ParalleLMS

Parallelism-driven Library Management System. A high-performance, parallel Library Management System built in C that leverages system calls, thread pooling, and mutex locks for efficient concurrent operations.

Features

• Multi-threaded Architecture: Utilizes POSIX threads for parallel operations
• Mutex-based Resource Management: Prevents race conditions in critical sections
• Socket-based Client-Server Model: Supports multiple concurrent client connections
• Real-time Book Management: Track book availability and lending status
• User Authentication: Secure login system for both librarians and clients
• Data Persistence: Maintains state across sessions using binary data files

System Requirements

• POSIX-compliant operating system (Linux/Unix)
• GCC compiler
• pthread library
• Network socket support

Building

make all      # Builds both server and client
make server   # Builds only the server
make client   # Builds only the client
make clean    # Removes compiled binaries

Usage

Starting the Server

./server

Connecting as a Client

./client

Features

Librarian Operations

• Create librarian accounts
• Add new books to the library
• Monitor book inventory
• View all client transactions
• Real-time system status monitoring

Client Operations

• Create user accounts
• Borrow books (up to 15 books per user)
• Return books
• View borrowed books
• Browse available books

Technical Details

Threading Model

• Dedicated threads for client connections
• Mutex locks for shared resource access:
  • library_mutex: Book inventory operations
  • librarian_mutex: Librarian account management
  • client_mutex: Client operations

Data Structures

• book: Basic book information
• library_book: Extended book info with copy tracking
• client: User account and borrowed books
• librarian: Staff account management

Network Protocol

• TCP/IP-based client-server communication
• Custom message protocol for operations
• Connection pooling for multiple clients

Security Features

• Password-protected accounts
• Session management
• Concurrent access control
• Data integrity protection

File Structure

.
├── lib/
│   ├── book.h
│   ├── client.h
│   ├── include.h
│   └── server.h
├── src/
│   ├── client.c
│   └── server.c
├── data/
│   ├── books.dat
│   ├── clients.dat
│   └── librarians.dat
└── Makefile

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to the branch
5. Create a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the Unlicense - see the LICENSE file for details.