ABSTRACT
Several network systems are built to communicate with one another as well as
made available through service-oriented architectures. In this project, the client
server architecture is used to develop a chat application. Firstly a chat application
is created for both Client and Server which is based on Transmission Control
Protocol (TCP) where TCP is connection oriented protocol and is a reliable
connection protocol. As security is the key factor while communicating over a
network, so in this project, MySQL SSL protocol and hash function was used for
the Database based on a numbers of benefits. The hash values of the real password
and the random generated number (salt) is stored in the database. The original
password is not stored on the system, making cracking of password much harder.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Title Page……………………………………………………………………….….i
Certification………………..………………………………………………….….ii
Approval Page………………………………………………………………..…iii
Dedication…………………………………………………………………………iv
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………….v
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………..vi
Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………vii
List of Tables………………………………………………………………………x
List of Figures……………………………………………………………….……xi
Chapter 1:
1.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………..1
1.2 Background of the study………………………………………………………2
1.3 Statement of the problem………………………………………………………4
1.4 Objectives of the study………………………………………………………..4
1.5 Significance of the study………………………………………………………5
1.6 Scope of the study…………………………………………………………….6
1.7 Limitations…………………………………………………………………….6
1.8 Organization of the work……………………………………………………..7
1.9 Definition of terms…………………………………………………………….8
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Client-Server and other models……………………………………………….10
2.2 Client-Server communication…………………………………………………11
2.3 Host identification and service port……………………………………………12
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2.4 Sockets and socket based communication…………………………………….13
2.5 TCP/IP Socket programming………………………………………………….14
2.6 Socket programming in Java………………………………………………….15
2.7 Secure internet programming…………………………………………………16
2.8 Overview of secure socket layer (SSL)……………………………………….16
2.9 Security………………………………………………………………………..17
2.10 Hash functions……………………………………………………………….19
Chapter 3: SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
3.1 Methodology………………………………………………………………….21
3.2 Primary Data collection……………… …………………………………….26
3.2.1Secondary Data collection…………………………………………………26
3.3 Analysis of the existing system…………………………………………….26
3.4 Limitations of the existing system………………………………………….27
3.5 System Design………………………………………………………………..27
3.6 Database Design…………………………………………………………….38
3.7 System Flowchart………..………………………………………………….40
3.8 Top Down Diagram…………………………………………………………41
3.9 Justification of the new system……………………………………………..41
Chapter 4: IMPLEMENTATION TESTING AND INTEGRATION
4.1 Choice of development tools…………..……………………….…………..42
4.2 System Requirements…………………………………………………….…43
4.2.1 Software Requirements……………………………………………………43
4.2.2 Hardware Requirements…………………………………………………..44
4.3 Implementation………………………………………………………………44
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4.4 Testing…………………………………………………………………………51
4.4.1 Unit Test…………………………………………………………………….51
4.4.2 System Test………………………………………………………………..51
4.5 Integration…………………………………………………………………..52
Chapter 5: SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
5.1 Summary………………………………………………………………….……53
5.2 Limitations……………………………………………………………………53
5.3 Recommendations……………………………………………………………54
5.4 BILL OF ENGINEERING MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION………55
5.3 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………..……56
Bibliography………………………………………………………… …………58
Appendix A: PROGRAM CODES
BAChatClient.java…….………………..…………………………………………59
BAChatServer.java…….………………………………………………………….59
DatabaseManager.java…………………..…………………………………………62
Encryptor.java…………..……………….…………………………………………67
Appendix B: SAMPLE OUTPUT……………..………………………………..72
Appendix C: USER GUID………………………………………………………79
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LIST OF TABLES
Table1: MySQL User Table………………………………………………………39
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1: Media communication process (wired or wireless network)…………11
Figure 3.1: The Waterfall model…………………………………………………22
Figure 3.2: Client sending connection request to server…………………………28
Figure 3.3: Client-server connection established by using TCP………….………29
Figure 3.4: Client-server chat Application by using TCP…………….………….33
Figure 3.5: Three stages of system failure…………………………………………35
Figure 3.6: Multithreading flow diagram…………………………………………40
Figure 3.7: Client-server chat application Architecture…..….……………………41
Figure 4.1: BAChatServer running………………………..…….……………….45
Figure 4.2: BAChatClient running………………………..…….………………..46
Figure 4.3: BAChatClient registration…………………..……….………………47
Figure 4.4: BAChatClient Chat room……………………………………………..48
Figure 4.5: Encrypted messages and message types sent by users……………….49
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Figure 4.6: MySQL Database…………………..…………………………………50
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Several network systems are built to communicate with one another and are made
available through service-oriented architectures. In this project, we use the client
server architecture to develop a secured Client-Server chat application. A chat
application is created based on Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) where TCP is
connection oriented protocol and in the end, multithreading is used to develop the
application.
