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Revision 1.31 by root, Wed Aug 5 19:55:58 2009 UTC vs.
Revision 1.155 by root, Sat Sep 18 13:46:56 2021 UTC

1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3AnyEvent::MP - multi-processing/message-passing framework 3AnyEvent::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
12 $SELF # receiving/own port id in rcv callbacks
13
14 # initialise the node so it can send/receive messages
15 configure;
16
17 # ports are message destinations
18
19 # sending messages
13 snd $port, type => data...; 20 snd $port, type => data...;
21 snd $port, @msg;
22 snd @msg_with_first_element_being_a_port;
14 23
15 $SELF # receiving/own port id in rcv callbacks 24 # creating/using ports, the simple way
25 my $simple_port = port { my @msg = @_ };
16 26
17 rcv $port, smartmatch => $cb->($port, @msg); 27 # creating/using ports, tagged message matching
18 28 my $port = port;
19 # examples:
20 rcv $port2, ping => sub { snd $_[0], "pong"; 0 }; 29 rcv $port, ping => sub { snd $_[0], "pong" };
21 rcv $port1, pong => sub { warn "pong received\n" }; 30 rcv $port, pong => sub { warn "pong received\n" };
22 snd $port2, ping => $port1;
23 31
24 # more, smarter, matches (_any_ is exported by this module) 32 # create a port on another node
25 rcv $port, [child_died => $pid] => sub { ... 33 my $port = spawn $node, $initfunc, @initdata;
26 rcv $port, [_any_, _any_, 3] => sub { .. $_[2] is 3 34
35 # destroy a port again
36 kil $port; # "normal" kill
37 kil $port, my_error => "everything is broken"; # error kill
38
39 # monitoring
40 mon $port, $cb->(@msg) # callback is invoked on death
41 mon $port, $localport # kill localport on abnormal death
42 mon $port, $localport, @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 };
51
52 # distributed database - modification
53 db_set $family => $subkey [=> $value] # add a subkey
54 db_del $family => $subkey... # delete one or more subkeys
55 db_reg $family => $port [=> $value] # register a port
56
57 # distributed database - queries
58 db_family $family => $cb->(\%familyhash)
59 db_keys $family => $cb->(\@keys)
60 db_values $family => $cb->(\@values)
61
62 # distributed database - monitoring a family
63 db_mon $family => $cb->(\%familyhash, \@added, \@changed, \@deleted)
27 64
28=head1 DESCRIPTION 65=head1 DESCRIPTION
29 66
30This module (-family) implements a simple message passing framework. 67This module (-family) implements a simple message passing framework.
31 68
32Despite its simplicity, you can securely message other processes running 69Despite its simplicity, you can securely message other processes running
33on the same or other hosts. 70on the same or other hosts, and you can supervise entities remotely.
34 71
35For an introduction to this module family, see the L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro> 72For an introduction to this module family, see the L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro>
36manual page. 73manual page and the examples under F<eg/>.
37
38At the moment, this module family is severly broken and underdocumented,
39so do not use. This was uploaded mainly to reserve the CPAN namespace -
40stay tuned! The basic API should be finished, however.
41 74
42=head1 CONCEPTS 75=head1 CONCEPTS
43 76
44=over 4 77=over 4
45 78
46=item port 79=item port
47 80
48A port is something you can send messages to (with the C<snd> function). 81Not to be confused with a TCP port, a "port" is something you can send
82messages to (with the C<snd> function).
49 83
50Some ports allow you to register C<rcv> handlers that can match specific 84Ports allow you to register C<rcv> handlers that can match all or just
51messages. All C<rcv> handlers will receive messages they match, messages 85some messages. Messages send to ports will not be queued, regardless of
52will not be queued. 86anything was listening for them or not.
53 87
88Ports are represented by (printable) strings called "port IDs".
89
54=item port id - C<noderef#portname> 90=item port ID - C<nodeid#portname>
55 91
56A port id is normaly the concatenation of a noderef, a hash-mark (C<#>) as 92A port ID is the concatenation of a node ID, a hash-mark (C<#>)
57separator, and a port name (a printable string of unspecified format). An 93as separator, and a port name (a printable string of unspecified
58exception is the the node port, whose ID is identical to its node 94format created by AnyEvent::MP).
59reference.
60 95
61=item node 96=item node
62 97
63A node is a single process containing at least one port - the node 98A node is a single process containing at least one port - the node port,
64port. You can send messages to node ports to find existing ports or to 99which enables nodes to manage each other remotely, and to create new
65create new ports, among other things. 100ports.
