NetPipes 4.2

NetPipes provides a set of utilities to attach stdin/stdout utilities to network sockets.

The netpipes package makes TCP/IP streams usable in shell scripts. It can also simplify client/server code by allowing the programmer to skip all the tedious programming bits related to sockets and concentrate on writing a filter/service.

Applications of these utilities can include file transfer, network backups, HTTP queries, remote procedure calls, and TCP daemon testing.

The SSL encryption filter available in the US/Canada version can be applied by shell scripts communicating with secure HTTPDs and can be used to make an SSL IMAPD out of a non-SSL one. (requires the SSLeay library).

aucet is the server end of a TCP/IP stream. It listens on a port of the local machine waiting for connections. Every time it gets a connection it forks a process to perform a service for the connecting client.

hose is the client end of a TCP/IP stream. It actively connects to a remote port and execs a process to request a service.

encapsulate is an implementation of the Session Control Protocol. It allows you to multiplex several streams across a single TCP session and also transmits remote exit status.

ssl-auth is an encryption filter that encapsulates stdin/stdout from a subprocess (or its own stdin/stdout) in the Secure Socket Layer protocol as implemented by the SSLeay library. It can be used to communicate with encrypted daemons (HTTPS daemons, or SSL IMAP daemons) and can sometimes be used to jury-rig secure versions of such services.

sockdown is a simple program designed to shut down part or all of the socket connection. It is primarily useful when the processes connected to the socket perform both input and output.

getpeername and getsockname are two names for a program designed to print out the addresses of the ends of a socket. getpeername prints the address of the remote end and getsockname prints the address of the local end.

timelimit limits the amount of foreground wallclock time a process can consume. After the time limit runs out it either kills the process or exits and leaves it in the background.