[ViewVC] Diff of: cvs/AnyEvent-MP/MP.pm

Comparing AnyEvent-MP/MP.pm (file contents):
Revision 1.54 by root, Fri Aug 14 16:15:37 2009 UTC vs.
Revision 1.128 by root, Sun Mar 4 14:28:44 2012 UTC

…		…
1	=head1 NAME	1	=head1 NAME
2		2
3	AnyEvent::MP - multi-processing/message-passing framework	3	AnyEvent::MP - erlang-style multi-processing/message-passing framework
4		4
5	=head1 SYNOPSIS	5	=head1 SYNOPSIS
6		6
7	use AnyEvent::MP;	7	use AnyEvent::MP;
8		8
9	$NODE # contains this node's noderef	9	$NODE # contains this node's node ID
10	NODE # returns this node's noderef	10	NODE # returns this node's node ID
11	NODE $port # returns the noderef of the port
12		11
13	$SELF # receiving/own port id in rcv callbacks	12	$SELF # receiving/own port id in rcv callbacks
14		13
15	# initialise the node so it can send/receive messages	14	# initialise the node so it can send/receive messages
16	initialise_node; # -OR-	15	configure;
17	initialise_node "localhost:4040"; # -OR-
18	initialise_node "slave/", "localhost:4040"
19		16
20	# ports are message endpoints	17	# ports are message destinations
21		18
22	# sending messages	19	# sending messages
23	snd $port, type => data...;	20	snd $port, type => data...;
24	snd $port, @msg;	21	snd $port, @msg;
25	snd @msg_with_first_element_being_a_port;	22	snd @msg_with_first_element_being_a_port;
26		23
27	# creating/using ports, the simple way	24	# creating/using ports, the simple way
28	my $simple_port = port { my @msg = @_; 0 };	25	my $simple_port = port { my @msg = @_ };
29		26
30	# creating/using ports, tagged message matching	27	# creating/using ports, tagged message matching
31	my $port = port;	28	my $port = port;
32	rcv $port, ping => sub { snd $_[0], "pong"; 0 };	29	rcv $port, ping => sub { snd $_[0], "pong" };
33	rcv $port, pong => sub { warn "pong received\n"; 0 };	30	rcv $port, pong => sub { warn "pong received\n" };
34		31
35	# create a port on another node	32	# create a port on another node
36	my $port = spawn $node, $initfunc, @initdata;	33	my $port = spawn $node, $initfunc, @initdata;
37		34
		35	# destroy a port again
		36	kil $port; # "normal" kill
		37	kil $port, my_error => "everything is broken"; # error kill
		38
38	# monitoring	39	# monitoring
39	mon $port, $cb->(@msg) # callback is invoked on death	40	mon $localport, $cb->(@msg) # callback is invoked on death
40	mon $port, $otherport # kill otherport on abnormal death	41	mon $localport, $otherport # kill otherport on abnormal death
41	mon $port, $otherport, @msg # send message on death	42	mon $localport, $otherport, @msg # send message on death
		43
		44	# temporarily execute code in port context
		45	peval $port, sub { die "kill the port!" };
		46
		47	# execute callbacks in $SELF port context
		48	my $timer = AE::timer 1, 0, psub {
		49	die "kill the port, delayed";
		50	};
42		51
43	=head1 CURRENT STATUS	52	=head1 CURRENT STATUS
44		53
		54	bin/aemp - stable.
45	AnyEvent::MP - stable API, should work	55	AnyEvent::MP - stable API, should work.
46	AnyEvent::MP::Intro - outdated	56	AnyEvent::MP::Intro - explains most concepts.
47	AnyEvent::MP::Kernel - WIP
48	AnyEvent::MP::Transport - mostly stable	57	AnyEvent::MP::Kernel - mostly stable API.
49		58	AnyEvent::MP::Global - stable API.
50	stay tuned.
51		59
52	=head1 DESCRIPTION	60	=head1 DESCRIPTION
53		61
54	This module (-family) implements a simple message passing framework.	62	This module (-family) implements a simple message passing framework.
55		63
56	Despite its simplicity, you can securely message other processes running	64	Despite its simplicity, you can securely message other processes running
57	on the same or other hosts.	65	on the same or other hosts, and you can supervise entities remotely.
58		66
59	For an introduction to this module family, see the L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro>	67	For an introduction to this module family, see the L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro>
60	manual page.	68	manual page and the examples under F<eg/>.
61
62	At the moment, this module family is severly broken and underdocumented,
63	so do not use. This was uploaded mainly to reserve the CPAN namespace -
64	stay tuned!
65		69
66	=head1 CONCEPTS	70	=head1 CONCEPTS
67		71
68	=over 4	72	=over 4
69		73
70	=item port	74	=item port
71		75
72	A port is something you can send messages to (with the C<snd> function).	76	Not to be confused with a TCP port, a "port" is something you can send
		77	messages to (with the C<snd> function).
73		78
74	Ports allow you to register C<rcv> handlers that can match all or just	79	Ports allow you to register C<rcv> handlers that can match all or just
75	some messages. Messages will not be queued.	80	some messages. Messages send to ports will not be queued, regardless of
		81	anything was listening for them or not.
76		82
		83	Ports are represented by (printable) strings called "port IDs".
		84
77	=item port id - C<noderef#portname>	85	=item port ID - C<nodeid#portname>
78		86
79	A port ID is the concatenation of a noderef, a hash-mark (C<#>) as	87	A port ID is the concatenation of a node ID, a hash-mark (C<#>)
80	separator, and a port name (a printable string of unspecified format). An	88	as separator, and a port name (a printable string of unspecified
81	exception is the the node port, whose ID is identical to its node	89	format created by AnyEvent::MP).
82	reference.
83		90
84	=item node	91	=item node
85		92
86	A node is a single process containing at least one port - the node port,	93	A node is a single process containing at least one port - the node port,
87	which provides nodes to manage each other remotely, and to create new	94	which enables nodes to manage each other remotely, and to create new
88	ports.	95	ports.
89		96
90	Nodes are either private (single-process only), slaves (connected to a	97	Nodes are either public (have one or more listening ports) or private
91	master node only) or public nodes (connectable from unrelated nodes).	98	(no listening ports). Private nodes cannot talk to other private nodes
		99	currently, but all nodes can talk to public nodes.
92		100
93	=item noderef - C<host:port,host:port...>, C<id@noderef>, C<id>	101	Nodes is represented by (printable) strings called "node IDs".
94		102
95	A node reference is a string that either simply identifies the node (for	103	=item node ID - C<[A-Za-z0-9_\-.:]*>
96	private and slave nodes), or contains a recipe on how to reach a given
97	node (for public nodes).
98		104
99	This recipe is simply a comma-separated list of C<address:port> pairs (for	105	A node ID is a string that uniquely identifies the node within a
100	TCP/IP, other protocols might look different).	106	network. Depending on the configuration used, node IDs can look like a
		107	hostname, a hostname and a port, or a random string. AnyEvent::MP itself
		108	doesn't interpret node IDs in any way except to uniquely identify a node.
101		109
102	Node references come in two flavours: resolved (containing only numerical	110	=item binds - C<ip:port>
103	addresses) or unresolved (where hostnames are used instead of addresses).
104		111
105	Before using an unresolved node reference in a message you first have to	112	Nodes can only talk to each other by creating some kind of connection to
106	resolve it.	113	each other. To do this, nodes should listen on one or more local transport
		114	endpoints - binds.
		115
		116	Currently, only standard C<ip:port> specifications can be used, which
		117	specify TCP ports to listen on. So a bind is basically just a tcp socket
		118	in listening mode thta accepts conenctions form other nodes.
