A socket interface, one of the most fundamental technologies of computer networking, facilitates communication between applications using standard mechanisms built into network hardware and operating systems. Socket interface technology has been employed for about two decades but is mainly used today in conjunction with the Internet protocols. A socket interface is a single connection between exactly two pieces of software. For more than two pieces of software to communicate effectively multiple socket interfaces are required. Although most socket-based software usually runs on two separate computers on the same network they can also be employed for local communication between programs on a single computer. Since either side of the socket interface is capable of both sending and receiving data they are called bi-directional. Sometimes the terms client and server are employed depending on which applications initiates communication but this type of terminology can be confusing in a...