66 101
67Nodes are either private (single-process only), slaves (connected to a 102Nodes are either public (have one or more listening ports) or private
68master node only) or public nodes (connectable from unrelated nodes). 103(no listening ports). Private nodes cannot talk to other private nodes
104currently, but all nodes can talk to public nodes.
69 105
70=item noderef - C<host:port,host:port...>, C<id@noderef>, C<id> 106Nodes is represented by (printable) strings called "node IDs".
71 107
72A node reference is a string that either simply identifies the node (for 108=item node ID - C<[A-Za-z0-9_\-.:]*>
73private and slave nodes), or contains a recipe on how to reach a given
74node (for public nodes).
75 109
76This recipe is simply a comma-separated list of C<address:port> pairs (for 110A node ID is a string that uniquely identifies the node within a
77TCP/IP, other protocols might look different). 111network. Depending on the configuration used, node IDs can look like a
112hostname, a hostname and a port, or a random string. AnyEvent::MP itself
113doesn't interpret node IDs in any way except to uniquely identify a node.
78 114
79Node references come in two flavours: resolved (containing only numerical 115=item binds - C<ip:port>
80addresses) or unresolved (where hostnames are used instead of addresses).
81 116
82Before using an unresolved node reference in a message you first have to 117Nodes can only talk to each other by creating some kind of connection to
83resolve it. 118each other. To do this, nodes should listen on one or more local transport
119endpoints - binds.
120
121Currently, only standard C<ip:port> specifications can be used, which
122specify TCP ports to listen on. So a bind is basically just a tcp socket
123in listening mode that accepts connections from other nodes.
124
125=item seed nodes
126
127When a node starts, it knows nothing about the network it is in - it
128needs to connect to at least one other node that is already in the
129network. These other nodes are called "seed nodes".
130
131Seed nodes themselves are not special - they are seed nodes only because
132some other node I<uses> them as such, but any node can be used as seed
133node for other nodes, and eahc node can use a different set of seed nodes.
134
135In addition to discovering the network, seed nodes are also used to
136maintain the network - all nodes using the same seed node are part of the
137same network. If a network is split into multiple subnets because e.g. the
138network link between the parts goes down, then using the same seed nodes
139for all nodes ensures that eventually the subnets get merged again.
140
141Seed nodes are expected to be long-running, and at least one seed node
142should always be available. They should also be relatively responsive - a
143seed node that blocks for long periods will slow down everybody else.
144
145For small networks, it's best if every node uses the same set of seed
146nodes. For large networks, it can be useful to specify "regional" seed
147nodes for most nodes in an area, and use all seed nodes as seed nodes for
148each other. What's important is that all seed nodes connections form a
149complete graph, so that the network cannot split into separate subnets
150forever.
151
152Seed nodes are represented by seed IDs.
153
154=item seed IDs - C<host:port>
155
156Seed IDs are transport endpoint(s) (usually a hostname/IP address and a
157TCP port) of nodes that should be used as seed nodes.
158
159=item global nodes
160
161An AEMP network needs a discovery service - nodes need to know how to
162connect to other nodes they only know by name. In addition, AEMP offers a
163distributed "group database", which maps group names to a list of strings
164- for example, to register worker ports.
165
166A network needs at least one global node to work, and allows every node to
167be a global node.
168
169Any node that loads the L<AnyEvent::MP::Global> module becomes a global
170node and tries to keep connections to all other nodes. So while it can
171make sense to make every node "global" in small networks, it usually makes
172sense to only make seed nodes into global nodes in large networks (nodes
173keep connections to seed nodes and global nodes, so making them the same
174reduces overhead).
