send_file()--Send a File over a Socket Connection

 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/socket.h>

 int send_file(int *socket_descriptor,
               struct sf_parms *sf_struct,
               int flags)

The send_file() function is used to send the contents of an open file over an existing socket connection.

The send_file() API is a combination of the IFS read() and the sockets send() and close() APIs. Socket applications that transmit a file over a socket connection can, under certain circumstances, obtain improved performance by using send_file().

Parameters

socket_descriptor

(Input/Output) A pointer to the socket descriptor that is to be written to.

sf_struct

(Input/Output) A pointer to the send_file structure that contains the following:

• The header buffer and length
  
  
• The file descriptor, the offset into the file, the file size, and number of bytes to send from the file
  
  
• The trailer buffer and length
  
  
• The number of bytes of data that were sent

The structure pointed to by the sf_struct parameter is defined in <sys/socket.h>.

   struct sf_parms
   {
      void    *header_data;
      size_t   header_length;

      int      file_descriptor;
      size_t   file_size;
      off_t    file_offset;
      ssize_t  file_bytes;

      void    *trailer_data;
      size_t   trailer_length;

      size_t   bytes_sent;
   }

header_data	(Input/Output) A pointer to a buffer that contains data to be sent before the file data is sent.
header_length	(Input/Output) The length in bytes of header_data.
file_descriptor	(Input) The file descriptor for a file that has been opened for read access. This is the descriptor for the file that contains the data to be transmitted. This field is ignored if the file_bytes field is set to 0.
file_size	(Output) The size in bytes of the file associated with file_descriptor.
file_offset	(Input/Output) The byte offset into the file from which to start sending data. Specify a value of 0 to start sending data from the start of the file. If a negative value is passed in, send_file() API will return with -1 and the errno will be set to EINVAL.
file_bytes	(Input/Output) The number of bytes from the file to be transmitted. Set the file_bytes field to -1 to transmit all of the data from the file_offset position in the file to the end of the file. If the file_bytes field is set to 0, no data from the file will be transmitted.
trailer_data	(Input/Output) A pointer to a buffer that contains data to be sent after the file data is sent.
trailer_length	(Input/Output) The length in bytes of trailer_data.
bytes_sent	(Output) The number of bytes that have been successfully sent.

flags

(Input) A flag value that controls what is done with the socket connection after the data has been transmitted. The flags value is either zero or it is one of the following constants:

SF_CLOSE	After the header_data, file data, and trailer_data have been successfully sent, the connection and the socket descriptor are closed. The descriptor that is pointed to by the socket_descriptor parameter is set to -1 before the send_file() API returns to the application.
SF_REUSE	After the header_data, file data, and trailer_data have been successfully sent, the connection is closed. If socket reuse is supported, the descriptor that is pointed to by the socket_descriptor parameter is reset. If socket reuse is not supported, the descriptor that is pointed to by the socket_descriptor parameter is closed and set to -1.

Authorities

No authorization is required.

Return Value

send_file() returns an integer. Possible values are:

• -1 (unsuccessful call) Check errno for additional information
• 0 (successful call) All of the data has been successfully sent
• 1 (interrupted call) The command was interrupted while sending data

Error Conditions

When send_file() fails, errno can be set to one of the following:

Error Messages

Usage Notes

1. The send_file() function is only valid on sockets that have an address family of AF_INET, AF_INET6, AF_UNIX, or AF_UNIX_CCSID and a socket type of SOCK_STREAM. If the descriptor pointed to by the socket_descriptor parameter does not have the correct address family and socket type, -1 is returned and the errno value is set to EOPNOTSUPP.
   
   
2. This function will fail with error code [ENOTSAFE] when all the following conditions are true:
   • Where multiple threads exist in the job.
     
     
   • The object on which this function is operating resides in a file system that is not threadsafe. Only the following file systems are threadsafe for this function:
     • Root
     • QOpenSys
     • User-defined
     • QNTC
     • QSYS.LIB
     • QOPT
     • Network File System
     • QFileSvr.400
   
   
3. The file_offset parameter is used to specify a base zero location in the file referenced by the file_descriptor parameter. If the file_bytes parameter is set to a value of 1 and the file_offset parameter is set to a value of 0, the first byte from the file is sent. If the file_offset parameter is set to a value of 1, the second byte from the file is sent.
   
   
4. An application that uses the send_file() API may specify the O_SHARE_RDONLY or the O_SHARE_NONE option on the open() call when the file represented by file_descriptor is first opened. These options prevent other jobs or threads on the system from updating the file while it is being transmitted.
   
   
5. If the O_TEXTDATA option was specified on the open() call when the file represented by file_descriptor was first opened, the data is sent from the file assuming it is in textual form. The data is converted from the code page of the file to the code page of the application, job, or system as follows:
   
   • When reading from a true stream file, any line-formatting characters (such as carriage return, tab, and end-of-file) are just converted from one code page to another.
     
     
   • When reading from record files that are being used as stream files, end-of-line characters are added to the end of the data in each record.

   If O_TEXTDATA was not specified on the open() call, the data is sent from the file without conversion.

   Regardless of whether or not O_TEXTDATA was specified on the open() call, the header_data and trailer_data are not translated. It is the application's responsibility to translate the header_data and trailer_data to the correct code page before calling send_file(). The send_file() function will not translate the data buffers pointed to by the header_data and trailer_data parameters prior to sending them.

   Note: The ability to do code-page translation is an i5/OS specific extension to the send_file() API. The overhead to translate the file will have an effect on the performance of the send_file() API.

6. The send_file() function attempts to write header_length from the buffer pointed to by header_data, followed by file_bytes from the file associated with file_descriptor, followed by trailer_length from the buffer pointed to by trailer_data, over the connection associated with socket_descriptor. As the data is sent, the API will update the variables in the sf_parms structure so that if the send_file() API is interrupted by a signal, the application simply needs to reissue the send_file() call using the same parameters.

   Note: The value that is passed in for the flags parameter is ignored if the send_file() API is interrupted by a signal.

7. When you develop in C-based languages and this function is compiled with _LARGE_FILES defined, it will be mapped to send_file64(). Note that the type of the sf_struct parameter, struct sf_parms *, also will be mapped to type struct sf_parms64 *.

Related Information

• accept_and_recv()--Wait for Connection Request and Receive the First Message That Was Sent
  
  
• close()--Close File or Socket Descriptor
  
  
• open()--Open File
  
  
• send()--Send Data