--- AnyEvent-MP/MP.pm	2009/09/07 18:42:09	1.82
+++ AnyEvent-MP/MP.pm	2009/09/11 15:02:17	1.88
@@ -42,10 +42,8 @@
    bin/aemp                - stable.
    AnyEvent::MP            - stable API, should work.
    AnyEvent::MP::Intro     - explains most concepts.
-   AnyEvent::MP::Kernel    - mostly stable.
-   AnyEvent::MP::Global    - stable but incomplete, protocol not yet final.
-
-stay tuned.
+   AnyEvent::MP::Kernel    - mostly stable API.
+   AnyEvent::MP::Global    - stable API.
 
 =head1 DESCRIPTION
 
@@ -85,7 +83,7 @@
 (no listening ports). Private nodes cannot talk to other private nodes
 currently.
 
-=item node ID - C<[a-za-Z0-9_\-.:]+>
+=item node ID - C<[A-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_\-.:]*>
 
 A node ID is a string that uniquely identifies the node within a
 network. Depending on the configuration used, node IDs can look like a
@@ -99,20 +97,33 @@
 endpoints - binds. Currently, only standard C<ip:port> specifications can
 be used, which specify TCP ports to listen on.
 
-=item seeds - C<host:port>
+=item seed nodes
 
 When a node starts, it knows nothing about the network. To teach the node
 about the network it first has to contact some other node within the
 network. This node is called a seed.
 
-Seeds are transport endpoint(s) of as many nodes as one wants. Those nodes
-are expected to be long-running, and at least one of those should always
-be available. When nodes run out of connections (e.g. due to a network
-error), they try to re-establish connections to some seednodes again to
-join the network.
+Apart from the fact that other nodes know them as seed nodes and they have
+to have fixed listening addresses, seed nodes are perfectly normal nodes -
+any node can function as a seed node for others.
+
+In addition to discovering the network, seed nodes are also used to
+maintain the network and to connect nodes that otherwise would have
+trouble connecting. They form the backbone of an AnyEvent::MP network.
+
+Seed nodes are expected to be long-running, and at least one seed node
+should always be available. They should also be relatively responsive - a
+seed node that blocks for long periods will slow down everybody else.
+
+=item seeds - C<host:port>
 
-Apart from being sued for seeding, seednodes are not special in any way -
-every public node can be a seednode.
+Seeds are transport endpoint(s) (usually a hostname/IP address and a
+TCP port) of nodes thta should be used as seed nodes.
+
+The nodes listening on those endpoints are expected to be long-running,
+and at least one of those should always be available. When nodes run out
+of connections (e.g. due to a network error), they try to re-establish
+connections to some seednodes again to join the network.
 
 =back
 
@@ -139,7 +150,7 @@
 our @EXPORT = qw(
    NODE $NODE *SELF node_of after
    configure
-   snd rcv mon mon_guard kil reg psub spawn
+   snd rcv mon mon_guard kil reg psub spawn cal
    port
 );
 
@@ -218,7 +229,7 @@
 
 =back
 
-Example: become a distributed node using the locla node name as profile.
+Example: become a distributed node using the local node name as profile.
 This should be the most common form of invocation for "daemon"-type nodes.
 
    configure
@@ -704,6 +715,58 @@
    };
 }
 
+=item cal $port, @msg, $callback[, $timeout]
+
+A simple form of RPC - sends a message to the given C<$port> with the
+given contents (C<@msg>), but adds a reply port to the message.
+
+The reply port is created temporarily just for the purpose of receiving
+the reply, and will be C<kil>ed when no longer needed.
+
+A reply message sent to the port is passed to the C<$callback> as-is.
+
+If an optional time-out (in seconds) is given and it is not C<undef>,
+then the callback will be called without any arguments after the time-out
+elapsed and the port is C<kil>ed.
+
+If no time-out is given, then the local port will monitor the remote port
+instead, so it eventually gets cleaned-up.
+
+Currently this function returns the temporary port, but this "feature"
+might go in future versions unless you can make a convincing case that
+this is indeed useful for something.
+
+=cut
+
+sub cal(@) {
+   my $timeout = ref $_[-1] ? undef : pop;
+   my $cb = pop;
+
+   my $port = port {
+      undef $timeout;
+      kil $SELF;
+      &$cb;
+   };
+
+   if (defined $timeout) {
+      $timeout = AE::timer $timeout, 0, sub {
+         undef $timeout;
+         kil $port;
+         $cb->();
+      };
+   } else {
+      mon $_[0], sub {
+         kil $port;
+         $cb->();
+      };
+   }
+
+   push @_, $port;
+   &snd;
+
+   $port
+}
+
 =back
 
 =head1 AnyEvent::MP vs. Distributed Erlang