Internet Relay Chat

IRC is a network of Internet servers that use a specific protocol through which individuals can hold real-time online conversations via PCs and other devices.

IRC_SERVER

This project is intended for a deeper study of the operation of sockets and their interactions on the example of an IRC chat/server. The project is built via Makefile and is run using the following command:

./ircserv [port] [pass]

To connect clients to this IRC server, you can use Limechat client or nc (netcat) as follows:

nc [hostname] [port]

NB : you can use Limechat

IRC_Description

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) - an application-level Protocol for exchanging messages in real-time. Designed primarily for group communication in channels, it also allows you to communicate via private messages and exchange data, including files. We specifically used direct client-to-client file transfer (DCC). IRC uses the TCP transport protocol.

IRC_Network

According to the protocol specifications, an IRC network is a group of servers connected to each other. The simplest network is a single server. In this project, we used a server-to-multiple-clients connection.

RFC Documentation

RFC 1459

Setting Up and Running the IRC Server

• Prerequisites Make sure you have the following installed on your system:

C++ compiler Make utility

• Compilation The IRC server is built using a Makefile. Run the following command to compile the project:

make

• Running the Server Once compiled, you can run the IRC server with the following command:

./ircserv [port] [pass]

[port]: The port number on which the server will listen for incoming connections.

[pass]: An optional password for server authentication.

Server Implementation Details

The server is implemented in C++ and consists of the following key steps:

• Socket Creation: The server creates a socket using the socket system call, specifying the IPv4 address family and TCP socket type.

• Socket Options: Socket options are set using setsockopt to enable reusing the address (SO_REUSEADDR) and set the socket to non-blocking mode.

• Binding: The socket is bound to a specific IP address and port using the bind system call.

• Listening: The server starts listening for incoming connections using the listen system call.

• Polling for Connections: The server uses the poll system call to wait for incoming connections or data on existing connections.

• Handling Connections: The server distinguishes between server and client connections and handles them accordingly. For a new connections, the is_server_connection function is called. For client already connexted, the is_client_connection function is called.