Project Description

This project is a Distributed File System developed in C using UNIX socket programming. It simulates a real-world system where files are routed and stored based on their type, all through a centralized interface. Below are the key highlights:

• 📁 Modular Server Architecture

  • S1: Main server that handles client requests and routes files
  • S2: Stores .pdf files
  • S3: Stores .txt files
  • S4: Stores .zip files

• 💻 Client Interface (w25clients)

  • Command-line based client tool
  • Interacts only with S1, unaware of other servers
  • Allows upload, download, delete, list, and tar operations

• 🔁 Concurrent Processing

  • S1 uses fork() to serve multiple clients simultaneously
  • S2, S3, S4 use threads (pthreads) for parallel handling of requests

• 🧠 Intelligent File Routing

  • .c files are stored directly in ~/S1
  • .pdf, .txt, and .zip files are forwarded to S2, S3, and S4 respectively
  • Non-.c files are deleted from S1 after being forwarded

• 📂 File Operations Supported

  • uploadf <filename> <~S1/path>
  • downlf <~S1/filepath>
  • removef <~S1/filepath>
  • dispfnames <~S1/dir>
  • downltar <filetype>

• 🛠 Core Concepts Demonstrated

  • Socket programming
  • Inter-process and multi-threaded communication
  • File I/O and directory management
  • Distributed system behavior using local simulation

This project is ideal for understanding system-level programming and networking in a Linux environment. It provides hands-on experience with real-world tools like sockets, processes, threads, and file systems.