		119
		120	=item seed nodes
		121
		122	When a node starts, it knows nothing about the network it is in - it
		123	needs to connect to at least one other node that is already in the
		124	network. These other nodes are called "seed nodes".
		125
		126	Seed nodes themselves are not special - they are seed nodes only because
		127	some other node I<uses> them as such, but any node can be used as seed
		128	node for other nodes, and eahc node cna use a different set of seed nodes.
		129
		130	In addition to discovering the network, seed nodes are also used to
		131	maintain the network - all nodes using the same seed node form are part of
		132	the same network. If a network is split into multiple subnets because e.g.
		133	the network link between the parts goes down, then using the same seed
		134	nodes for all nodes ensures that eventually the subnets get merged again.
		135
		136	Seed nodes are expected to be long-running, and at least one seed node
		137	should always be available. They should also be relatively responsive - a
		138	seed node that blocks for long periods will slow down everybody else.
		139
		140	For small networks, it's best if every node uses the same set of seed
		141	nodes. For large networks, it can be useful to specify "regional" seed
		142	nodes for most nodes in an area, and use all seed nodes as seed nodes for
		143	each other. What's important is that all seed nodes connections form a
		144	complete graph, so that the network cannot split into separate subnets
		145	forever.
		146
		147	Seed nodes are represented by seed IDs.
		148
		149	=item seed IDs - C<host:port>
		150
		151	Seed IDs are transport endpoint(s) (usually a hostname/IP address and a
		152	TCP port) of nodes that should be used as seed nodes.
		153
		154	=item global nodes
		155
		156	An AEMP network needs a discovery service - nodes need to know how to
		157	connect to other nodes they only know by name. In addition, AEMP offers a
		158	distributed "group database", which maps group names to a list of strings
		159	- for example, to register worker ports.
		160
		161	A network needs at least one global node to work, and allows every node to
		162	be a global node.
		163
		164	Any node that loads the L<AnyEvent::MP::Global> module becomes a global
		165	node and tries to keep connections to all other nodes. So while it can
		166	make sense to make every node "global" in small networks, it usually makes
		167	sense to only make seed nodes into global nodes in large networks (nodes
		168	keep connections to seed nodes and global nodes, so makign them the same
		169	reduces overhead).
107		170
108	=back	171	=back
109		172
110	=head1 VARIABLES/FUNCTIONS	173	=head1 VARIABLES/FUNCTIONS
111		174
113		176
114	=cut	177	=cut
115		178
116	package AnyEvent::MP;	179	package AnyEvent::MP;
117		180
		181	use AnyEvent::MP::Config ();
118	use AnyEvent::MP::Kernel;	182	use AnyEvent::MP::Kernel;
		183	use AnyEvent::MP::Kernel qw(%NODE %PORT %PORT_DATA $UNIQ $RUNIQ $ID);
119		184
120	use common::sense;	185	use common::sense;
121		186
122	use Carp ();	187	use Carp ();
123		188
124	use AE ();	189	use AE ();
		190	use Guard ();
125		191
126	use base "Exporter";	192	use base "Exporter";
127		193
128	our $VERSION = $AnyEvent::MP::Kernel::VERSION;	194	our $VERSION = $AnyEvent::MP::Config::VERSION;
129		195
130	our @EXPORT = qw(	196	our @EXPORT = qw(
131	NODE $NODE *SELF node_of _any_	197	NODE $NODE *SELF node_of after
132	resolve_node initialise_node	198	configure
133	snd rcv mon kil reg psub spawn	199	snd rcv mon mon_guard kil psub peval spawn cal
134	port	200	port
		201	db_set db_del db_reg
		202	db_mon db_family db_keys db_values
135	);	203	);
136		204
137	our $SELF;	205	our $SELF;
138		206
139	sub _self_die() {	207	sub _self_die() {
…		…
142	kil $SELF, die => $msg;	210	kil $SELF, die => $msg;
143	}	211	}
144		212
145	=item $thisnode = NODE / $NODE	213	=item $thisnode = NODE / $NODE
146		214
147	The C<NODE> function returns, and the C<$NODE> variable contains the	215	The C<NODE> function returns, and the C<$NODE> variable contains, the node
148	noderef of the local node. The value is initialised by a call to	216	ID of the node running in the current process. This value is initialised by
149	C<initialise_node>.	217	a call to C<configure>.
150		218
151	=item $noderef = node_of $port	219	=item $nodeid = node_of $port
152		220
153	Extracts and returns the noderef from a port ID or a noderef.	221	Extracts and returns the node ID from a port ID or a node ID.
154		222
155	=item initialise_node $noderef, $seednode, $seednode...	223	=item configure $profile, key => value...
156		224
157	=item initialise_node "slave/", $master, $master...	225	=item configure key => value...
158		226
159	Before a node can talk to other nodes on the network it has to initialise	227	Before a node can talk to other nodes on the network (i.e. enter
160	itself - the minimum a node needs to know is it's own name, and optionally	228	"distributed mode") it has to configure itself - the minimum a node needs
161	it should know the noderefs of some other nodes in the network.	229	to know is its own name, and optionally it should know the addresses of
		230	some other nodes in the network to discover other nodes.
162		231
163	This function initialises a node - it must be called exactly once (or	232	This function configures a node - it must be called exactly once (or
164	never) before calling other AnyEvent::MP functions.	233	never) before calling other AnyEvent::MP functions.
165		234
166	All arguments (optionally except for the first) are noderefs, which can be	235	The key/value pairs are basically the same ones as documented for the
167	either resolved or unresolved.	236	F<aemp> command line utility (sans the set/del prefix), with these additions:
168
169	The first argument will be looked up in the configuration database first
170	(if it is C<undef> then the current nodename will be used instead) to find
171	the relevant configuration profile (see L<aemp>). If none is found then
172	the default configuration is used. The configuration supplies additional
173	seed/master nodes and can override the actual noderef.
174
175	There are two types of networked nodes, public nodes and slave nodes:
176		237
177	=over 4	238	=over 4
178		239
179	=item public nodes	240	=item norc => $boolean (default false)
180		241
181	For public nodes, C<$noderef> (supplied either directly to	242	If true, then the rc file (e.g. F<~/.perl-anyevent-mp>) will I<not>
182	C<initialise_node> or indirectly via a profile or the nodename) must be a	243	be consulted - all configuraiton options must be specified in the
183	noderef (possibly unresolved, in which case it will be resolved).	244	C<configure> call.
184		245
185	After resolving, the node will bind itself on all endpoints and try to	246	=item force => $boolean (default false)
186	connect to all additional C<$seednodes> that are specified. Seednodes are
187	optional and can be used to quickly bootstrap the node into an existing
188	network.
189		247
190	=item slave nodes	248	IF true, then the values specified in the C<configure> will take
		249	precedence over any values configured via the rc file. The default is for
		250	the rc file to override any options specified in the program.
191		251
192	When the C<$noderef> (either as given or overriden by the config file)	252	=item secure => $pass->($nodeid)
193	is the special string C<slave/>, then the node will become a slave
194	node. Slave nodes cannot be contacted from outside and will route most of
195	their traffic to the master node that they attach to.
196		253
197	At least one additional noderef is required (either by specifying it	254	In addition to specifying a boolean, you can specify a code reference that
198	directly or because it is part of the configuration profile): The node	255	is called for every remote execution attempt - the execution request is
199	will try to connect to all of them and will become a slave attached to the	256	granted iff the callback returns a true value.
200	first node it can successfully connect to.	257
		258	See F<semp setsecure> for more info.
201		259
202	=back	260	=back
203		261
204	This function will block until all nodes have been resolved and, for slave
205	nodes, until it has successfully established a connection to a master
206	server.