84 175
85=back 176=back
86 177
87=head1 VARIABLES/FUNCTIONS 178=head1 VARIABLES/FUNCTIONS
88 179
90 181
91=cut 182=cut
92 183
93package AnyEvent::MP; 184package AnyEvent::MP;
94 185
186use AnyEvent::MP::Config ();
95use AnyEvent::MP::Base; 187use AnyEvent::MP::Kernel;
188use AnyEvent::MP::Kernel qw(
189 %NODE %PORT %PORT_DATA $UNIQ $RUNIQ $ID
190 add_node load_func
191
192 NODE $NODE
193 configure
194 node_of port_is_local
195 snd kil
196 db_set db_del
197 db_mon db_family db_keys db_values
198);
96 199
97use common::sense; 200use common::sense;
98 201
99use Carp (); 202use Carp ();
100 203
101use AE (); 204use AnyEvent ();
205use Guard ();
102 206
103use base "Exporter"; 207use base "Exporter";
104 208
105our $VERSION = '0.1'; 209our $VERSION = '2.02'; # also in MP/Config.pm
210
106our @EXPORT = qw( 211our @EXPORT = qw(
107 NODE $NODE *SELF node_of _any_ 212 configure
108 resolve_node initialise_node 213
109 snd rcv mon kil reg psub 214 NODE $NODE
110 port 215 *SELF
216
217 node_of port_is_local
218
219 snd kil
220 port rcv mon mon_guard psub peval spawn cal
221 db_set db_del db_reg
222 db_mon db_family db_keys db_values
223
224 after
111); 225);
112 226
113our $SELF; 227our $SELF;
114 228
115sub _self_die() { 229sub _self_die() {
118 kil $SELF, die => $msg; 232 kil $SELF, die => $msg;
119} 233}
120 234
121=item $thisnode = NODE / $NODE 235=item $thisnode = NODE / $NODE
122 236
123The C<NODE> function returns, and the C<$NODE> variable contains 237The C<NODE> function returns, and the C<$NODE> variable contains, the node
124the noderef of the local node. The value is initialised by a call 238ID of the node running in the current process. This value is initialised by
125to C<become_public> or C<become_slave>, after which all local port 239a call to C<configure>.
126identifiers become invalid.
127 240
128=item $noderef = node_of $portid 241=item $nodeid = node_of $port
129 242
130Extracts and returns the noderef from a portid or a noderef. 243Extracts and returns the node ID from a port ID or a node ID.
131 244
132=item $cv = resolve_node $noderef 245=item $is_local = port_is_local $port
133 246
134Takes an unresolved node reference that may contain hostnames and 247Returns true iff the port is a local port.
135abbreviated IDs, resolves all of them and returns a resolved node
136reference.
137 248
138In addition to C<address:port> pairs allowed in resolved noderefs, the 249=item configure $profile, key => value...
139following forms are supported: 250
251=item configure key => value...
252
253Before a node can talk to other nodes on the network (i.e. enter
254"distributed mode") it has to configure itself - the minimum a node needs
255to know is its own name, and optionally it should know the addresses of
256some other nodes in the network to discover other nodes.
257
258This function configures a node - it must be called exactly once (or
259never) before calling other AnyEvent::MP functions.
260
261The key/value pairs are basically the same ones as documented for the
262F<aemp> command line utility (sans the set/del prefix), with these additions:
140 263
141=over 4 264=over 4
142 265
143=item the empty string 266=item norc => $boolean (default false)
144 267
145An empty-string component gets resolved as if the default port (4040) was 268If true, then the rc file (e.g. F<~/.perl-anyevent-mp>) will I<not>
146specified. 269be consulted - all configuration options must be specified in the
270C<configure> call.
147 271
148=item naked port numbers (e.g. C<1234>) 272=item force => $boolean (default false)
149 273
150These are resolved by prepending the local nodename and a colon, to be 274IF true, then the values specified in the C<configure> will take
151further resolved. 275precedence over any values configured via the rc file. The default is for
152 276the rc file to override any options specified in the program.
153=item hostnames (e.g. C<localhost:1234>, C<localhost>)
154
155These are resolved by using AnyEvent::DNS to resolve them, optionally
156looking up SRV records for the C<aemp=4040> port, if no port was
157specified.
158 277
159=back 278=back
279
280=over 4
281
282=item step 1, gathering configuration from profiles
283
284The function first looks up a profile in the aemp configuration (see the
285L<aemp> commandline utility). The profile name can be specified via the
286named C<profile> parameter or can simply be the first parameter). If it is
287missing, then the nodename (F<uname -n>) will be used as profile name.
288
289The profile data is then gathered as follows:
290
291First, all remaining key => value pairs (all of which are conveniently
292undocumented at the moment) will be interpreted as configuration
293data. Then they will be overwritten by any values specified in the global
294default configuration (see the F<aemp> utility), then the chain of
295profiles chosen by the profile name (and any C<parent> attributes).
296
297That means that the values specified in the profile have highest priority
298and the values specified directly via C<configure> have lowest priority,
299and can only be used to specify defaults.