A client-server chat application consists of a Chat Client and a Chat Server and
there exists a two way communication between them. Here, Message Processor is
used to interpret message from the user, Message Interpreter is used to extract and
pass the received message. Message Maker is used to construct back the message
and Client Manager is used to maintain the clients list which the sender and
receiver at both sides use to interact with each other.
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In general, the server process will start on some computer system; in fact, the
server should be executed before the client. Server usually initializes itself, and
then goes to wait state or sleep state where it will wait for a client request. After
that, a client process can start on either the same machine or on some other
machine. Whenever the client wants some service from the server, it will send a
request to the server and the server will accept the request and process it. After the
server has finished providing its service to the client, the server will again go back
to sleep, that is, waiting for the next client request to arrive. This process is
repeated as long as the server processes is running. Whenever such request comes,
the server can immediately serve the client and again go back to the waiting state
for the next request to arrive.
1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Client server model is the standard model which has been accepted by many for
developing network applications. In this model, there is a notion of client and
notion of server. As the name implies, a server is a process (or a computer in which
the process is running) that is offering some services to other entities which are
called clients. A client on the other hand is process (which is running) on the same
computer or other computer that is requesting the services provided by the server.
A chat application is basically a combination of two applications:
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 Server application
 Client application
Server application runs on the server computer and client application runs on the
client computer (or the machine with server). In this chat application, a client can
send data to anyone who is connected to the server.
Java application programming interface (API) provides the classes for creating
sockets to facilitate program communications over the network. Sockets are the
endpoints of logical connections between two hosts and can be used to send and
receive data. Java treats socket communications much as it treat input and output
operations; thus programs can read from or write to sockets as easily as they can
read from or write to files.
To establish a server connection, a server socket needs to be created and attached
to a port, which is where the server listens for connections. The port recognizes the
Transmission Control Protocol service on the socket. For instance, the email server
runs on port 25, and the web server usually runs on port 80.
Server Execution: At server the side, a thread is created which receives numerous
clients’ requests. It also contains a list in which Client’s name and IP addresses are
stored. After that, it broadcast the list to all the users who are currently in chat
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room and when a client logs out then server deletes that particular client from the
list, update the list and then broadcast the list to all available clients.
Client Execution: A client firstly must have to register itself by sending username
to the server and should have to start the thread so that system can get the list of all
available clients. Then any of two registered clients can communicate with each
other.
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The client-server communication model is used in a wide variety of software
applications. Where normally the server side is sufficiently protected and sealed
from public access, but client applications running on devices like notebooks and
desktops are considered insecure and exposed to security threats.
The main weakness of client-server chat application is that there is no security
provided to data which is transferred between clients. Any unauthorized client can
hack the client account and can change the data. This is the main objective of this
project (To develop a secured Client-Server Chat Application).
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The aim of this project is to develop a reliable and secure network programming
(Client-Server chat model) which can perform a multithreaded server client chat
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application based on Java socket programming using Transport Control Protocol
(TCP). As security is the key factor while communicating over a network, hash
function with salt is used for the Database based on a number of benefits. MySQL
became the choice for the implementation of this application based on its
scalability and flexibility, high performance, high availability, strong data
protection, web and data warehouse strengths, management ease, lowest total cost
of ownership and open source freedom.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Apart from just performing the regular client server chat, this client-server chat is
robust and significant in the following ways:
This project use MySQL for its database to make information in the database
secure. The personal details and messages including the private messages in the
Database are encrypted using encryptor (one of the security facilities available in
the MySQL).