207
208	Example: become a public node listening on the guessed noderef, or the one
209	specified via C<aemp> for the current node. This should be the most common
210	form of invocation for "daemon"-type nodes.
211
212	initialise_node;
213
214	Example: become a slave node to any of the the seednodes specified via
215	C<aemp>. This form is often used for commandline clients.
216
217	initialise_node "slave/";
218
219	Example: become a slave node to any of the specified master servers. This
220	form is also often used for commandline clients.
221
222	initialise_node "slave/", "master1", "192.168.13.17", "mp.example.net";
223
224	Example: become a public node, and try to contact some well-known master
225	servers to become part of the network.
226
227	initialise_node undef, "master1", "master2";
228
229	Example: become a public node listening on port C<4041>.
230
231	initialise_node 4041;
232
233	Example: become a public node, only visible on localhost port 4044.
234
235	initialise_node "localhost:4044";
236
237	=item $cv = resolve_node $noderef
238
239	Takes an unresolved node reference that may contain hostnames and
240	abbreviated IDs, resolves all of them and returns a resolved node
241	reference.
242
243	In addition to C<address:port> pairs allowed in resolved noderefs, the
244	following forms are supported:
245
246	=over 4	262	=over 4
247		263
248	=item the empty string	264	=item step 1, gathering configuration from profiles
249		265
250	An empty-string component gets resolved as if the default port (4040) was	266	The function first looks up a profile in the aemp configuration (see the
251	specified.	267	L<aemp> commandline utility). The profile name can be specified via the
		268	named C<profile> parameter or can simply be the first parameter). If it is
		269	missing, then the nodename (F<uname -n>) will be used as profile name.
252		270
253	=item naked port numbers (e.g. C<1234>)	271	The profile data is then gathered as follows:
254		272
255	These are resolved by prepending the local nodename and a colon, to be	273	First, all remaining key => value pairs (all of which are conveniently
256	further resolved.	274	undocumented at the moment) will be interpreted as configuration
		275	data. Then they will be overwritten by any values specified in the global
		276	default configuration (see the F<aemp> utility), then the chain of
		277	profiles chosen by the profile name (and any C<parent> attributes).
257		278
258	=item hostnames (e.g. C<localhost:1234>, C<localhost>)	279	That means that the values specified in the profile have highest priority
		280	and the values specified directly via C<configure> have lowest priority,
		281	and can only be used to specify defaults.
259		282
260	These are resolved by using AnyEvent::DNS to resolve them, optionally	283	If the profile specifies a node ID, then this will become the node ID of
261	looking up SRV records for the C<aemp=4040> port, if no port was	284	this process. If not, then the profile name will be used as node ID, with
262	specified.	285	a unique randoms tring (C</%u>) appended.
		286
		287	The node ID can contain some C<%> sequences that are expanded: C<%n>
		288	is expanded to the local nodename, C<%u> is replaced by a random
		289	strign to make the node unique. For example, the F<aemp> commandline
		290	utility uses C<aemp/%n/%u> as nodename, which might expand to
		291	C<aemp/cerebro/ZQDGSIkRhEZQDGSIkRhE>.
		292
		293	=item step 2, bind listener sockets
		294
		295	The next step is to look up the binds in the profile, followed by binding
		296	aemp protocol listeners on all binds specified (it is possible and valid
		297	to have no binds, meaning that the node cannot be contacted form the
		298	outside. This means the node cannot talk to other nodes that also have no
		299	binds, but it can still talk to all "normal" nodes).
		300
		301	If the profile does not specify a binds list, then a default of C<*> is
		302	used, meaning the node will bind on a dynamically-assigned port on every
		303	local IP address it finds.
		304
		305	=item step 3, connect to seed nodes
		306
		307	As the last step, the seed ID list from the profile is passed to the
		308	L<AnyEvent::MP::Global> module, which will then use it to keep
		309	connectivity with at least one node at any point in time.
263		310
264	=back	311	=back
		312
		313	Example: become a distributed node using the local node name as profile.
		314	This should be the most common form of invocation for "daemon"-type nodes.
		315
		316	configure
		317
		318	Example: become a semi-anonymous node. This form is often used for
		319	commandline clients.
		320
		321	configure nodeid => "myscript/%n/%u";
		322
		323	Example: configure a node using a profile called seed, which is suitable
		324	for a seed node as it binds on all local addresses on a fixed port (4040,
		325	customary for aemp).
		326
		327	# use the aemp commandline utility
		328	# aemp profile seed binds '*:4040'
		329
		330	# then use it
		331	configure profile => "seed";
		332
		333	# or simply use aemp from the shell again:
		334	# aemp run profile seed
		335
		336	# or provide a nicer-to-remember nodeid
		337	# aemp run profile seed nodeid "$(hostname)"
265		338
266	=item $SELF	339	=item $SELF
267		340
268	Contains the current port id while executing C<rcv> callbacks or C<psub>	341	Contains the current port id while executing C<rcv> callbacks or C<psub>
269	blocks.	342	blocks.
270		343
271	=item SELF, %SELF, @SELF...	344	=item *SELF, SELF, %SELF, @SELF...
272		345
273	Due to some quirks in how perl exports variables, it is impossible to	346	Due to some quirks in how perl exports variables, it is impossible to
274	just export C<$SELF>, all the symbols called C<SELF> are exported by this	347	just export C<$SELF>, all the symbols named C<SELF> are exported by this
275	module, but only C<$SELF> is currently used.	348	module, but only C<$SELF> is currently used.
276		349
277	=item snd $port, type => @data	350	=item snd $port, type => @data
278		351
279	=item snd $port, @msg	352	=item snd $port, @msg
280		353
281	Send the given message to the given port ID, which can identify either	354	Send the given message to the given port, which can identify either a
282	a local or a remote port, and must be a port ID.	355	local or a remote port, and must be a port ID.
283		356
284	While the message can be about anything, it is highly recommended to use a	357	While the message can be almost anything, it is highly recommended to
285	string as first element (a port ID, or some word that indicates a request	358	use a string as first element (a port ID, or some word that indicates a
286	type etc.).	359	request type etc.) and to consist if only simple perl values (scalars,
		360	arrays, hashes) - if you think you need to pass an object, think again.
287		361
288	The message data effectively becomes read-only after a call to this	362	The message data logically becomes read-only after a call to this
289	function: modifying any argument is not allowed and can cause many	363	function: modifying any argument (or values referenced by them) is
290	problems.	364	forbidden, as there can be considerable time between the call to C<snd>
		365	and the time the message is actually being serialised - in fact, it might
		366	never be copied as within the same process it is simply handed to the
		367	receiving port.
291		368
292	The type of data you can transfer depends on the transport protocol: when	369	The type of data you can transfer depends on the transport protocol: when
293	JSON is used, then only strings, numbers and arrays and hashes consisting	370	JSON is used, then only strings, numbers and arrays and hashes consisting
294	of those are allowed (no objects). When Storable is used, then anything	371	of those are allowed (no objects). When Storable is used, then anything
295	that Storable can serialise and deserialise is allowed, and for the local	372	that Storable can serialise and deserialise is allowed, and for the local
296	node, anything can be passed.	373	node, anything can be passed. Best rely only on the common denominator of
		374	these.
297		375
298	=item $local_port = port	376	=item $local_port = port
299		377
300	Create a new local port object and returns its port ID. Initially it has	378	Create a new local port object and returns its port ID. Initially it has
301	no callbacks set and will throw an error when it receives messages.	379	no callbacks set and will throw an error when it receives messages.
