fehler";
}
if (smtpSocket != null && os != null && is != null) {
try {
os.writeBytes("HELO\n");
String s = is.readLine();
os.close();
is.close();
smtpSocket.close();
return s;
} catch (UnknownHostException e) {
//System.err.println("Trying to connect to unknown host: " + e);
} catch (IOException e) {
//System.err.println("IOException: " + e);
}
}
return "Fehler";
}
EDIT: Hence this is an app for a mobile device, there is no router I can configure.

Add this to your code
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 9) {
StrictMode.ThreadPolicy policy = new StrictMode.ThreadPolicy.Builder()
.permitAll().build();
StrictMode.setThreadPolicy(policy);
}

You might have to forward the port you are using on your router if you are planning on using ServerSocket with external connections.

If this is the ip address of your router and you are connecting your android mobile to the router through wifi , then you have to port forward the port 1109 in your router to your mobile.
If this is the ip address of your android mobile connected through data connection , then there will be some restrictions on your data provider blocking ports for security .
46.114.153.58 is this a static ip address or dynamic ?
If its a dynamic ip address , first check the availability of the ip address by pinging it.

MulticastSocket doesn't open port

I'm trying to create a simple multicast communication between my PC (Ubuntu, client) and my phone (Android, server).
Unicast/TCP connections work without any problem, the defined port (37659) opens both on PC and phone. When trying to use a MulticastSocket, no ports get opened. nmap tells me the specified port (36963) is a TCP port and that it is closed. (While the receive-method is being executed).
Am I doing something wrong? Or is the firewall blocking the multicast sockets? (I've tried about 20 different ports and none worked..., currently using port 36963)
EDIT: Also with the firewall completely down, nmap tells me the port is closed...
The server's code (phone):
private void multicastLoop() {
String res = Build.FINGERPRINT + "\n";
final InetAddress group;
final MulticastSocket socket;
final DatagramPacket response;
try {
group = InetAddress.getByName("224.0.0.115");
socket = new MulticastSocket(mport);
socket.setLoopbackMode(true);
socket.setSoTimeout(10000);
socket.joinGroup(group);
response = new DatagramPacket(res.getBytes(), res.length(), group, mport);
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
return;
}
Thread t = new Thread(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
while(isRunning) {
try {
byte[] data = new byte[1024];
DatagramPacket dm = new DatagramPacket(data, data.length);
socket.receive(dm);
Log.d("udp", "received");
if (Arrays.equals(dm.getData(), "someone there".getBytes())) {
socket.send(response);
}
} catch (SocketTimeoutException e) {
continue;
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
try {
socket.leaveGroup(group);
socket.close();
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
t.start();
}
The client's code (computer):
public String[] findServers() {
String hello = "someone there";
try {
InetAddress group = InetAddress.getByName(mhost);
MulticastSocket socket = new MulticastSocket(mport);
socket.setLoopbackMode(true);
socket.setSoTimeout(60000);
socket.joinGroup(group);
DatagramPacket p = new DatagramPacket(hello.getBytes(), hello.length(), group, mport);
byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
socket.send(p);
DatagramPacket r = new DatagramPacket(buffer, buffer.length);
socket.receive(r);
socket.leaveGroup(group);
socket.close();
String srinfo = "";
byte[] data = r.getData();
for (byte b: data)
srinfo += (char) b;
System.out.println("Server found at " + r.getAddress().getHostName() + ": " + srinfo);
} catch (SocketTimeoutException e) {
return new String[] {"timeout"};
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
return null;
}

Make sure mhost is set to "224.0.0.115" not some machine name.
Make sure multicast is enabled on your router.

If the host is multi-homed, you need to join the multicast group via all local interfaces, not just the default one, which is what you're doing at present.
You could send the response back to the source address it came from, which is in the received datagram packet. That would also mean that the client doesn't need a MulticastSocket, only a DatagramSocket.

Socket Connection on Java, specify IP

I'm working on a program where multiple clients need to interact with a remote server.
I've tested it locally and everything's ok (sort of, more on that later), but I can't understand how to set a remote IP.
I read Socket's API and also InetAddress' API. Is this the right way to do it? How does Java deal with IPs? There are not just simple Strings as on the localhost case, am I right?
This is my code:
Client:
public class Client {
final String HOST = "localhost";
final int PORT = 5000;
Socket sc;
DataOutputStream message;
DataInputStream istream;
public void initClient() {
try {
sc = new Socket(HOST, PORT);
message = new DataOutputStream(sc.getOutputStream());
message.writeUTF("test");
sc.close();
} catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println("Error: " + e.getMessage());
}
}
}
Server:
public class Server {
final int PORT = 5000;
ServerSocket sc;
Socket so;
DataOutputStream ostream;
String incomingMessage;
public void initServer() {
try {
sc = new ServerSocket(PORT);
} catch (IOException ex) {
System.out.println("Error: " + ex.getMessage());
}
BufferedReader input;
while(true){
try {
so = new Socket();
System.out.println("Waiting for clients...");
so = sc.accept();
System.out.println("A client has connected.");
input = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(so.getInputStream()));
ostream = new DataOutputStream(so.getOutputStream());
System.out.println("Confirming connection...");
ostream.writeUTF("Successful connection.");
incomingMessage = input.readLine();
System.out.println(incomingMessage);
sc.close();
} catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println("Error: " + e.getMessage());
}
}
}
}
Also, I'm dealing with some troubles on my local tests.
First of all, some times I get the following result:
Waiting for clients...
A client has connected.
Confirming connection...
Error: Software caused connection abort: recv failed
Though some other times it works just fine. Well, that first connection at least.
Last question:
When I try to send a message from the server to the client, the program enters in an infite loop and need to be closed manually. I'm adding this to the code to do so:
fromServerToClient = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(sc.getInputStream()));
text = fromServerToClient.readLine();
System.out.println(text);
Am I doing it right?
Thanks.

