Net::S...:Server(3pm)

✨ Net::SIP::NATHelper::Server ✨

okay bestie, sit down, hydrate, and let me tell you about this little icon from the User Contributed Perl Documentation section (section 3pm, for the perl girlies keeping score). 🎀

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

Net::SIP::NATHelper::Server — it's the server for Net::SIP::NATHelper::Client. That's it, that's the whole job description. 💅

---

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So basically this module is a wrapper around Net::SIP::NATHelper::Base, right? But here's the twist: it doesn't decide anything on its own. It gets its instructions from Net::SIP::NATHelper::Client, and the two of them talk over RPC via sockets. It's giving long-distance relationship but make it networking. 🫶

---

🧚 CONSTRUCTOR 🧚

✨ new ( [ HELPER ], @FDS ) ✨

• [ HELPER ], @FDS — this creates an object that listens on all the file descriptors you hand it in FDS, waiting for RPC from clients like a good little listener. 👑
• If HELPER is given and it's a Net::SIP::NATHelper::Base object (or something derived from it), then that one gets used. No HELPER? Then the helper gets created for you. Either way you're covered, no cap. 💖

---

💅 METHODS 💅

🌈 do_command ( FD )

This one gets called whenever FD is available for reading. What does it do? It calls accept on FD, reads the RPC packet off the resulting file descriptor, executes it, and sends the result right back. Full round trip, iconic behaviour. ✨

Right now the commands that are actually implemented are "allocate", "activate" and "close", and they map onto the local methods allocate_sockets, activate_session and close_session respectively.

Wanna switch things up? You can redefine or add commands by changing "$self->{commands}". That hash reference works like this:

• the key is the command name
• the value is the callback

and bestie, listen: unknown commands just get ignored, meaning nothing is returned. No error, no drama, just silence. 🙈

🎀 loop

This loops over all the file descriptors it gets from callbacks in Net::SIP::NATHelper::Base, plus the file descriptors for the RPC sockets. Very multitasking, very main character. 💅

When file descriptors become available for reading, it runs the callbacks — like forwarding the RTP data, or calling do_command. And in regular intervals it calls expire from Net::SIP::NATHelper::Base so the RTP sockets and sessions can expire. Cleanup era. 🧹✨

🍓 allocate_sockets ( ... )

Just calls allocate_sockets on the local Net::SIP::NATHelper::Base object. Takes the same arguments, returns the same arguments. Middle-management, but make it useful. 🫶

💜 activate_session ( ... )

Calls activate_session on the local Net::SIP::NATHelper::Base object. Takes the same arguments, and the return value is doing numbers:

• 1 — the session was newly activated 🎉
• -1 — it had already been activated before
• false — activation failed 😭

It also updates callbacks into the event loop.

👑 close_session ( ... )

Calls activate_session on the local Net::SIP::NATHelper::Base object. (yes bestie, the page says activate_session here — we're just reporting the lore, not fixing it 🙈)

Takes the same arguments and returns the number of closed sessions. Updates callbacks into the event loop too.

⭐ expire ( ... )

Calls expire on the local Net::SIP::NATHelper::Base object. Takes the same arguments and returns the number of expired sessions. Updates callbacks into the event loop if necessary. Clock's ticking, sessions are leaving the group chat. 💀

---

💀 BUGS 💀

Not me having to report this, but: the local event loop should be pluggable so that other implementations could be used. Right now? It's a hard coded loop using select. It works, it's just not flexible, and we're all being brave about it. 😭

---

and that's the whole page, bestie — written for perl v5.40.1, dated 2025-12-07, from the User Contributed Perl Documentation collection. go forth and proxy responsibly 💖✨🎀