…		…
325	sub _kilme {	403	sub _kilme {
326	die "received message on port without callback";	404	die "received message on port without callback";
327	}	405	}
328		406
329	sub port(;&) {	407	sub port(;&) {
330	my $id = "$UNIQ." . $ID++;	408	my $id = $UNIQ . ++$ID;
331	my $port = "$NODE#$id";	409	my $port = "$NODE#$id";
332		410
333	rcv $port, shift \|\| \&_kilme;	411	rcv $port, shift \|\| \&_kilme;
334		412
335	$port	413	$port
…		…
374	msg1 => sub { ... },	452	msg1 => sub { ... },
375	...	453	...
376	;	454	;
377		455
378	Example: temporarily register a rcv callback for a tag matching some port	456	Example: temporarily register a rcv callback for a tag matching some port
379	(e.g. for a rpc reply) and unregister it after a message was received.	457	(e.g. for an rpc reply) and unregister it after a message was received.
380		458
381	rcv $port, $otherport => sub {	459	rcv $port, $otherport => sub {
382	my @reply = @_;	460	my @reply = @_;
383		461
384	rcv $SELF, $otherport;	462	rcv $SELF, $otherport;
…		…
386		464
387	=cut	465	=cut
388		466
389	sub rcv($@) {	467	sub rcv($@) {
390	my $port = shift;	468	my $port = shift;
391	my ($noderef, $portid) = split /#/, $port, 2;	469	my ($nodeid, $portid) = split /#/, $port, 2;
392		470
393	($NODE{$noderef} \|\| add_node $noderef) == $NODE{""}	471	$NODE{$nodeid} == $NODE{""}
394	or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on local ports, caught";	472	or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on local ports, caught";
395		473
396	while (@_) {	474	while (@_) {
397	if (ref $_[0]) {	475	if (ref $_[0]) {
398	if (my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid}) {	476	if (my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid}) {
399	"AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self	477	"AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self
400	or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";	478	or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
401		479
402	$self->[2] = shift;	480	$self->[0] = shift;
403	} else {	481	} else {
404	my $cb = shift;	482	my $cb = shift;
405	$PORT{$portid} = sub {	483	$PORT{$portid} = sub {
406	local $SELF = $port;	484	local $SELF = $port;
407	eval { &$cb }; _self_die if $@;	485	eval { &$cb }; _self_die if $@;
408	};	486	};
409	}	487	}
410	} elsif (defined $_[0]) {	488	} elsif (defined $_[0]) {
411	my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid} \|\|= do {	489	my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid} \|\|= do {
412	my $self = bless [$PORT{$port} \|\| sub { }, { }, $port], "AnyEvent::MP::Port";	490	my $self = bless [$PORT{$portid} \|\| sub { }, { }, $port], "AnyEvent::MP::Port";
413		491
414	$PORT{$portid} = sub {	492	$PORT{$portid} = sub {
415	local $SELF = $port;	493	local $SELF = $port;
416		494
417	if (my $cb = $self->[1]{$_[0]}) {	495	if (my $cb = $self->[1]{$_[0]}) {
…		…
439	}	517	}
440		518
441	$port	519	$port
442	}	520	}
443		521
		522	=item peval $port, $coderef[, @args]
		523
		524	Evaluates the given C<$codref> within the contetx of C<$port>, that is,
		525	when the code throews an exception the C<$port> will be killed.
		526
		527	Any remaining args will be passed to the callback. Any return values will
		528	be returned to the caller.
		529
		530	This is useful when you temporarily want to execute code in the context of
		531	a port.
		532
		533	Example: create a port and run some initialisation code in it's context.
		534
		535	my $port = port { ... };
		536
		537	peval $port, sub {
		538	init
		539	or die "unable to init";
		540	};
		541
		542	=cut
		543
		544	sub peval($$) {
		545	local $SELF = shift;
		546	my $cb = shift;
		547
		548	if (wantarray) {
		549	my @res = eval { &$cb };
		550	_self_die if $@;
		551	@res
		552	} else {
		553	my $res = eval { &$cb };
		554	_self_die if $@;
		555	$res
		556	}
		557	}
		558
444	=item $closure = psub { BLOCK }	559	=item $closure = psub { BLOCK }
445		560
446	Remembers C<$SELF> and creates a closure out of the BLOCK. When the	561	Remembers C<$SELF> and creates a closure out of the BLOCK. When the
447	closure is executed, sets up the environment in the same way as in C<rcv>	562	closure is executed, sets up the environment in the same way as in C<rcv>
448	callbacks, i.e. runtime errors will cause the port to get C<kil>ed.	563	callbacks, i.e. runtime errors will cause the port to get C<kil>ed.
		564
		565	The effect is basically as if it returned C<< sub { peval $SELF, sub {
		566	BLOCK }, @_ } >>.
449		567
450	This is useful when you register callbacks from C<rcv> callbacks:	568	This is useful when you register callbacks from C<rcv> callbacks:
451		569
452	rcv delayed_reply => sub {	570	rcv delayed_reply => sub {
453	my ($delay, @reply) = @_;	571	my ($delay, @reply) = @_;
…		…
477	$res	595	$res
478	}	596	}
479	}	597	}
480	}	598	}
481		599
482	=item $guard = mon $port, $cb->(@reason)	600	=item $guard = mon $port, $cb->(@reason) # call $cb when $port dies
483		601
484	=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport	602	=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport # kill $rcvport when $port dies
485		603
486	=item $guard = mon $port	604	=item $guard = mon $port # kill $SELF when $port dies
487		605
488	=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport, @msg	606	=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport, @msg # send a message when $port dies
489		607
490	Monitor the given port and do something when the port is killed or	608	Monitor the given port and do something when the port is killed or
491	messages to it were lost, and optionally return a guard that can be used	609	messages to it were lost, and optionally return a guard that can be used
492	to stop monitoring again.	610	to stop monitoring again.
493
494	C<mon> effectively guarantees that, in the absence of hardware failures,
495	that after starting the monitor, either all messages sent to the port
496	will arrive, or the monitoring action will be invoked after possible
497	message loss has been detected. No messages will be lost "in between"
498	(after the first lost message no further messages will be received by the
499	port). After the monitoring action was invoked, further messages might get
500	delivered again.
501		611
502	In the first form (callback), the callback is simply called with any	612	In the first form (callback), the callback is simply called with any
503	number of C<@reason> elements (no @reason means that the port was deleted	613	number of C<@reason> elements (no @reason means that the port was deleted
504	"normally"). Note also that I<< the callback B<must> never die >>, so use	614	"normally"). Note also that I<< the callback B<must> never die >>, so use
505	C<eval> if unsure.	615	C<eval> if unsure.
506		616
507	In the second form (another port given), the other port (C<$rcvport>)	617	In the second form (another port given), the other port (C<$rcvport>)
508	will be C<kil>'ed with C<@reason>, iff a @reason was specified, i.e. on	618	will be C<kil>'ed with C<@reason>, if a @reason was specified, i.e. on
509	"normal" kils nothing happens, while under all other conditions, the other	619	"normal" kils nothing happens, while under all other conditions, the other
510	port is killed with the same reason.	620	port is killed with the same reason.
511		621
512	The third form (kill self) is the same as the second form, except that	622	The third form (kill self) is the same as the second form, except that
513	C<$rvport> defaults to C<$SELF>.	623	C<$rvport> defaults to C<$SELF>.
514		624
515	In the last form (message), a message of the form C<@msg, @reason> will be	625	In the last form (message), a message of the form C<@msg, @reason> will be
516	C<snd>.	626	C<snd>.
		627
		628	Monitoring-actions are one-shot: once messages are lost (and a monitoring
		629	alert was raised), they are removed and will not trigger again.