Instead of using
String host = "localhost";
you can use something like
String host = "www.ibm.com";
or
String host = "8.8.8.8";

this is how you would usually implement a Server:
class DateServer {
public static void main(String[] args) throws java.io.IOException {
ServerSocket s = new ServerSocket(5000);
while (true) {
Socket incoming = s.accept();
PrintWriter toClient =
new PrintWriter(incoming.getOutputStream());
toClient.println(new Date());
toClient.flush();
incoming.close();
}
}
}
And following would be As Client:
import java.util.Scanner;
import java.net.Socket;
class DateClient {
public static void main(String[] args) throws java.io.IOException
{
String host = args[0];
int port = Integer.parseInt(args[1]);
Socket server = new Socket(host, port);
Scanner scan = new Scanner( server.getInputStream() );
System.out.println(scan.nextLine());
}
}

You should consider doing this in threads. Right now multiple users can't connect to the server at once. This means that they have to queue for connection to the server resulting in very poor performance.
Normally you receive the client and instantiate a new thread to handle the clients request. I only have exampls in C# so i won't bother you with that, but you can easily find examples on google.
eg.
http://www.kieser.net/linux/java_server.html

same server listening on different sockets

I have a UDP multicast server listening on 2 sockets on 2 different ports. I achieved listening on these 2 sockets from clients. But i want to identify on which socket a client is sending a packet. Since my problem is that ; on the server if I listen on socket(9999) and if the client is sending on socket(8888) then at the server side I want it to identify the incoming packet is from which port.
public class MulticastReceiver
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
MulticastSocket socket = null;
DatagramPacket packet = null;
MulticastSocket soc = null;
byte[] inBuf = null;
try
{
socket = new MulticastSocket(8888);
soc = new MulticastSocket(9999);
InetAddress address = InetAddress.getByName("224.2.2.3");
socket.joinGroup(address);
soc.joinGroup(address);
System.out.println("224.2.2.3 ready to receive packets");
while(true)
{
inBuf=new byte[256];
packet = new DatagramPacket(inBuf,inBuf.length);
System.out.println("port is: "+ packet.getAddress() + packet.getPort());
if(packet.getPort() == 9999)
{
soc.receive(packet);
//System.out.println("Data at 224.2.2.3:: " + new String(packet.getData()));
}
else
socket.receive(packet);
System.out.println("Data at 224.2.2.3:: " + new String(packet.getData()));
}
}
catch(Exception e)
{
}
}
}
public class MulticastSender {
public static void main(String[] args) {
DatagramSocket socket = null;
DatagramPacket outPacket = null;
byte[] outBuf;
final int PORT = 8888;
try {
socket = new DatagramSocket();
long counter = 0;
String msg;
msg = "This is multicast! ";
outBuf = msg.getBytes();
//Send to multicast IP address and port
InetAddress address = InetAddress.getByName("224.2.2.3");
outPacket = new DatagramPacket(outBuf, outBuf.length, address, PORT);
socket.send(outPacket);
System.out.println("Server sends : " + msg);
try {
Thread.sleep(500);
} catch (InterruptedException ie) {
}
} catch (IOException ioe) {
System.out.println(ioe);
}
}
}
public class AnotherSender {
public static void main(String[] args) {
DatagramSocket socket = null;
DatagramPacket outPacket = null;
byte[] outBuf;
final int PORT = 9999;
try {
socket = new DatagramSocket();
long counter = 0;
String msg;
msg = "This is another multicast! " + counter;
counter++;
outBuf = msg.getBytes();
//Send to multicast IP address and port
InetAddress address = InetAddress.getByName("224.2.2.3");
outPacket = new DatagramPacket(outBuf, outBuf.length, address, PORT);
socket.send(outPacket);
System.out.println("Server sends : " + msg);
try {
Thread.sleep(500);
} catch (InterruptedException ie) {
}
} catch (IOException ioe) {
System.out.println(ioe);
}
}
}

Your code doesn't make sense. The packet won't have a port number at all until you put one into it or receive() does, and at best this will just read alternately between the two sockets, blocking each time, possibly forever, receiving from one socket, and thus starving the other one.
You need a receiving thread for each non-blocking socket.