Ok i need some serious help here. I have to make a TCP Server Client. When the Client connects to server using a three stage handshake. AFterwards... while the Client is running in the terminal, the user enters linux shell commands like xinput list, ls -1, ect... something that uses standard output. The server accepts the commands and uses system() (in a fork() in an infinite loop) to run the commands and the standard output is redirected to the client, where the client prints out each line.

Afterward the server sends a completion signal of "\377\n". In which the client goes back to the command prompt asking for a new command and closes its connection and exit()'s when inputting "quit".

I know that you have to dup2() both the STDOUT_FILENO and STDERR_FILENO to the clients file descriptor {dup2(client_FD, STDOUT_FILENO). Everything works accept when it comes for the client to retrieve system()'s stdout and printing it out... all i get is a blank line with a blinking cursor (client waiting on stdin). I tried all kinds of different routes with no avail... If anyone can help out i would greatly appreciate it

TCP SERVER CODE

include

#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <errno.h>

//Prototype
void handle_client(int connect_fd);


int main()
{
    int server_sockfd, client_sockfd;
    socklen_t server_len, client_len;
    struct sockaddr_in server_address;
    struct sockaddr_in client_address;

    server_sockfd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);

    server_address.sin_family = AF_INET;
    server_address.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);
    server_address.sin_port = htons(9734);
    server_len = sizeof(server_address);
    bind(server_sockfd, (struct sockaddr *)&server_address, server_len);

/*  Create a connection queue, ignore child exit details and wait for clients.  */

    listen(server_sockfd, 10);

    signal(SIGCHLD, SIG_IGN);

    while(1) {

        printf("server waiting\n");

        client_len = sizeof(client_address);
        client_sockfd = accept(server_sockfd,
            (struct sockaddr *)&client_address, &client_len);

        if(fork() == 0)
            handle_client(client_sockfd);
        else
            close(client_sockfd);
    }
}

void handle_client(int connect_fd) {

    const char* remsh         = "<remsh>\n";
    const char* ready         = "<ready>\n";
    const char* ok            = "<ok>\n";
    const char* command       = "<command>\n";
    const char* complete      = "<\377\n";
    const char* shared_secret = "<shapoopi>\n";

    static char server_msg[201];
    static char client_msg[201];
    static char commands[201];

    int sys_return;

    //memset client_msg, server_msg, commands
    memset(&client_msg, 0, sizeof(client_msg));
    memset(&server_msg, 0, sizeof(client_msg));
    memset(&commands, 0, sizeof(commands));
    //read remsh from client
    read(connect_fd, &client_msg, 200);
    //check remsh validity from client
    if(strcmp(client_msg, remsh) != 0) {
        errno++;
        perror("Error Establishing Handshake");
        close(connect_fd);
        exit(1);
    }
    //memset client_msg
    memset(&client_msg, 0, sizeof(client_msg));
    //write remsh to client
    write(connect_fd, remsh, strlen(remsh));
    //read shared_secret from client
    read(connect_fd, &client_msg, 200);
    //check shared_secret validity from client
    if(strcmp(client_msg, shared_secret) != 0) {
        errno++;
        perror("Invalid Security Passphrase");
        write(connect_fd, "no", 2);
        close(connect_fd);
        exit(1);
    }
    //memset client_msg
    memset(&client_msg, 0, sizeof(client_msg));
    //write ok to client
    write(connect_fd, ok, strlen(ok));
    // dup2  STDOUT_FILENO <= client fd, STDERR_FILENO <= client fd
    dup2(connect_fd, STDOUT_FILENO);
    dup2(connect_fd, STDERR_FILENO);
    //begin while... while read (client_msg) from server and >0
    while(read(connect_fd, &client_msg, 200) > 0) {
        //check command validity from client
        if(strcmp(client_msg, command) != 0) {
            errno++;
            perror("Error, unable to retrieve data");
            close(connect_fd);
            exit(1);
        }
        //memset client_msg
        memset(&client_msg, 0, sizeof(client_msg));
        //write ready to client
        write(connect_fd, ready, strlen(ready));
        //read commands from client
        read(connect_fd, &commands, 200);
        //run commands using system( )
        sys_return = system(commands);
        //check success of system( )
        if(sys_return < 0) {
            perror("Invalid Commands");
            errno++;
        }
        //memset commands
        memset(commands, 0, sizeof(commands));
        //write complete to client
        write(connect_fd, complete, sizeof(complete));

