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The Guide of Implementing Chat Protocol: Study Case

on Using the Socket Programming Concept and Object
Oriented Programming
Hamdan O. Alanazi, Rafidah Md Noor 

Abstract: In the past, communication among people was limited and very difficult. Nowadays, the Internet makes our life very
easy. Through the Internet you can easily communicate with people in different corners of the world in a few seconds. These days,
the world has been converted into a small village by the Internet. The chat room is one of the effective communication tools. In this
paper, a new protocol is presented for the chat room using the socket programming concept. This protocol has been implemented
using Java.

Index Terms— Transmission Control Protocol, User Datagram Protocol, FTP and Chat Protocol.

——————————      ——————————
1. INTRODUCTION
The term of chat room, or chatroom, is primarily
used by the mass media to describe any form of
synchronous conferencing, occasionally even
asynchronous conferencing [1]. The term can thus
mean any technology ranging from real-time online
chat over instant messaging and online forums to
fully immersive graphical social environments [2].
In computing, network programming, essentially
identical to socket programming or client-server
programming, involves writing computer programs
that communicate with other programs across a
computer network. The program or process
initiating the communication is called a client
process, and the program waiting for the
communication to be initiated is the server process. IP details [6] as shown as in fig 1.
The client and server processes together form a
distributed system. The communication between
the client and server processes may either be
connection-oriented (such as an established TCP
virtual circuit or session) [3], or connectionless
(based on UDP datagrams). A program that can act
both as a client and a server is based on peer-to-
peer communication [4].
 
operates at a higher level, concerned only with the
two end systems, for example, a Web browser and a
Web server. In particular, the TCP provides reliable,
ordered delivery of a stream of bytes from one
program on one computer to another program on
another computer. Besides the Web, other common
applications of the TCP include e-mail and file
transfer. Among its management tasks, the TCP
controls message size, the rate at which messages
are exchanged, and network traffic congestion. The
TCP provides a communication service at an
intermediate level between an application program
and the Internet Protocol (IP). In other words, when
an application program desires to send a large
chunk of data across the Internet using IP, instead
of breaking the data into IP-sized pieces and issuing
a series of IP requests, the software can issue a
single request to the TCP and let the TCP handle the

2. TCP and UDP

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is one of

the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite [5].
The TCP is so central that the entire suite is often
referred to as "TCP/IP." Whereas IP handles lower-
level transmissions from computer to computer as a Fig 1. Show the Communication Using TCP
message makes its way across the Internet, the TCP

 
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A datagram socket is a type of Internet socket,
which is the sending or receiving point for packet
delivery services. Each packet sent or received on a
datagram socket is individually addressed and
routed. Multiple packets sent from one machine to
another may arrive in any order and might not
arrive at the receiving computer. The User
Datagram Protocol (UDP) is one of the core
members of the Internet Protocol Suite. The UDP
sends always enabled on a datagram socket. In
order to receive broadcast packets a datagram
socket should be bound to the wildcard address.
Broadcasted packets may also be received when a
datagram socket is bound to a more specific address
[7] as shown in fig 2.
Fig 2. Show the Communication Using TDP
3. Difference between the TCP and the UDP
1. TCP ("Transmission Control Protocol") is a
connection-oriented protocol, which means that
upon communication it requires handshaking
to set up end-to-end connection. A connection
can be made from client to server, and from
then on any data can be sent along that
connection.
2. Reliable – the TCP manages message
acknowledgment, retransmission and timeout.
Many attempts to reliably deliver the message
are made. If it gets lost along the way, the
server will re-request the lost part. In the TCP,
there is either no missing data, or, in case of
multiple timeouts, the connection is dropped.
3. Ordered - if two messages are sent along a
connection, one after the other, the first
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message will reach the receiving application
first. When data packets arrive in the wrong
order, the TCP layer holds the later data until
the earlier data can be rearranged and
delivered to the application.
4. Heavyweight – the TCP requires three packets
just to set up a socket, before any actual data
can be sent. It handles connections, reliability
and congestion control. It is a large transport
protocol designed on top of IP.
5. Streaming - Data is read as a "stream," with
nothing distinguishing where one packet ends
and another begins. Packets may be split or
merged into bigger or smaller data streams
arbitrarily.
6. The UDP is a simpler message-based
connectionless protocol. In connectionless
protocols, there is no effort made to setup a
dedicated end-to-end connection.
Communication is achieved by transmitting
information in one direction, from source to
destination without checking to see if the
destination is still there, or if it is prepared to
receive the information. With the UDP
messages (packets) cross the network in
independent units.
7. Unreliable - When a message is sent, it cannot
be known if it will reach its destination; it could
get lost along the way. There is no concept of
acknowledgment, retransmission and timeout.
8. Not ordered - If two messages are sent to the
same recipient, the order in which they arrive
cannot be predicted.
9. Lightweight - There is no ordering of messages,
no tracking connections, etc. It is a small
transport layer designed on top of IP.
10. Datagrams - Packets are sent individually and
are guaranteed to be whole if they arrive.
Packets have definite bounds and no split or
merge into data streams may exist.
4. A Chat Protocol
The author has made frame such as a TCP or UDP
but which is not so big. It includes the message
body, and also some flags between them. There is
(*) and at the end of each message there is a “#“as
shown in fig 3.
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Fig 4. Showing the Classification of the Message

(Private Message)

Fig 3. The content of the chat message

1. Part one represents the ID number for the

receiver. Fig 5. First, any client tries to send any
type of message. Then it is sent to the
2. Part two is the ID number for the sender. Server.

