Any developer who's comfortable with Perl can build remarkably powerful TCP/IP network applications -- no C required! In Network Programming with Perl, Lincoln Stein shows how, step-by-step, with extensive code examples. Modeled on W. Richard Stevens' legendary Unix network programming book, this book opens up network programming to a new generation of programmer: Web developers ready to build serious network applications and solve complex network problems. Stein begins with an overview of Perl's increasingly powerful networking facilities; then introduces Berkeley Sockets, and the UDP and TCP protocols at the heart of network programming. He presents Perl's IO:: socket API, which simplifies the creation and use of sockets; demonstrates how to create forking servers; and introduces practical techniques for creating multithreaded and multiplexed applications. Modeled upon the style of Stevens, and using extensive sample code, Stein demonstrates all of the key features. Network Programming with Perl also includes chapter-length explanations of creating Internet modules for FTP and Telnet; Mail and News; and Web services.
"Network programming"--the term had a distinct meaning once, but now it begs the question, "Is there another kind?" That's why Lincoln Stein's
Network Programming with Perl is valuable. It shows how one of the world's top Perl authorities brings the language to bear on problems that require communication among computers, showing that you may not have to resort to Java as soon as you may have thought to meet a networking requirement. What's more, Stein doesn't assume you have a lot of Perl expertise. An intermediate-level familiarity with the language should enable you to understand the examples in the book and follow the commentary: the classic code-and-commentary structure.
Stein presents full, working scripts, calling attention to particularly interesting lines and passages by repeating them in the text. If a program makes use of an unusual or previously undiscussed function (and lots of them do, because one of the author's missions is to introduce the contents of specialised libraries), its syntax and legal parameters will be documented and a concise statement of its behaviour provided. The example programs are the best part of this book, though. As the problems get more complicated, it's fun to watch Stein solve them with efficient, attractive code. Unless you're a really experienced professional, you'll be able to study the examples in this book and learn a lot.
Topics covered:
- Perl function libraries and techniques that allow programs to interact with resources over a network
- IO::Socket library
- Net::FTP library
- Net::Telnet library
- Net::SMTP library
- Chat problems
- Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) issues
- Markup-language parsing
- Internet Protocol (IP) broadcasting and multicasting
--David Wall