517		630
518	As a rule of thumb, monitoring requests should always monitor a port from	631	As a rule of thumb, monitoring requests should always monitor a port from
519	a local port (or callback). The reason is that kill messages might get	632	a local port (or callback). The reason is that kill messages might get
520	lost, just like any other message. Another less obvious reason is that	633	lost, just like any other message. Another less obvious reason is that
521	even monitoring requests can get lost (for exmaple, when the connection	634	even monitoring requests can get lost (for example, when the connection
522	to the other node goes down permanently). When monitoring a port locally	635	to the other node goes down permanently). When monitoring a port locally
523	these problems do not exist.	636	these problems do not exist.
524		637
		638	C<mon> effectively guarantees that, in the absence of hardware failures,
		639	after starting the monitor, either all messages sent to the port will
		640	arrive, or the monitoring action will be invoked after possible message
		641	loss has been detected. No messages will be lost "in between" (after
		642	the first lost message no further messages will be received by the
		643	port). After the monitoring action was invoked, further messages might get
		644	delivered again.
		645
		646	Inter-host-connection timeouts and monitoring depend on the transport
		647	used. The only transport currently implemented is TCP, and AnyEvent::MP
		648	relies on TCP to detect node-downs (this can take 10-15 minutes on a
		649	non-idle connection, and usually around two hours for idle connections).
		650
		651	This means that monitoring is good for program errors and cleaning up
		652	stuff eventually, but they are no replacement for a timeout when you need
		653	to ensure some maximum latency.
		654
525	Example: call a given callback when C<$port> is killed.	655	Example: call a given callback when C<$port> is killed.
526		656
527	mon $port, sub { warn "port died because of <@_>\n" };	657	mon $port, sub { warn "port died because of <@_>\n" };
528		658
529	Example: kill ourselves when C<$port> is killed abnormally.	659	Example: kill ourselves when C<$port> is killed abnormally.
…		…
535	mon $port, $self => "restart";	665	mon $port, $self => "restart";
536		666
537	=cut	667	=cut
538		668
539	sub mon {	669	sub mon {
540	my ($noderef, $port) = split /#/, shift, 2;	670	my ($nodeid, $port) = split /#/, shift, 2;
541		671
542	my $node = $NODE{$noderef} \|\| add_node $noderef;	672	my $node = $NODE{$nodeid} \|\| add_node $nodeid;
543		673
544	my $cb = @_ ? shift : $SELF \|\| Carp::croak 'mon: called with one argument only, but $SELF not set,';	674	my $cb = @_ ? shift : $SELF \|\| Carp::croak 'mon: called with one argument only, but $SELF not set,';
545		675
546	unless (ref $cb) {	676	unless (ref $cb) {
547	if (@_) {	677	if (@_) {
…		…
556	}	686	}
557		687
558	$node->monitor ($port, $cb);	688	$node->monitor ($port, $cb);
559		689
560	defined wantarray	690	defined wantarray
561	and AnyEvent::Util::guard { $node->unmonitor ($port, $cb) }	691	and ($cb += 0, Guard::guard { $node->unmonitor ($port, $cb) })
562	}	692	}
563		693
564	=item $guard = mon_guard $port, $ref, $ref...	694	=item $guard = mon_guard $port, $ref, $ref...
565		695
566	Monitors the given C<$port> and keeps the passed references. When the port	696	Monitors the given C<$port> and keeps the passed references. When the port
567	is killed, the references will be freed.	697	is killed, the references will be freed.
568		698
569	Optionally returns a guard that will stop the monitoring.	699	Optionally returns a guard that will stop the monitoring.
570		700
571	This function is useful when you create e.g. timers or other watchers and	701	This function is useful when you create e.g. timers or other watchers and
572	want to free them when the port gets killed:	702	want to free them when the port gets killed (note the use of C<psub>):
573		703
574	$port->rcv (start => sub {	704	$port->rcv (start => sub {
575	my $timer; $timer = mon_guard $port, AE::timer 1, 1, sub {	705	my $timer; $timer = mon_guard $port, AE::timer 1, 1, psub {
576	undef $timer if 0.9 < rand;	706	undef $timer if 0.9 < rand;
577	});	707	});
578	});	708	});
579		709
580	=cut	710	=cut
…		…
589		719
590	=item kil $port[, @reason]	720	=item kil $port[, @reason]
591		721
592	Kill the specified port with the given C<@reason>.	722	Kill the specified port with the given C<@reason>.
593		723
594	If no C<@reason> is specified, then the port is killed "normally" (linked	724	If no C<@reason> is specified, then the port is killed "normally" -
595	ports will not be kileld, or even notified).	725	monitor callback will be invoked, but the kil will not cause linked ports
		726	(C<mon $mport, $lport> form) to get killed.
596		727
597	Otherwise, linked ports get killed with the same reason (second form of	728	If a C<@reason> is specified, then linked ports (C<mon $mport, $lport>
598	C<mon>, see below).	729	form) get killed with the same reason.
599		730
600	Runtime errors while evaluating C<rcv> callbacks or inside C<psub> blocks	731	Runtime errors while evaluating C<rcv> callbacks or inside C<psub> blocks
601	will be reported as reason C<< die => $@ >>.	732	will be reported as reason C<< die => $@ >>.
602		733
603	Transport/communication errors are reported as C<< transport_error =>	734	Transport/communication errors are reported as C<< transport_error =>
…		…
608	=item $port = spawn $node, $initfunc[, @initdata]	739	=item $port = spawn $node, $initfunc[, @initdata]
609		740
610	Creates a port on the node C<$node> (which can also be a port ID, in which	741	Creates a port on the node C<$node> (which can also be a port ID, in which
611	case it's the node where that port resides).	742	case it's the node where that port resides).
612		743
613	The port ID of the newly created port is return immediately, and it is	744	The port ID of the newly created port is returned immediately, and it is
614	permissible to immediately start sending messages or monitor the port.	745	possible to immediately start sending messages or to monitor the port.
615		746
616	After the port has been created, the init function is	747	After the port has been created, the init function is called on the remote
617	called. This function must be a fully-qualified function name	748	node, in the same context as a C<rcv> callback. This function must be a
618	(e.g. C<MyApp::Chat::Server::init>). To specify a function in the main	749	fully-qualified function name (e.g. C<MyApp::Chat::Server::init>). To
619	program, use C<::name>.	750	specify a function in the main program, use C<::name>.
620		751
621	If the function doesn't exist, then the node tries to C<require>	752	If the function doesn't exist, then the node tries to C<require>
622	the package, then the package above the package and so on (e.g.	753	the package, then the package above the package and so on (e.g.
623	C<MyApp::Chat::Server>, C<MyApp::Chat>, C<MyApp>) until the function	754	C<MyApp::Chat::Server>, C<MyApp::Chat>, C<MyApp>) until the function
624	exists or it runs out of package names.	755	exists or it runs out of package names.
625		756
626	The init function is then called with the newly-created port as context	757	The init function is then called with the newly-created port as context
627	object (C<$SELF>) and the C<@initdata> values as arguments.	758	object (C<$SELF>) and the C<@initdata> values as arguments. It I<must>
		759	call one of the C<rcv> functions to set callbacks on C<$SELF>, otherwise
		760	the port might not get created.
628		761
629	A common idiom is to pass your own port, monitor the spawned port, and	762	A common idiom is to pass a local port, immediately monitor the spawned
630	in the init function, monitor the original port. This two-way monitoring	763	port, and in the remote init function, immediately monitor the passed
631	ensures that both ports get cleaned up when there is a problem.	764	local port. This two-way monitoring ensures that both ports get cleaned up
		765	when there is a problem.