This project implements hash function with the password before the encryption and
then stored in the Database. It also uses random generated numbers (salt) that is
calculated together with the passworded hash values and stored in the Database. As
a result, even if the database is compromised, the salt added to hash values makes
it harder to compute the original password. This random salt is used with the hash
function to significantly increase the strength of encrypting passwords and thus
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makes cracking greatly impossible. This makes the chat application server reliable
and more secured.
Another significance of this application is private chatting. This is where two users
can chat in private. The messages between the users are not displayed / seen in the
general chat display text field. The messages are displayed only within the private
message display text field.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The project shall consider among other things the following issues:
1. To provide a better understanding of how network programming in java
works.
2. Develop a reliable network communication for a Client-Server chat
application.
3. Analyses of network programming in java (Multithreaded Client-Server
Chat applications) for better understanding of the solutions.
4. Conduct an experimental result in order to establish the parameter of the
problem. In conclusion, suggest ways the problems can be eliminated and
recommends how the problems can be prevented.
1.7 LIMITATIONS
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The previous Client-Server Chat system implements only hash function with the
password before the encryption which is then stored in the Database. Thus, the
database can be compromised easily to compute the original password.
Some drawbacks of the Client-Server Chat are as follows:
 As the server receives as many requests from clients so there is a chance that
server can become congested and overloaded.
 In case of server fails then the users also suffers.
 A lost password is irrecoverable.
 Any unauthorized client can hack the client account and can change the data.
1.8 ORGANISATION OF THE WORK
In this project, a secure java chat application is considered which relies on the
client-server paradigm to exchange the information. It is divided into five chapters.
Chapter one is the introduction which consists of the background of study,
significance of the study, scope of the study, limitations of the study, organization
of the work and the definition of terms.
The second chapter focuses on the literature review of relevant scholar’s opinions
relevant to this study such as socket programming in java, overview of secure
socket layer, hash function e.t.c.
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The third chapter gives details of the main methodology and system design to
implement the client-server chat application in java. First of all the application is
developed by using TCP then and in the end multithreading is used to develop the
application. At the end of chapter weaknesses (deadlocks) of multithreading is
discussed which can be removed by using synchronizing threads.
Chapter four is the implementation of the secured Java Client-Server Chat
Application: it test and analysis the implementation of the application.
Chapter five ends the project report. Firstly, a short summary highlights the main
points of the whole project. Next, a number of conclusions and recommendations
are given and lastly Appendix.
1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Socket: Socket is a standard connection protocol that supports data communication
over the network between connected terminals. The standard connection supports
the data transmission both by the TCP and UDP protocols between the terminals.
TCP: TCP is a transport layer protocol used by applications that require
guaranteed delivery of data. Basically, it is a connection-oriented protocol. To
communicate over TCP one must first have to establish a connection between pair
of sockets, where one socket is client and the other belongs to server. After the
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connection is established between them then they can communicate with each
other.
Client: A client is a system that accesses or desires for a service made accessible
by a server.
Server: A server is a system (hardware or software) program running to provide
the service requests of other system programs.
Port: Port is a software mechanism that allows the centralized connected Servers
to listen for requests made by clients. Port is actually purposed as a gateway to
listen for the requested parameters by the server terminals or other machines. It is a
software address on a system that is on the network. Entire request response
proceeding among this Application is carries through machine ports.
Network: This refers to a system were computers are linked to share software,
data, hardware and resources for the benefit of users.
Interface: This may be software or hardware that upon an agreed method spells
out the manner a system component can exchange information with another system
component.
Secure socket layer (SSL): This refers to Secure Sockets Layer protocol that is
used for encryption of data for secure data transmission.
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IP: This refers to Internet Protocol; it is the reasonable network address of device
on a network. It is notational called dotted-decimal (for instance: 128.1.0.1).
Thread: A thread is a section of code which is executing independently of others
threads in a same program. Java has a class Thread which is defined in java.lang
package. Thread is the most powerful feature that JAVA supports from other
programming languages.