Can i use the same socket to connect to more than one servers

Question

hi,
I'm new to java. I want to know whether a socket created using Socket() constructor can be used to connect to multiple servers, not necessarily at a particular point of time. ie, i want to connect to various servers using a single socket and register some info abt them, possible using a loop, one by one. I use connect() method to connect to particular server.
In other words is Socket class is mutable.
Edited by: itsraja on Feb 25, 2008 5:50 AM

Answer 1

In short, I don't think so.
Setting the server name for a socket is in the constructor.
Socket s = new Socket("localhost", 501);I don't believe that there are any functions, such as:
s.setHost("localhost");
s.setPort(501);However, JavaDocs suggests that when you use the no-args constructor, your class becomes an automatic SocketImpl class, but you can't reach any of its variables unless you derive from the class, itself. But that's probably a bigger headache than it's worth.
Now TECHNICALY, if you didn't want to create a new variable, you could use:
Socket s = new Socket("localhost", 501);
s.close();
s = new Socket("remotehost", 502);
s.close();However, this is still creating a new instance and thus a new object in memory.
I hope this answers your question.
Let us know exactly what you're trying to do for a more exact answer.
~Derek