		766
		767	C<spawn> guarantees that the C<$initfunc> has no visible effects on the
		768	caller before C<spawn> returns (by delaying invocation when spawn is
		769	called for the local node).
632		770
633	Example: spawn a chat server port on C<$othernode>.	771	Example: spawn a chat server port on C<$othernode>.
634		772
635	# this node, executed from within a port context:	773	# this node, executed from within a port context:
636	my $server = spawn $othernode, "MyApp::Chat::Server::connect", $SELF;	774	my $server = spawn $othernode, "MyApp::Chat::Server::connect", $SELF;
…		…
651		789
652	sub _spawn {	790	sub _spawn {
653	my $port = shift;	791	my $port = shift;
654	my $init = shift;	792	my $init = shift;
655		793
		794	# rcv will create the actual port
656	local $SELF = "$NODE#$port";	795	local $SELF = "$NODE#$port";
657	eval {	796	eval {
658	&{ load_func $init }	797	&{ load_func $init }
659	};	798	};
660	_self_die if $@;	799	_self_die if $@;
661	}	800	}
662		801
663	sub spawn(@) {	802	sub spawn(@) {
664	my ($noderef, undef) = split /#/, shift, 2;	803	my ($nodeid, undef) = split /#/, shift, 2;
665		804
666	my $id = "$RUNIQ." . $ID++;	805	my $id = $RUNIQ . ++$ID;
667		806
668	$_[0] =~ /::/	807	$_[0] =~ /::/
669	or Carp::croak "spawn init function must be a fully-qualified name, caught";	808	or Carp::croak "spawn init function must be a fully-qualified name, caught";
670		809
671	($NODE{$noderef} \|\| add_node $noderef)	810	snd_to_func $nodeid, "AnyEvent::MP::_spawn" => $id, @_;
672	->send (["", "AnyEvent::MP::_spawn" => $id, @_]);
673		811
674	"$noderef#$id"	812	"$nodeid#$id"
675	}	813	}
676		814
		815
		816	=item after $timeout, @msg
		817
		818	=item after $timeout, $callback
		819
		820	Either sends the given message, or call the given callback, after the
		821	specified number of seconds.
		822
		823	This is simply a utility function that comes in handy at times - the
		824	AnyEvent::MP author is not convinced of the wisdom of having it, though,
		825	so it may go away in the future.
		826
		827	=cut
		828
		829	sub after($@) {
		830	my ($timeout, @action) = @_;
		831
		832	my $t; $t = AE::timer $timeout, 0, sub {
		833	undef $t;
		834	ref $action[0]
		835	? $action[0]()
		836	: snd @action;
		837	};
		838	}
		839
		840	=item cal $port, @msg, $callback[, $timeout]
		841
		842	A simple form of RPC - sends a message to the given C<$port> with the
		843	given contents (C<@msg>), but adds a reply port to the message.
		844
		845	The reply port is created temporarily just for the purpose of receiving
		846	the reply, and will be C<kil>ed when no longer needed.
		847
		848	A reply message sent to the port is passed to the C<$callback> as-is.
		849
		850	If an optional time-out (in seconds) is given and it is not C<undef>,
		851	then the callback will be called without any arguments after the time-out
		852	elapsed and the port is C<kil>ed.
		853
		854	If no time-out is given (or it is C<undef>), then the local port will
		855	monitor the remote port instead, so it eventually gets cleaned-up.
		856
		857	Currently this function returns the temporary port, but this "feature"
		858	might go in future versions unless you can make a convincing case that
		859	this is indeed useful for something.
		860
		861	=cut
		862
		863	sub cal(@) {
		864	my $timeout = ref $_[-1] ? undef : pop;
		865	my $cb = pop;
		866
		867	my $port = port {
		868	undef $timeout;
		869	kil $SELF;
		870	&$cb;
		871	};
		872
		873	if (defined $timeout) {
		874	$timeout = AE::timer $timeout, 0, sub {
		875	undef $timeout;
		876	kil $port;
		877	$cb->();
		878	};
		879	} else {
		880	mon $_[0], sub {
		881	kil $port;
		882	$cb->();
		883	};
		884	}
		885
		886	push @_, $port;
		887	&snd;
		888
		889	$port
		890	}
		891
677	=back	892	=back
678		893
679	=head1 NODE MESSAGES	894	=head1 DISTRIBUTED DATABASE
680		895
681	Nodes understand the following messages sent to them. Many of them take	896	AnyEvent::MP comes with a simple distributed database. The database will
682	arguments called C<@reply>, which will simply be used to compose a reply	897	be mirrored asynchronously at all global nodes. Other nodes bind to one of
683	message - C<$reply[0]> is the port to reply to, C<$reply[1]> the type and	898	the global nodes for their needs.
684	the remaining arguments are simply the message data.
685		899
686	While other messages exist, they are not public and subject to change.	900	The database consists of a two-level hash - a hash contains a hash which
		901	contains values.
687		902
		903	The top level hash key is called "family", and the second-level hash key
		904	is called "subkey" or simply "key".
		905
		906	The family must be alphanumeric, i.e. start with a letter and consist
		907	of letters, digits, underscores and colons (C<[A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9_:]*>,
		908	pretty much like Perl module names.
		909
		910	As the family namespace is global, it is recommended to prefix family names
		911	with the name of the application or module using it.
		912
		913	The subkeys must be non-empty strings, with no further restrictions.
		914
		915	The values should preferably be strings, but other perl scalars should
		916	work as well (such as undef, arrays and hashes).
		917
		918	Every database entry is owned by one node - adding the same family/subkey
		919	combination on multiple nodes will not cause discomfort for AnyEvent::MP,
		920	but the result might be nondeterministic, i.e. the key might have
		921	different values on different nodes.
		922
		923	Different subkeys in the same family can be owned by different nodes
		924	without problems, and in fact, this is the common method to create worker
		925	pools. For example, a worker port for image scaling might do this:
		926
		927	db_set my_image_scalers => $port;
		928
		929	And clients looking for an image scaler will want to get the
		930	C<my_image_scalers> keys:
		931
		932	db_keys "my_image_scalers" => 60 => sub {
		933	#d##TODO#
		934
688	=over 4	935	=over
689		936
690	=cut	937	=item db_set $family => $subkey [=> $value]
691		938
692	=item lookup => $name, @reply	939	Sets (or replaces) a key to the database - if C<$value> is omitted,
		940	C<undef> is used instead.
693		941
694	Replies with the port ID of the specified well-known port, or C<undef>.	942	=item db_del $family => $subkey
695		943
696	=item devnull => ...	944	Deletes a key from the database.
697		945
698	Generic data sink/CPU heat conversion.	946	=item $guard = db_reg $family => $subkey [=> $value]
699		947
700	=item relay => $port, @msg	948	Sets the key on the database and returns a guard. When the guard is
		949	destroyed, the key is deleted from the database. If C<$value> is missing,
		950	then C<undef> is used.
701		951
702	Simply forwards the message to the given port.	952	=item $guard = db_mon $family => $cb->($familyhash, \@subkeys...)
703		953
704	=item eval => $string[ @reply]	954	Creates a monitor on the given database family. Each time a key is set or
		955	or is deleted the callback is called with a hash containing the database
		956	family and an arrayref with subkeys that have changed.
705		957
706	Evaluates the given string. If C<@reply> is given, then a message of the	958	Specifically, if one of the passed subkeys exists in the $familyhash, then
707	form C<@reply, $@, @evalres> is sent.	959	it is currently set to the value in the $familyhash. Otherwise, it has
		960	been deleted.
