90 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
90 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
# 🧵 Multi-threaded File Downloader (Simulated)
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This project simulates a multi-threaded file downloader in C using POSIX threads (`pthreads`). The goal is to practice creating and managing threads, synchronizing access to shared resources, and simulating parallel file downloads.
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---
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## 📋 Description
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Each file provided via command-line arguments is "downloaded" by a separate thread. The download is simulated by printing log messages and sleeping for a random duration. All threads run concurrently and the main thread waits for them to complete.
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This project is inspired by Chapter 7 ("Threads") of *Linux System Programming* by Robert Love.
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---
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## 🚀 Usage
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```bash
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$ ./downloader file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt
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````
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Each file will be "downloaded" in parallel by a separate thread. The program prints informative messages about the start and completion of each download.
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---
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## 🛠️ Features
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* One thread per file
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* Simulated download using `sleep()`
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* Optional logging to file (future enhancement)
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* Thread-safe output via `pthread_mutex_t`
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* Clean thread termination via `pthread_join`
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---
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## 🧪 Example Output
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```
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[Thread 0x7fdc9a10]: Starting download of file1.txt
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[Thread 0x7fdc9210]: Starting download of file2.txt
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[Thread 0x7fdc9210]: Finished download of file2.txt
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[Thread 0x7fdc9a10]: Finished download of file1.txt
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All downloads complete.
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```
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---
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## 📂 Project Structure
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```
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multidownload/
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├── main.c # Main program
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├── Makefile # Build script
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└── README.md # Project documentation
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```
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---
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## 🧵 Concepts Practiced
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* Thread creation with `pthread_create`
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* Thread joining with `pthread_join`
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* Synchronization with `pthread_mutex_t`
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* Struct-based thread argument passing
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* Output race condition prevention
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---
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## 🏗️ Build
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```bash
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$ make
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```
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To clean the build:
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```bash
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$ make clean
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```
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---
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## 📖 References
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* *Linux System Programming* by Robert Love — Chapter 7: Threads
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* POSIX Threads (man 7 pthread)
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---
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*Last updated: 2025-07-28*
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