300
301If the profile specifies a node ID, then this will become the node ID of
302this process. If not, then the profile name will be used as node ID, with
303a unique randoms tring (C</%u>) appended.
304
305The node ID can contain some C<%> sequences that are expanded: C<%n>
306is expanded to the local nodename, C<%u> is replaced by a random
307string to make the node unique. For example, the F<aemp> commandline
308utility uses C<aemp/%n/%u> as nodename, which might expand to
309C<aemp/cerebro/ZQDGSIkRhEZQDGSIkRhE>.
310
311=item step 2, bind listener sockets
312
313The next step is to look up the binds in the profile, followed by binding
314aemp protocol listeners on all binds specified (it is possible and valid
315to have no binds, meaning that the node cannot be contacted from the
316outside. This means the node cannot talk to other nodes that also have no
317binds, but it can still talk to all "normal" nodes).
318
319If the profile does not specify a binds list, then a default of C<*> is
320used, meaning the node will bind on a dynamically-assigned port on every
321local IP address it finds.
322
323=item step 3, connect to seed nodes
324
325As the last step, the seed ID list from the profile is passed to the
326L<AnyEvent::MP::Global> module, which will then use it to keep
327connectivity with at least one node at any point in time.
328
329=back
330
331Example: become a distributed node using the local node name as profile.
332This should be the most common form of invocation for "daemon"-type nodes.
333
334 configure
335
336Example: become a semi-anonymous node. This form is often used for
337commandline clients.
338
339 configure nodeid => "myscript/%n/%u";
340
341Example: configure a node using a profile called seed, which is suitable
342for a seed node as it binds on all local addresses on a fixed port (4040,
343customary for aemp).
344
345 # use the aemp commandline utility
346 # aemp profile seed binds '*:4040'
347
348 # then use it
349 configure profile => "seed";
350
351 # or simply use aemp from the shell again:
352 # aemp run profile seed
353
354 # or provide a nicer-to-remember nodeid
355 # aemp run profile seed nodeid "$(hostname)"
160 356
161=item $SELF 357=item $SELF
162 358
163Contains the current port id while executing C<rcv> callbacks or C<psub> 359Contains the current port id while executing C<rcv> callbacks or C<psub>
164blocks. 360blocks.
165 361
166=item SELF, %SELF, @SELF... 362=item *SELF, SELF, %SELF, @SELF...
167 363
168Due to some quirks in how perl exports variables, it is impossible to 364Due to some quirks in how perl exports variables, it is impossible to
169just export C<$SELF>, all the symbols called C<SELF> are exported by this 365just export C<$SELF>, all the symbols named C<SELF> are exported by this
170module, but only C<$SELF> is currently used. 366module, but only C<$SELF> is currently used.
171 367
172=item snd $portid, type => @data 368=item snd $port, type => @data
173 369
174=item snd $portid, @msg 370=item snd $port, @msg
175 371
176Send the given message to the given port ID, which can identify either 372Send the given message to the given port, which can identify either a
177a local or a remote port, and can be either a string or soemthignt hat 373local or a remote port, and must be a port ID.
178stringifies a sa port ID (such as a port object :).
179 374
180While the message can be about anything, it is highly recommended to use a 375While the message can be almost anything, it is highly recommended to
181string as first element (a portid, or some word that indicates a request 376use a string as first element (a port ID, or some word that indicates a
182type etc.). 377request type etc.) and to consist if only simple perl values (scalars,
378arrays, hashes) - if you think you need to pass an object, think again.
183 379
184The message data effectively becomes read-only after a call to this 380The message data logically becomes read-only after a call to this
185function: modifying any argument is not allowed and can cause many 381function: modifying any argument (or values referenced by them) is
186problems. 382forbidden, as there can be considerable time between the call to C<snd>
383and the time the message is actually being serialised - in fact, it might
384never be copied as within the same process it is simply handed to the
385receiving port.
187 386
188The type of data you can transfer depends on the transport protocol: when 387The type of data you can transfer depends on the transport protocol: when
189JSON is used, then only strings, numbers and arrays and hashes consisting 388JSON is used, then only strings, numbers and arrays and hashes consisting
190of those are allowed (no objects). When Storable is used, then anything 389of those are allowed (no objects). When Storable is used, then anything
191that Storable can serialise and deserialise is allowed, and for the local 390that Storable can serialise and deserialise is allowed, and for the local
192node, anything can be passed. 391node, anything can be passed. Best rely only on the common denominator of
392these.
