Linux/UNIX Network Programming course outline

1. Course Introduction
2. Fundamental Concepts (+)
   • System calls and library functions
   • Error handling
   • System data types
   • Notes on code examples
3. File I/O (+)
   • File I/O overview
   • open(), read(), write(), and close()
(+)
4. Open File Descriptions and Descriptor Duplication
   • Relationship between file descriptors and open files
   • Duplicating file descriptors
5. Signals (+)
   • Overview of signals
   • Signal dispositions
   • Useful signal-related functions
   • Signal handlers
   • Signal sets, the signal mask, and pending signals
   • Designing signal handlers
6. Process Lifecycle (+)
   • Creating a new process: fork()
   • Process termination
   • Monitoring child processes
   • Orphans and zombies
   • The SIGCHLD signal
   • Executing programs: execve()
7. Sockets: Concepts and UNIX Domain
   • Socket types and domains
   • Creating and binding a socket
   • System calls: stream sockets
   • UNIX domain stream sockets
   • System calls: datagram sockets
   • UNIX domain datagram sockets
   • Further details of UNIX domain sockets
8. UNIX Domain Sockets: Ancillary Data
   • Ancillary data
   • Ancillary message types
   • Example: passing a file descriptor over a socket
   • Further details
9. Sockets: Internet Domain
   • Internet domain sockets
   • Data-representation issues
   • Loopback and wildcard addresses
   • Host addresses and port numbers
   • Host and service conversion
   • Internet domain sockets example
   • Additional sockets system calls
10. Alternative I/O Models
    • Nonblocking I/O
    • Signal-driven I/O
    • I/O multiplexing: poll()
    • Event-loop programming
11. Alternative I/O Models: epoll
    • Problems with poll() and select()
    • The epoll API
    • epoll events
    • Edge-triggered notification
    • epoll API quirks
12. TCP/IP Overview
    • The TCP/IP protocol stack
    • The link layer
    • The network layer: IP
    • The transport layer
    • Port numbers
    • User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
    • Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
13. Useful Tools
    • Displaying devices and addresses
    • netstat and ss
    • tcpdump and wireshark
14. Raw Sockets (*)
    • Overview of creating and using raw sockets
    • Raw sockets example

(+) Topics marked with a plus sign are background information for reference during the course. (These topics do not form part of the course.)

(*) Topics marked with an asterisk are optional, and will be covered as time permits.

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