hey i was given a project and decided to do something in the networking field, which is what im interested in... so i have decided to make a simple windows application to retrieve an ip address and possibly shut it down remotely... i need help with choosing the best ide and the best compiler to use with it, i currently use code:blocks, and some guidance in the steps i need to take and what kinda books should i look into and what headers are available for ip manipulation, i try configuring boost asio with code:blocks but its super difficult, no where online explains the configuration simply or best recommended.. for now i more interested in retrieving the ip addresses.. i have approximately 2 months to do this.. that should be enough time i hope. thanks in advance..
A really good first networking application is a console one-way messenger.
Have one window block at a std::cin>>. When it get's a message, pack that and send it to another pc. That PC is running a client which waits for the ethernet packet, decodes the message and displays it on the screen.
When you say "retrieve IP", take a look at your ARP cache. This is a map between MAC addresses and IPs.
If you're using Windows, then try going raw and use winsock2 to send your messages. Another option is to use something higher-level. SFML has some easy stuff to use.
Packing network protocols is actually pretty fun. There are several layers of headers before you get to your data and this is a perfect place to learn OOP. There are your ethernet headers, IP headers, UDP headers, custom headers, then data. Once you have a connection established, watch your network messages with a tool like WireShark to see exactly what is in there.