708		961
709	Example: crash another node.	962	The first call will be with the current contents of the family and all
		963	keys, as if they were just added.
710		964
711	snd $othernode, eval => "exit";	965	It is possible that the callback is called with a change event even though
		966	the subkey is already present and the value has not changed.
712		967
713	=item time => @reply	968	The monitoring stops when the guard object is destroyed.
714		969
715	Replies the the current node time to C<@reply>.	970	Example: on every change to the family "mygroup", print out all keys.
716		971
717	Example: tell the current node to send the current time to C<$myport> in a	972	my $guard = db_mon mygroup => sub {
718	C<timereply> message.	973	my ($family, $keys) = @_;
		974	print "mygroup members: ", (join " ", keys %$family), "\n";
		975	};
719		976
720	snd $NODE, time => $myport, timereply => 1, 2;	977	Exmaple: wait until the family "My::Module::workers" is non-empty.
721	# => snd $myport, timereply => 1, 2, <time>	978
		979	my $guard; $guard = db_mon My::Module::workers => sub {
		980	my ($family, $keys) = @_;
		981	return unless %$family;
		982	undef $guard;
		983	print "My::Module::workers now nonempty\n";
		984	};
		985
		986	Example: print all changes to the family "AnyRvent::Fantasy::Module".
		987
		988	my $guard = db_mon AnyRvent::Fantasy::Module => sub {
		989	my ($family, $keys) = @_;
		990
		991	for (@$keys) {
		992	print "$_: ",
		993	(exists $family->{$_}
		994	? $family->{$_}
		995	: "(deleted)"),
		996	"\n";
		997	}
		998	};
		999
		1000	=cut
722		1001
723	=back	1002	=back
724		1003
725	=head1 AnyEvent::MP vs. Distributed Erlang	1004	=head1 AnyEvent::MP vs. Distributed Erlang
726		1005
727	AnyEvent::MP got lots of its ideas from distributed Erlang (Erlang node	1006	AnyEvent::MP got lots of its ideas from distributed Erlang (Erlang node
728	== aemp node, Erlang process == aemp port), so many of the documents and	1007	== aemp node, Erlang process == aemp port), so many of the documents and
729	programming techniques employed by Erlang apply to AnyEvent::MP. Here is a	1008	programming techniques employed by Erlang apply to AnyEvent::MP. Here is a
730	sample:	1009	sample:
731		1010
732	http://www.Erlang.se/doc/programming_rules.shtml	1011	http://www.erlang.se/doc/programming_rules.shtml
733	http://Erlang.org/doc/getting_started/part_frame.html # chapters 3 and 4	1012	http://erlang.org/doc/getting_started/part_frame.html # chapters 3 and 4
734	http://Erlang.org/download/Erlang-book-part1.pdf # chapters 5 and 6	1013	http://erlang.org/download/erlang-book-part1.pdf # chapters 5 and 6
735	http://Erlang.org/download/armstrong_thesis_2003.pdf # chapters 4 and 5	1014	http://erlang.org/download/armstrong_thesis_2003.pdf # chapters 4 and 5
736		1015
737	Despite the similarities, there are also some important differences:	1016	Despite the similarities, there are also some important differences:
738		1017
739	=over 4	1018	=over 4
740		1019
741	=item * Node references contain the recipe on how to contact them.	1020	=item * Node IDs are arbitrary strings in AEMP.
742		1021
743	Erlang relies on special naming and DNS to work everywhere in the	1022	Erlang relies on special naming and DNS to work everywhere in the same
744	same way. AEMP relies on each node knowing it's own address(es), with	1023	way. AEMP relies on each node somehow knowing its own address(es) (e.g. by
745	convenience functionality.	1024	configuration or DNS), and possibly the addresses of some seed nodes, but
746		1025	will otherwise discover other nodes (and their IDs) itself.
747	This means that AEMP requires a less tightly controlled environment at the
748	cost of longer node references and a slightly higher management overhead.
749		1026
750	=item * Erlang has a "remote ports are like local ports" philosophy, AEMP	1027	=item * Erlang has a "remote ports are like local ports" philosophy, AEMP
751	uses "local ports are like remote ports".	1028	uses "local ports are like remote ports".
752		1029
753	The failure modes for local ports are quite different (runtime errors	1030	The failure modes for local ports are quite different (runtime errors
…		…
762	ports being the special case/exception, where transport errors cannot	1039	ports being the special case/exception, where transport errors cannot
763	occur.	1040	occur.
764		1041
765	=item * Erlang uses processes and a mailbox, AEMP does not queue.	1042	=item * Erlang uses processes and a mailbox, AEMP does not queue.
766		1043
767	Erlang uses processes that selectively receive messages, and therefore	1044	Erlang uses processes that selectively receive messages out of order, and
768	needs a queue. AEMP is event based, queuing messages would serve no	1045	therefore needs a queue. AEMP is event based, queuing messages would serve
769	useful purpose. For the same reason the pattern-matching abilities of	1046	no useful purpose. For the same reason the pattern-matching abilities
770	AnyEvent::MP are more limited, as there is little need to be able to	1047	of AnyEvent::MP are more limited, as there is little need to be able to
771	filter messages without dequeing them.	1048	filter messages without dequeuing them.
772		1049
773	(But see L<Coro::MP> for a more Erlang-like process model on top of AEMP).	1050	This is not a philosophical difference, but simply stems from AnyEvent::MP
		1051	being event-based, while Erlang is process-based.
		1052
		1053	You cna have a look at L<Coro::MP> for a more Erlang-like process model on
		1054	top of AEMP and Coro threads.
774		1055
775	=item * Erlang sends are synchronous, AEMP sends are asynchronous.	1056	=item * Erlang sends are synchronous, AEMP sends are asynchronous.
776		1057
777	Sending messages in Erlang is synchronous and blocks the process (and	1058	Sending messages in Erlang is synchronous and blocks the process until
		1059	a conenction has been established and the message sent (and so does not
778	so does not need a queue that can overflow). AEMP sends are immediate,	1060	need a queue that can overflow). AEMP sends return immediately, connection
779	connection establishment is handled in the background.	1061	establishment is handled in the background.
780		1062
781	=item * Erlang suffers from silent message loss, AEMP does not.	1063	=item * Erlang suffers from silent message loss, AEMP does not.
782		1064
783	Erlang makes few guarantees on messages delivery - messages can get lost	1065	Erlang implements few guarantees on messages delivery - messages can get
784	without any of the processes realising it (i.e. you send messages a, b,	1066	lost without any of the processes realising it (i.e. you send messages a,
785	and c, and the other side only receives messages a and c).	1067	b, and c, and the other side only receives messages a and c).
786		1068
787	AEMP guarantees correct ordering, and the guarantee that there are no	1069	AEMP guarantees (modulo hardware errors) correct ordering, and the
		1070	guarantee that after one message is lost, all following ones sent to the
		1071	same port are lost as well, until monitoring raises an error, so there are
788	holes in the message sequence.	1072	no silent "holes" in the message sequence.
789		1073
790	=item * In Erlang, processes can be declared dead and later be found to be	1074	If you want your software to be very reliable, you have to cope with
791	alive.	1075	corrupted and even out-of-order messages in both Erlang and AEMP. AEMP
792		1076	simply tries to work better in common error cases, such as when a network
793	In Erlang it can happen that a monitored process is declared dead and	1077	link goes down.
794	linked processes get killed, but later it turns out that the process is
795	still alive - and can receive messages.
796
797	In AEMP, when port monitoring detects a port as dead, then that port will
798	eventually be killed - it cannot happen that a node detects a port as dead
799	and then later sends messages to it, finding it is still alive.
