This test Rust project is an experiment utilizing Servo’s ipc-channel crate. It features two programs, a server which is meant to be run once, and a client which can be run multiple times. This architecture may be used to send tasks a service during its runtime.

The server creates an IpcOneShotServer instance and provides its name which is passed to the client as a command line argument. The client reads standard input and sends the read data to the specified server together with an IpcSender to provide a callback channel. As the server is one-shot, it is consumed upon accepting the input; it is replaced with a different server, with a different name (which is sent back to the client via the IpcSender). The next client connects to that address, sends its input, receives the new server’s name and so on.

This is an experiment and, as an implementation of the single server/multiple client architecture, is quite crude and probably not optimal. Any suggestions of alternative implementations are welcome.

This instruction assumes you are using a Unix-like shell. Cargo’s diagnostic messages are omitted. The server names may be different.

Run the server binary in a console or terminal, such as by using cargo run --bin server. The server will print the first name to connect to:

$ cargo run --bin server
<...>
Server name is /tmp/.tmpZ3eONd/socket

Run the client binary in a second terminal or console. Specify the server name printed by server as its command line argument. The client will read data from standard input until reaching end of line; you can pipe the output of any program or contents of any file. The client will send the message and receive the new server’s address:

$ echo 'Hello, world!' | cargo run --bin client /tmp/.tmpZ3eONd/socket
<...>
Packet successfully sent to /tmp/.tmpZ3eONd/socket
New server name: /tmp/.tmpS9E61v/socket

The server will print Hello, world!.

Each new execution of client must use the server name provided by the previous client:

$ echo 'Hello fellow Rustaceans!' | cargo run --bin client /tmp/.tmpS9E61v/socket
<...>
Packet successfully sent to /tmp/.tmpS9E61v/socket
New server name: /tmp/.tmpPBlkPy/socket

Attempts to use an old address will very likely result in a panic.

To shut down the server, pass quit as the second argument. The client will still read data from standard input:

$ echo | cargo run --bin client /tmp/.tmpPBlkPy/socket stop
<...>
Packet successfully sent to /tmp/.tmpPBlkPy/socket
Server is shutting down. Goodbye fellow Rustaceans!

As an experiment not intended for practical use, this project is placed into public domain according to terms of the Unlicense.