    }
}

TCP CLIENT CODE

#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <arpa/inet.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <errno.h>
#include "readline.c"

int main(int argc, char *argv[])

{
    int sockfd;
    int len;
    struct sockaddr_in address;
    int result;

    const char* remsh         = "<remsh>\n";
    const char* ready         = "<ready>\n";
    const char* ok            = "<ok>\n";
    const char* command       = "<command>\n";
    const char* complete      = "<\377\n";
    const char* shared_secret = "<shapoopi>\n";

    static char server_msg[201];
    static char client_msg[201];

    memset(&client_msg, 0, sizeof(client_msg));
    memset(&server_msg, 0, sizeof(server_msg));

/*  Create a socket for the client.  */

    sockfd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);

/*  Name the socket, as agreed with the server.  */
    memset(&address, 0, sizeof(address));

    address.sin_family = AF_INET;
    address.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(argv[1]);
    address.sin_port = htons(9734);
    len = sizeof(address);

/*  Now connect our socket to the server's socket.  */

    result = connect(sockfd, (struct sockaddr *)&address, len);

    if(result == -1) {
        perror("ACCESS DENIED");
        exit(1);
    }

    //write remsh to server
    write(sockfd, remsh, strlen(remsh));
    //read remsh from server
    read(sockfd, &server_msg, 200);
    //check remsh validity from server
    if(strcmp(server_msg, remsh) != 0) {
        errno++;
        perror("Error Establishing Initial Handshake");
        close(sockfd);
        exit(1);
    }
    //memset server_msg
    memset(&server_msg, 0, sizeof(server_msg));
    //write shared secret text to server
    write(sockfd, shared_secret, strlen(shared_secret));
    //read ok from server
    read(sockfd, &server_msg, 200);
    //check ok velidity from server
    if(strcmp(server_msg, ok) != 0 ) {
        errno++;
        perror("Incorrect security phrase");
        close(sockfd);
        exit(1);
    }
    //? dup2 STDIN_FILENO = server socket fd?
    //dup2(sockfd, STDIN_FILENO);
    //begin while(1)///////////////////////////////////////
    while(1){
        //memset both msg arrays
        memset(&client_msg, 0, sizeof(client_msg));
        memset(&server_msg, 0, sizeof(server_msg));
        //print Enter Command, scan input, fflush to stdout
        printf("<<Enter Command>> ");
        scanf("%s", client_msg);
        fflush(stdout);
        //check quit input, if true close and exit successfully
        if(strcmp(client_msg, "quit") == 0) {
            printf("Exiting\n");
            close(sockfd);
            exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
        }
        //write command to server
        write(sockfd, command, strlen(command));
        //read ready from server
        read(sockfd, &server_msg, 200);
        //check ready validity from server
        if(strcmp(server_msg, ready) != 0) {
            errno++;
            perror("Failed Server Communications");
            close(sockfd);
            exit(1);
        }
        //memset server_msg
        memset(&server_msg, 0, sizeof(server_msg));
        //begin looping and retrieving from stdin,
        //break loop at EOF or complete
        while((read(sockfd, server_msg, 200) != 0) && (strcmp(server_msg, complete) != 0)) {
        //while((fgets(server_msg, 4096, stdin) != EOF) || (strcmp(server_msg, complete) == 0)) {
            printf("%s", server_msg);
            memset(&server_msg, 0, sizeof(server_msg));
        }
    }
}