193 393
194=item kil $portid[, @reason] 394=item $local_port = port
195 395
196Kill the specified port with the given C<@reason>. 396Create a new local port object and returns its port ID. Initially it has
397no callbacks set and will throw an error when it receives messages.
197 398
198If no C<@reason> is specified, then the port is killed "normally" (linked 399=item $local_port = port { my @msg = @_ }
199ports will not be kileld, or even notified).
200 400
201Otherwise, linked ports get killed with the same reason (second form of 401Creates a new local port, and returns its ID. Semantically the same as
202C<mon>, see below). 402creating a port and calling C<rcv $port, $callback> on it.
203 403
204Runtime errors while evaluating C<rcv> callbacks or inside C<psub> blocks 404The block will be called for every message received on the port, with the
205will be reported as reason C<< die => $@ >>. 405global variable C<$SELF> set to the port ID. Runtime errors will cause the
406port to be C<kil>ed. The message will be passed as-is, no extra argument
407(i.e. no port ID) will be passed to the callback.
206 408
207Transport/communication errors are reported as C<< transport_error => 409If you want to stop/destroy the port, simply C<kil> it:
208$message >>.
209 410
210=item $guard = mon $portid, $cb->(@reason) 411 my $port = port {
412 my @msg = @_;
413 ...
414 kil $SELF;
415 };
211 416
212=item $guard = mon $portid, $otherport 417=cut
213 418
214=item $guard = mon $portid, $otherport, @msg 419sub rcv($@);
215 420
421my $KILME = sub {
422 (my $tag = substr $_[0], 0, 30) =~ s/([^\x20-\x7e])/./g;
423 kil $SELF, unhandled_message => "no callback found for message '$tag'";
424};
425
426sub port(;&) {
427 my $id = $UNIQ . ++$ID;
428 my $port = "$NODE#$id";
429
430 rcv $port, shift || $KILME;
431
432 $port
433}
434
435=item rcv $local_port, $callback->(@msg)
436
437Replaces the default callback on the specified port. There is no way to
438remove the default callback: use C<sub { }> to disable it, or better
439C<kil> the port when it is no longer needed.
440
441The global C<$SELF> (exported by this module) contains C<$port> while
442executing the callback. Runtime errors during callback execution will
443result in the port being C<kil>ed.
444
445The default callback receives all messages not matched by a more specific
446C<tag> match.
447
448=item rcv $local_port, tag => $callback->(@msg_without_tag), ...
449
450Register (or replace) callbacks to be called on messages starting with the
451given tag on the given port (and return the port), or unregister it (when
452C<$callback> is C<$undef> or missing). There can only be one callback
453registered for each tag.
454
455The original message will be passed to the callback, after the first
456element (the tag) has been removed. The callback will use the same
457environment as the default callback (see above).
458
459Example: create a port and bind receivers on it in one go.
460
461 my $port = rcv port,
462 msg1 => sub { ... },
463 msg2 => sub { ... },
464 ;
465
466Example: create a port, bind receivers and send it in a message elsewhere
467in one go:
468
469 snd $otherport, reply =>
470 rcv port,
471 msg1 => sub { ... },
472 ...
473 ;
474
475Example: temporarily register a rcv callback for a tag matching some port
476(e.g. for an rpc reply) and unregister it after a message was received.
477
478 rcv $port, $otherport => sub {
479 my @reply = @_;
480
481 rcv $SELF, $otherport;
482 };
483
484=cut
485
486sub rcv($@) {
487 my $port = shift;
488 my ($nodeid, $portid) = split /#/, $port, 2;
489
490 $nodeid eq $NODE
491 or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on local ports, caught";
492
493 while (@_) {
494 if (ref $_[0]) {
495 if (my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid}) {
496 "AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self
497 or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
498
499 $self->[0] = shift;
500 } else {
501 my $cb = shift;
502 $PORT{$portid} = sub {
503 local $SELF = $port;
504 eval { &$cb }; _self_die if $@;
505 };
506 }
507 } elsif (defined $_[0]) {
508 my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid} ||= do {
509 my $self = bless [$PORT{$portid} || sub { }, { }, $port], "AnyEvent::MP::Port";
510
511 $PORT{$portid} = sub {
512 local $SELF = $port;
513
514 if (my $cb = $self->[1]{$_[0]}) {
515 shift;
516 eval { &$cb }; _self_die if $@;
517 } else {
518 &{ $self->[0] };
519 }
520 };
521
522 $self
523 };
524
525 "AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self
526 or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
527
528 my ($tag, $cb) = splice @_, 0, 2;
529
530 if (defined $cb) {
531 $self->[1]{$tag} = $cb;
532 } else {
533 delete $self->[1]{$tag};
534 }
535 }
536 }
537
538 $port
539}
540
541=item peval $port, $coderef[, @args]
542
543Evaluates the given C<$codref> within the context of C<$port>, that is,
544when the code throws an exception the C<$port> will be killed.
