This project serves as an introduction to client-server programming. You will be expected to implement an abstract protocol called Simple Registration Protocol using simple TCP socket programming. To illustrate the use of the protocol, you will also implement a concrete application: a simple appointment management system. This application will introduce you to the use of LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP), a free, powerful and commonly-used combination for Web-based applications.

The SRP uses a client-server model where multiple client processes request services from a server using request messages. These requests are answered using reply messages. The SRP includes only one mandatory request message (called REQ) and one mandatory reply message (REP). REQ is sent by a client to the server to indicate a specific application-defined service (e.g. reservation, confirmation, information request). The server responds with a REP message, the contents of which is specific to each type of request. The server should check the validity of each request and should not fail if an invalid request is received.
The client follows these three steps to make a request:
1. Establishes a TCP connection with the server,
2. Sends the request to the server, and
3. Closes the connection.
If the request is valid, the server
1. Opens a TCP connection to the client,
2. Sends the reply, and
3. Closes the connection.
Note that the REQ and REP messages are sent in two separate TCP sessions. The client will close the existing REQ TCP session and wait for the server to open a new TCP session for the REP.

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