Cross-Platform Client-Server Architecture

Milanovski, Hristijan (author), Šter, Branko (mentor), Urh, Filip (comentor)

The diploma thesis describes the complete process of creating a cross-platform, multi-client, multi-threaded server architecture that works natively on both Windows and Linux, as an improvement of the original implementation at Tasking Labs d.o.o., which, at the time of writing, supported only a single client natively on Windows. The implementation covers all communication mechanisms required for multi-client, multi-threaded server interactions be- tween client processes and the server process. It addresses the initial hand- shake, the server’s listening and cleaning threads, the dispatching of requests and their corresponding responses, as well as packet segmentation, open- ing, and mapping through shared memory. In addition, the thesis discusses the various approaches undertaken, including the use of synchronization ob- jects, mutexes, native handles when necessary, and sockets, as well as the differences between the Windows and Linux APIs, which had to be care- fully managed to ensure a uniform, portable C++ interface that can be used consistently across the company’s codebase and products.

• Language: English
• Keywords: inter-process communication, client–server architecture, sockets, events, shared memory
• Work type: Bachelor thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.11 - Undergraduate Thesis
• Organization: FRI - Faculty of Computer and Information Science
• Year: 2025
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-172690
• COBISS.SI-ID: 249765891
• Publication date in RUL: 10.09.2025

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Večplatformna odjemalsko-strežniška arhitektura

Abstract

Diplomska naloga opisuje celoten proces ustvarjanja večplatformne, večodje- malske, večnitne arhitekture strežnika, ki deluje tako na Windows kot na Lin- uxu, kot izboljšavo prvotne implementacije v podjetju Tasking Labs d.o.o., ki je prvotno podpirala le enega odjemalca na Windows. Implementacija zajema vse komunikacijske mehanizme, potrebne za večodjemalske, večnitne interak- cije med odjemalskimi procesi in strežniškim procesom. Obravnava začetno vzpostavitev povezave z rokovanjem, poslušalno in čistilno nitjo strežnika, us- merjanje zahtev in njihovih ustreznih odgovorov, pa tudi segmentacijo pake- tov, odpiranje in preslikavo prek deljenega pomnilnika. Poleg tega naloga obravnava različne uporabljene pristope, vključno z uporabo sinhronizaci- jskih objektov, muteksov, izvornih ročic, kadar je to potrebno, in vtičnic. Prav tako obravnava razlike med Windows in Linux API-ji, ki so bile skrbno obvladane, da se zagotovi enoten in prenosljiv C++ vmesnik, primeren za dosledno uporabo v celotni izvorni kodi in produktih podjetja.

• Keywords: medprocesna komunikacija, arhitektura odjemalec–strežnik, vtičnice, dogodki, skupni pomnilnik