Multiple ServerSocket problem

[anoorally]

Hi. I have a main class which instantiates two instances of a class named 'Server' and each of these instantiated servers listen on different ports (using threads). Each of these instantiated servers wait for 4 clients before executing some intended codes.
The client's GUI retrieves the lists of the instantiated servers and the ports they are listening to. And depending on the user choice, the client reconnected to the chosen server's port.
The client is made to print out the port it connects to.

The problem is that when I open a few client windows, and have the first 4 connect to server1, everything works fine. But then when the rest of the clients try to connect to server2, non of them are able to establish a connection even though the port they were trying to connect was that of server2.

There are a lot of codes, so please do tell me which part would u like to see.
Anything logically wrong here?

[Norm]

none of them are able to establish a connection

Is server2 listening on the port (calling accept()) when those clients try to connect?

What if you do server2 first and then server1?

[anoorally]

server1 and server2 are listening on different ports and both of them do call the method accept() in the thread that waits for clients to connect.

I didn't want to complicate the explanation, so I didn't say beforehand but, when I try to connect to server 2, only the first client would connect, the rest of the clients trying to connect to server 2 just hang there and don't establish any connection to the server.

When all of the servers are closed, the clients which hung would print out "Connection reset".

[Norm]

What do the servers do after they return from the call to accept()?
They should immediately create a new thread, pass the socket to the new thread and loop back to call accept() again.

Do you have printlns after each accept() to show when they return?

[anoorally]

This is part of the code of the thread that listens for client on the server. It waits for 4 clients to connect:

while (clients.size()!=4) {
                    System.out.println("Waiting for connection...");

                    Socket client = server.accept();
                    clients.add(client);

                    System.out.println("\tClient " + clients.size() + " connected!");

                    DataOutputStream out = new DataOutputStream(client.getOutputStream());
                    outStream.add(out);
                    Objectout.add(new ObjectOutputStream(out));

                    DataInputStream in = new DataInputStream(client.getInputStream());
                    inStream.add(in);
                    Objectin.add(new ObjectInputStream(in));
                    
                    String turn = "userTurn "+ (Objectout.size()-1);
                    
                    Objectout.get(Objectout.size() -1).writeObject(turn);
                }

The above code save the client's reference and there input & output streams respective in ArrayList.

[Norm]

You need a loop and a thread to keep the current connection from freezing the server.

[anoorally]

Thats actually how it is. Here is the whole thread class with the while loop included:

    public static class listenClient implements Runnable {


        public void run() {
            try {
                while (clients.size()!=4) {
                    System.out.println("Waiting for connection...");


                    Socket client = server.accept();
                    clients.add(client);


                    System.out.println("\tClient " + clients.size() + " connected!");


                    DataOutputStream out = new DataOutputStream(client.getOutputStream());
                    outStream.add(out);
                    Objectout.add(new ObjectOutputStream(out));


                    DataInputStream in = new DataInputStream(client.getInputStream());
                    inStream.add(in);
                    Objectin.add(new ObjectInputStream(in));
                    
                    String turn = "userTurn "+ (Objectout.size()-1);
                    
                    Objectout.get(Objectout.size() -1).writeObject(turn);
                }
                
                for(int i=0;i<clients.size();i++){
                    new Thread(new constantReading(i)).start();
                }
                
                try {
                    generateTiles();
                } catch (Exception e) {
                    print("Error in clientWait: " + e.getMessage());
                }
                
            } catch (Exception e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
                print("Error in constant reading: " + e.getMessage());
            }
        }
    }

Note that the thread in line 32 is another thread that constantly waits for input from each client so as not to freeze the server.

[Norm]

What is printed out by server2 when it executes?
Add some more printlns after the lines inside the loop that could be blocking and causing the server to freeze.

[anoorally]

The code doesnt blocks, but I got this weird "Client 5 connected" output. Note that there is the main class that instantiate server1 and server2, so output from both servers are displayed in the main class's console and is as follows:
run:
Listening on port: 7778
Waiting for connection...
Listening on port: 7779
Waiting for connection...
Client 1 connected!
Waiting for connection...
Client 2 connected!
Waiting for connection...
Client 3 connected!
Waiting for connection...
Client 4 connected!
server READ-thread started
server READ-thread started
server READ-thread started
server READ-thread started
Client 5 connected!
Waiting for connection...


I opened 6 clients, the first 4 connecting to server2...everything went normally as it should. Then the 5th client tried connecting to server1, but the output shows "client 5 connected" and when the 6th client tries connecting to server1, it hangs.

[Norm]

I'm confused now. I thought you said:

when the rest of the clients try to connect to server2, none of them are able to establish a connection

Now you show that at least 5 clients were able to connect????

output from both servers are displayed in the main class's console

You need to enhance your print out to show which server is printing which message

[anoorally]

Sorry for the confusion. But from what i've been testing, it seems that even if the loop's condition is to allow 4 clients to connect, more than 4 clients are being able to connect to the same server.
I can't understand what can be the cause.

[Norm]

Continue debugging by adding descriptive printlns that show what the code is doing.

more than 4 clients are being able to connect to the same server.

How can you tell which server is being connected to?

[anoorally]

I modified the code so that the each server is given its identifying name through its constructor. Upon instantiating, this is what is printed out:
Server "null" is listening on port: 7778
Waiting for connection...
Server "Server 1" is listening on port: 7779
Waiting for connection...

The code which instantiates the servers are:

        createServer("Server 1");
        createServer("Server 2");

This is the function that creates a server:

    public static void createServer(String sName) {
        int p = port++;
        new Server(sName, p);
        serverMap.put(sName, p);
    }

This is the "Server" class's constructor:

public Server(String serverName, int port){
        try {
            server = new ServerSocket(port);
            print("Server \""+ sName + "\" is listening on port: "+ port);
            sName = serverName;
            
            new Thread(new listenClient()).start();

        } catch (Exception e) {
            print("Error in main: " + e.getMessage());
        }
    }

Why is the 2nd server's name read as "null"?

[Norm]

Why is the 2nd server's name read as "null"?

The variable sName has not been given a value when you print it!!!

Is sName static?

[anoorally]

I solved the 'null' name being given, but now when I run the servers, this is what I get:
Server "Server 1" is listening on port: 7778
Server "Server 2" is listening on port: 7779
Waiting for connection...[Server 2]

Waiting for connection...[Server 2]


Seems that the listening thread of Server 2 somehow runs twice, and there are no listening thread of Server 1. But I don't understand what might be causing this.

[Norm]

Are there any static variables?

[anoorally]

Yes. In the main class there are the followings:

    private static int port = 7778;
    private static Map<String, Integer> serverMap = new HashMap<String, Integer>();

In the "Server" class which is instantiated these are the ones relevant to the connections:

    private ServerSocket server;
    private static ArrayList<Socket> clients = new ArrayList<Socket>();
    private static ArrayList<DataInputStream> inStream = new ArrayList<DataInputStream>();
    private static ArrayList<DataOutputStream> outStream = new ArrayList<DataOutputStream>();
    private static ArrayList<ObjectOutputStream> Objectout = new ArrayList<ObjectOutputStream>();
    private static ArrayList<ObjectInputStream> Objectin = new ArrayList<ObjectInputStream>();
    
    private static String sName;

[Norm]

private static String sName;

[anoorally]

changed it to:
private String sName;

Server 1 listens on port 7778 and Server 2 on 7779
even if a client is made to connect to port 7778, according to output, Server 2 is still handling the connections, any idea why?

[Norm]

Why are there any static variables? Are the two servers sharing too much?