3. Part three is the message itself.
4. Classification of message (private or public)
5. Type of message (should be one).
Server will read the message and start its check,
check 1st the type of message if its one or two or
three to know weather its normal chat message or
request message or FTP message

4.1 The Content of the Request Message

1. Part one represents the ID number for the
receiver.

2. Part two is the ID number for the sender.

3. Type of message (should be two).

4.2 The Content of the FTP Message

1. Part one represents the ID number for the
receiver. Fig 6. The 1st login to the chat requires a check in
the data base to see if he or she has registered
2. Part two is the ID number for the sender. before.

3. Part three is the message itself.

4. Part four is the file name.

5. Type of message (should be three).

 
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Fig 7. If the request message is typed, then the
request will be like this.
Fig 8. Then the server checks this message in the
last field. If it is 2, then it is a request message
Then, the server checks this message in the last
field. If it is 2, then it is a request message. After
that, its make 2 victor one for the reserve id num
and the second one for the window itself. As shown
in fig 8, the message will be sent from the server to
the wanted reserve so that the new tab will open in
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the other client windows as shown in fig 9..
Fig9. This fig showing the request was sent from the
server to the wanted client
Fig 10 shows the case of the first. Client wanting to
initiate talk. He will write the message and then he
will start sending it through the server. In this case,
the message will have number one in the last field
which means that it is a chat message. The server
checks the 1st field, and if it confirms that it is one
then it will check the 2nd field. If it is one, then it is
public and there is no need to check again. In this
case, the client just broadcasts the message to the
other client. However, if the number in the 2nd field
is 2, then the server checks the 5th field and checks
its number which indicates the client number. Then,
the server sends this message to this client. When
the client reserves the message, it reads the 4th field
and checks from where the message originates and
puts it in his or her window.
Fig 10. Showing the chat message and how the
server deals with the client.
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Fig 11. Shown as the number, if it s an FTP message,
then client one tries to send a message to
Fig 12. Showing the Data Base
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If it is an FTP message then client one try to send a
message to client 2 through the server, the server
checks the type of message, yes it is 3 as shown in
fig 11, it checks the 5th field to verify, it is for the
wanted client. Then the server sends the messages
to the wanted client, the client cuts the message and
takes the file name and its content and saves it in
side its PC.
5. System Interfaces
System implementation is a process which is
common after the design phase. System
requirements and designs are interpreted into
software code. The detailed designs provide
information for the programmers to implement the
code. System implementation involves the
integration of individual codes from several
modules into complete software as well. This phase
will describe the initial and revised process design
implementation in the real world.
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Fig13. Showing the undefined person tries to login and how the system rejects it

Fig14. Showing the Client interface

 
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Fig 15. Showing the Server Interface

Fig16. Showing the Public Message

 
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Fig 17. Showing the User Offline and Online Contact

Fig 18. Showing the server analyzer

 
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CONCLUSION
The Communication between people is a very
important matter in life. For example, there are a
lot of meetings conducted between parties in
different parts of the world. The proposed
protocol has been created for highly developed
communication levels in computer applications.
We can use this protocol for many applications
like chat programming in small companies
between the staff of the company. Another
benefit of this proposed protocol is that we can
use it for chatting between students and the class
teacher as a type of E-Learning mechanism. The
chat room can also facilitate very effective
synchronous conferencing. The Chat Protocol
which has been presented above can help the chat
room to be a great success. The Chat Protocol
uses a frame such as a TCP or UDP, but it is not
so big and uses another structure.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This research was partially supported by the King
Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the
University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and
“Al-Madinah International University”, Shah Alam,
Malaysia. First and foremost I would like to thank
“ALLAH” (SWT), most gracious and most merciful.
I would like to thank Dr. Rafidah Md Noor for her
continue support, encouragement and valuable
discussions during my research work. I also would
like to express the deepest appreciation to Professor
Abdullah Ben Abdul-Rahman Abdullah Al-
Othman, Dr. Ali ibn Sulaiman Al-Attiyah and Prof.
Dr. Mohammad Khalifa Al-Tamimi. My thanks are
also extended to Dr. Ali bin Abdullah Alafnan, Dr.
Abdullah Alsbail, Dr. Muhammed Al Arifi, Dr.
Musaed AL-Jrrah, and Mr. Abdullah Alsbait.
Dr.Khalid Alhazmi, Mr. Seraj, Mr. Khalid and all
the staff in the King Saud University especially in
Applied Medical Science for their unlimited
support. Without their notes and suggestions this
26
research would not have appeared. Finally, I would
like to express my sincere gratitude to my family for
their help and their unconditional support. A very
special vote of thanks is due to my beloved mother.
AUTHOR’S PROFILE
HAMDAN ALANAZI: He has
obtained his bachelor’s degree
from the King Saud University,
Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia. He worked as a
lecturer at the Health College in
the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia, and then
worked as a lecturer at the King Saud University.
Currently, he is a Master’s candidate at the
Faculty of Computer Science & Information
Technology at the University of Malaya in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. He has published many
articles. He is has been reviewed in many
journals. His research interests are in
Cryptography, Steganography, Digital
Watermarking, Network Security, Artificial
Intelligence, pattern recognitions, signal
processing and image processing and Medical
Applications.
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