Sending file over network in a client server game

Question

1. Does a file-class only keeps the link/path to a file or a copy of that in the memory ? I ask that in case of transfering a "File" object through network - is the path of the file transfered or the file too ?

2. Client-server communication (for a simple network game)

Story: i will have several clients wich are frequently need a information or file transfer with a Server in unknown order and number. The server also should send in a unknown order informations/files to the clients. The server treated connections in making threads wich handle them.

Questions: What is the recommended approach to handle those situations?

I dont know if it is better to close the connection and thread every time the informations/file transfere is over and open a new one or to hold a thread and the socket connection for more.

1. Linked with the question above - does the client use threads for incoming information/file transfers of the server too?

2. Is there a recommended way how i identify and store/handle the client connections, lost connections , reconnections.

I would be pleased if you could give me some hints.

Best wishes Mathias

Answer 1

In Java, File is just an abstraction to a file system path (file or directory); it does not contain the file contents.

In a client/server set up where you need to send a file over the network, you will need to use Java's IO constructs for that. Exactly how will depend on how you intend communication to be done (HTTP, Sockets, RMI).