Can a web (php) server send data without request?

[lennon7]

Does anyone know if there is a way to make the type of server used for standard websites to send data to a known IP address?

I want a client to visit a php page (using client software not browser), and then (in any way possible) have the client not connect to the server again, but instead have the server send data to client's listening port after some time.

Say it is one expensive deticated server with most of things installed (JAVA, PHP, ASP, etc). Or in the other case, what would be minimum requirements?

Maybe I could simply put a delay in the php script but then it would have to keep checking if the variable needed has changed and to send it to the client, which i dont want to do, so i need an "active" way of sending data.

Any help please?

edit: Oh by the way, the client (an executable) would be coded by me.

I'm not sure what a good price would be for an average quality dedicated Linux server with my own software? I didn't look into it quite yet. Any recommendations there?

[sharbel]

If you are coding the client-side application, why not just program it to hit the php script on some kind of timer? So, have the client script make the web-requests.

I had an application that had a similar requirement, and I developed a Windows Service (I develop in C#) to make the timed calls to an XML web-service.. I would imagine there is a Linux equivilent to Windows Service components.