800		1078
801	=item * Erlang can send messages to the wrong port, AEMP does not.	1079	=item * Erlang can send messages to the wrong port, AEMP does not.
802		1080
803	In Erlang it is quite likely that a node that restarts reuses a process ID	1081	In Erlang it is quite likely that a node that restarts reuses an Erlang
804	known to other nodes for a completely different process, causing messages	1082	process ID known to other nodes for a completely different process,
805	destined for that process to end up in an unrelated process.	1083	causing messages destined for that process to end up in an unrelated
		1084	process.
806		1085
807	AEMP never reuses port IDs, so old messages or old port IDs floating	1086	AEMP does not reuse port IDs, so old messages or old port IDs floating
808	around in the network will not be sent to an unrelated port.	1087	around in the network will not be sent to an unrelated port.
809		1088
810	=item * Erlang uses unprotected connections, AEMP uses secure	1089	=item * Erlang uses unprotected connections, AEMP uses secure
811	authentication and can use TLS.	1090	authentication and can use TLS.
812		1091
813	AEMP can use a proven protocol - SSL/TLS - to protect connections and	1092	AEMP can use a proven protocol - TLS - to protect connections and
814	securely authenticate nodes.	1093	securely authenticate nodes.
815		1094
816	=item * The AEMP protocol is optimised for both text-based and binary	1095	=item * The AEMP protocol is optimised for both text-based and binary
817	communications.	1096	communications.
818		1097
819	The AEMP protocol, unlike the Erlang protocol, supports both	1098	The AEMP protocol, unlike the Erlang protocol, supports both programming
820	language-independent text-only protocols (good for debugging) and binary,	1099	language independent text-only protocols (good for debugging), and binary,
821	language-specific serialisers (e.g. Storable).	1100	language-specific serialisers (e.g. Storable). By default, unless TLS is
		1101	used, the protocol is actually completely text-based.
822		1102
823	It has also been carefully designed to be implementable in other languages	1103	It has also been carefully designed to be implementable in other languages
824	with a minimum of work while gracefully degrading fucntionality to make the	1104	with a minimum of work while gracefully degrading functionality to make the
825	protocol simple.	1105	protocol simple.
826		1106
827	=item * AEMP has more flexible monitoring options than Erlang.	1107	=item * AEMP has more flexible monitoring options than Erlang.
828		1108
829	In Erlang, you can chose to receive I<all> exit signals as messages	1109	In Erlang, you can chose to receive I<all> exit signals as messages or
830	or I<none>, there is no in-between, so monitoring single processes is	1110	I<none>, there is no in-between, so monitoring single Erlang processes is
831	difficult to implement. Monitoring in AEMP is more flexible than in	1111	difficult to implement.
832	Erlang, as one can choose between automatic kill, exit message or callback	1112
833	on a per-process basis.	1113	Monitoring in AEMP is more flexible than in Erlang, as one can choose
		1114	between automatic kill, exit message or callback on a per-port basis.
834		1115
835	=item * Erlang tries to hide remote/local connections, AEMP does not.	1116	=item * Erlang tries to hide remote/local connections, AEMP does not.
836		1117
837	Monitoring in Erlang is not an indicator of process death/crashes,	1118	Monitoring in Erlang is not an indicator of process death/crashes, in the
838	as linking is (except linking is unreliable in Erlang).	1119	same way as linking is (except linking is unreliable in Erlang).
839		1120
840	In AEMP, you don't "look up" registered port names or send to named ports	1121	In AEMP, you don't "look up" registered port names or send to named ports
841	that might or might not be persistent. Instead, you normally spawn a port	1122	that might or might not be persistent. Instead, you normally spawn a port
842	on the remote node. The init function monitors the you, and you monitor	1123	on the remote node. The init function monitors you, and you monitor the
843	the remote port. Since both monitors are local to the node, they are much	1124	remote port. Since both monitors are local to the node, they are much more
844	more reliable.	1125	reliable (no need for C<spawn_link>).
845		1126
846	This also saves round-trips and avoids sending messages to the wrong port	1127	This also saves round-trips and avoids sending messages to the wrong port
847	(hard to do in Erlang).	1128	(hard to do in Erlang).
848		1129
849	=back	1130	=back
850		1131
851	=head1 RATIONALE	1132	=head1 RATIONALE
852		1133
853	=over 4	1134	=over 4
854		1135
855	=item Why strings for ports and noderefs, why not objects?	1136	=item Why strings for port and node IDs, why not objects?
856		1137
857	We considered "objects", but found that the actual number of methods	1138	We considered "objects", but found that the actual number of methods
858	thatc an be called are very low. Since port IDs and noderefs travel over	1139	that can be called are quite low. Since port and node IDs travel over
859	the network frequently, the serialising/deserialising would add lots of	1140	the network frequently, the serialising/deserialising would add lots of
860	overhead, as well as having to keep a proxy object.	1141	overhead, as well as having to keep a proxy object everywhere.
861		1142
862	Strings can easily be printed, easily serialised etc. and need no special	1143	Strings can easily be printed, easily serialised etc. and need no special
863	procedures to be "valid".	1144	procedures to be "valid".
864		1145
865	And a a miniport consists of a single closure stored in a global hash - it	1146	And as a result, a port with just a default receiver consists of a single
866	can't become much cheaper.	1147	code reference stored in a global hash - it can't become much cheaper.
867		1148
868	=item Why favour JSON, why not real serialising format such as Storable?	1149	=item Why favour JSON, why not a real serialising format such as Storable?
869		1150
870	In fact, any AnyEvent::MP node will happily accept Storable as framing	1151	In fact, any AnyEvent::MP node will happily accept Storable as framing
871	format, but currently there is no way to make a node use Storable by	1152	format, but currently there is no way to make a node use Storable by
872	default.	1153	default (although all nodes will accept it).
873		1154
874	The default framing protocol is JSON because a) JSON::XS is many times	1155	The default framing protocol is JSON because a) JSON::XS is many times
875	faster for small messages and b) most importantly, after years of	1156	faster for small messages and b) most importantly, after years of
876	experience we found that object serialisation is causing more problems	1157	experience we found that object serialisation is causing more problems
877	than it gains: Just like function calls, objects simply do not travel	1158	than it solves: Just like function calls, objects simply do not travel
878	easily over the network, mostly because they will always be a copy, so you	1159	easily over the network, mostly because they will always be a copy, so you
879	always have to re-think your design.	1160	always have to re-think your design.
880		1161
881	Keeping your messages simple, concentrating on data structures rather than	1162	Keeping your messages simple, concentrating on data structures rather than
882	objects, will keep your messages clean, tidy and efficient.	1163	objects, will keep your messages clean, tidy and efficient.
883		1164
884	=back	1165	=back
885		1166
886	=head1 SEE ALSO	1167	=head1 SEE ALSO
887		1168
		1169	L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro> - a gentle introduction.
		1170
		1171	L<AnyEvent::MP::Kernel> - more, lower-level, stuff.
		1172
		1173	L<AnyEvent::MP::Global> - network maintenance and port groups, to find
		1174	your applications.
		1175
		1176	L<AnyEvent::MP::DataConn> - establish data connections between nodes.
		1177
		1178	L<AnyEvent::MP::LogCatcher> - simple service to display log messages from
		1179	all nodes.
		1180
888	L<AnyEvent>.	1181	L<AnyEvent>.
889		1182
890	=head1 AUTHOR	1183	=head1 AUTHOR
891		1184
892	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>	1185	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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Revision 1.54 by root, Fri Aug 14 16:15:37 2009 UTC vs.
Revision 1.128 by root, Sun Mar 4 14:28:44 2012 UTC