if i included the code the post would be massive.

No one wants all the code, massive or otherwise. What Monks like to see is small, self-contained, runnable example code (along with input and desired output) demonstrating the problem. You actually provided such an example in your OP, and this is the code (and data) to which davido and I responded. Please see How do I post a question effectively?, How (Not) To Ask A Question and perhaps even I know what I mean. Why don't you?.

-code to answer the question.

But that doesn't answer the question because we cannot duplicate the data stream from the  $sock handle. All we can do is fake some data by assigning a string to the  $input or  $str variables — as you did in the example code in your OP and I did in my original reply.