Programming the Network with Perl

After providing an introduction to the Perl programming language, this helpful guide teaches computer networking using Perl. Topics discussed include ethernet network analysis, programming standard Internet protocols, and exploring mobile agent programming.
* Each chapter provides a general discussion of the technologies under consideration, the support for programming the technologies as provided by Perl, and implementations of working examples
* Covers Mobile Agent Technology, which is set to become one of the "next big things" on the Internet
* Further information is supplied, including a listing of Web and print resources, programming exercises, and tips to expand the reader's understanding of the materialNach einer Einführung in die Programmierung mit Perl erklärt der Autor in jeweils einem Kapitel die Schlüsselthemen: Ethernet-Netzwerkanalyse, Client-Server-Programmierung mit dem Sockets-API, Programmierung von Standard-Internetprotokollen, Entwicklung von Netzwerkmanagement-Tools mit ICMP und SNMP sowie Mobile-Agent-Programmierung. Ausführlich wird mit Hilfe von Beispielprogrammen erläutert, wie diese Technologien von Perl unterstützt werden. Am Ende jedes Kapitels finden Sie Programmierübungen, Vorschläge zum weiterführenden Studium, Literaturempfehlungen sowie eine Liste von Web-Ressourcen.

1. Meet Perl

Perl's Default Behaviour

Using Variables in Perl

Controlling Flow

Boolean in Perl

Perl Operators

Subroutines

Perl I/O

Packages, Modules and Objects

More Perl

Where to From Here?

Print Resources

Web Resources

2. Snooping

Thank You, Tim Potter

Preparing to Snoop

Building Low-Level Snooping Tools

Snooping IP Datagrams

Transport Snoopers

The Network Debugger

Where to From Here?

Print Resources

Web Resources

3. Sockets

Clients and Servers

Transport Services

Introducing the Perl Socket API

Socket Support Subroutines

Simple UDP Clients and Servers

Genericity and Robustness

UDP is Unreliable

Sending and Receiving with UDP

Dealing with Deadlock

TCP Clients and Servers

A Common TCP Gotcha

More TCP Socket Communication

The Concurrent Syntax Checker

Object-Oriented Sockets

Where to From Here?

Print Resources

Web Resources

4. Protocols

Gotcha!

Working with the Web

The World's Worst Web Browser

HTTP Status Codes

It's the Gisle and Graham Show!

The Library for WWW Access in Perl

The LWPwwwb Program

Doing More with LWPwwwb

Building a Custom Web Server

The libnet Library

Email Enabling simplehttpd

Other Networking Add-on Modules

Where to From Here?

Print Resources

Web Resources

5. Management

Simple Management with ICMP

Doing the Ping Thing

Doing the Net: Ping Thing

Tracing Routes

Not So Simple Management with SNMP

The SNMP Management Framework

Managed Data

The SNMP Protocol

The Net: SNMP Module

Working with Net: SNMP

What's Up?

Setting MIB-II Data

IP Router Mapping

Where to From Here?

Print Resources

Web Resources

6. Mobile Agents

What is a Mobile Agent?

Mobile-Agent Examples

Mobile-Agent Advantages/Disavantages

Perl Agents

The Agent.pm Module

Ooooh, Objects!

The Default Mobile Agent

A Launching Mobile-Agent Environment

A One-Shot Location

Relocating to Multiple Locations

The Mobile-Agent multiwho

The Mobile-Agent ipdetermine

The Cloning Mobile-Agent ipdetermine

Other Perl Agent Examples

Where to From Here?

Print Resources

Web Resources

Appendices

Index

"Clear writing and useful examples characterise this book". (www.linuxjournal.com, 21 May 2002)

Paul Barry is a lecturer in computing networking at the Institute of Technology in Carlow, Ireland where he regularly teaches undergraduate students and professionals how to program networks using Perl. It is no longer enough for today's software engineers to be able to program the computer and debug programs - the modern programmer needs to know how to program the network and debug communications. This book shows you how, using Perl.

Originally created as a tool for System Administrators, the Perl Programming languauge has matured into a powerful, yet easy-to-use, general-purpose programming language. Widely used on the Internet, Perl is the programming language of choice when it comes to adding dynamic content to websites using the Common Gateway Interface (CGI). Its strengths - simplicity, power and adaptability - make it an excellent vehicle with which to study computer networking and to program computer networks in general.

In Programming the Network with Perl, Paul Barry applies Perl to the study of tradiitonal computer networking topics. After an introductory tutorial to the Perl programming language appropriate for the non-Perl programmer, five key computer networking topics are examined from the perspective of the software engineer using Perl.
* Snooping details the creation of a successively more functional set of Ethernet Network Analaysers and cumulates in the development of The Network Debugger, a tool for monitoring the traffic generated by both standard and custom-built networked applications.
* Sockets details how to use Perl to create custom networked applications by programming the TCP/IP transport protocols (TCP and UDP), using the Client/Server Model and the standard Berkeley Socket API.
* Protocols details just how easy it is to program the HTTP (web), SMTP (e-mail), NNTP (news) and TELNET (remote login) protocols with Perl. HTML parsing is also described.
* Management uses Perl to program the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), the cornerstone network management technology on the modern Internet.
* Mobile Agents is a presentation of one of the technologies that can be added to Perl to provide for the development of custom networked applications that can transport themselves from network device to network device while executing.
Each chapter concludes with a set of Print and Web Resources, as well as suggested Exercises to support further study by the reader.

The associated website provides Perl links, downloadable source code, presentation materials (in PDF format), and instructions for joining the pertnetbook discussion mailing list.