MiniTalk

MiniTalk is a simple message-passing application that enables text-based communication between two processes using UNIX signals. This project demonstrates how to implement basic inter-process communication (IPC) in C using low-level signal handling.

Features

• Sends messages character by character
• Uses UNIX signals (SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2) for data transmission
• Server-client architecture
• Asynchronous communication
• Works entirely via the terminal

Project Structure

MiniTalk/
├── inc/                # Header files (.h)
├── libs/               # Utility libraries
├── srcs/               # Source files (.c)
├── Makefile            # Build script
└── .gitmodules         # Git submodules (if any)

How to Use

Compile

To build the project, simply run:

make

This will generate two executables: server and client.

Start the Server

./server

This command starts the server and prints its PID (Process ID). The client will use this PID to send messages.

Start the Client

./client <PID> "Your message"

• <PID>: The PID shown by the server
• "Your message": The message you want to send

Example

1. In one terminal:

   ./server

   Output:

   Server PID: 12345
   

2. In another terminal:

   ./client 12345 "Hello MiniTalk!"

The server terminal will receive and print the message character by character.

Technical Details

• SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2 represent bits 0 and 1 respectively.
• Each character is sent bit-by-bit to the server.
• The server reconstructs characters from bits and prints them to stdout.
• An acknowledgment mechanism ensures proper synchronization after each bit.

Requirements

• A POSIX-compliant OS (Linux, macOS, WSL, etc.)
• GCC compiler

Make Targets

Target	Description
make	Compiles the entire project
make clean	Removes object files
make fclean	Cleans up all binaries and objs
make re	Cleans and rebuilds the project

Contributing

Feel free to fork the repository and submit pull requests. Feedback, suggestions, and contributions are always welcome!