545
546Any remaining args will be passed to the callback. Any return values will
547be returned to the caller.
548
549This is useful when you temporarily want to execute code in the context of
550a port.
551
552Example: create a port and run some initialisation code in it's context.
553
554 my $port = port { ... };
555
556 peval $port, sub {
557 init
558 or die "unable to init";
559 };
560
561=cut
562
563sub peval($$) {
564 local $SELF = shift;
565 my $cb = shift;
566
567 if (wantarray) {
568 my @res = eval { &$cb };
569 _self_die if $@;
570 @res
571 } else {
572 my $res = eval { &$cb };
573 _self_die if $@;
574 $res
575 }
576}
577
578=item $closure = psub { BLOCK }
579
580Remembers C<$SELF> and creates a closure out of the BLOCK. When the
581closure is executed, sets up the environment in the same way as in C<rcv>
582callbacks, i.e. runtime errors will cause the port to get C<kil>ed.
583
584The effect is basically as if it returned C<< sub { peval $SELF, sub {
585BLOCK }, @_ } >>.
586
587This is useful when you register callbacks from C<rcv> callbacks:
588
589 rcv delayed_reply => sub {
590 my ($delay, @reply) = @_;
591 my $timer = AE::timer $delay, 0, psub {
592 snd @reply, $SELF;
593 };
594 };
595
596=cut
597
598sub psub(&) {
599 my $cb = shift;
600
601 my $port = $SELF
602 or Carp::croak "psub can only be called from within rcv or psub callbacks, not";
603
604 sub {
605 local $SELF = $port;
606
607 if (wantarray) {
608 my @res = eval { &$cb };
609 _self_die if $@;
610 @res
611 } else {
612 my $res = eval { &$cb };
613 _self_die if $@;
614 $res
615 }
616 }
617}
618
619=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport # kill $rcvport when $port dies
620
621=item $guard = mon $port # kill $SELF when $port dies
622
623=item $guard = mon $port, $cb->(@reason) # call $cb when $port dies
624
625=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport, @msg # send a message when $port dies
626
216Monitor the given port and do something when the port is killed. 627Monitor the given port and do something when the port is killed or
628messages to it were lost, and optionally return a guard that can be used
629to stop monitoring again.
217 630
218In the first form, the callback is simply called with any number 631The first two forms distinguish between "normal" and "abnormal" kil's:
632
633In the first form (another port given), if the C<$port> is C<kil>'ed with
634a non-empty reason, the other port (C<$rcvport>) will be kil'ed with the
635same reason. That is, on "normal" kil's nothing happens, while under all
636other conditions, the other port is killed with the same reason.
637
638The second form (kill self) is the same as the first form, except that
639C<$rvport> defaults to C<$SELF>.
640
641The remaining forms don't distinguish between "normal" and "abnormal" kil's
642- it's up to the callback or receiver to check whether the C<@reason> is
643empty and act accordingly.
644
645In the third form (callback), the callback is simply called with any
219of C<@reason> elements (no @reason means that the port was deleted 646number of C<@reason> elements (empty @reason means that the port was deleted
220"normally"). Note also that I<< the callback B<must> never die >>, so use 647"normally"). Note also that I<< the callback B<must> never die >>, so use
221C<eval> if unsure. 648C<eval> if unsure.
222 649
223In the second form, the other port will be C<kil>'ed with C<@reason>, iff 650In the last form (message), a message of the form C<$rcvport, @msg,
224a @reason was specified, i.e. on "normal" kils nothing happens, while 651@reason> will be C<snd>.
225under all other conditions, the other port is killed with the same reason.
226 652
227In the last form, a message of the form C<@msg, @reason> will be C<snd>. 653Monitoring-actions are one-shot: once messages are lost (and a monitoring
654alert was raised), they are removed and will not trigger again, even if it
655turns out that the port is still alive (but monitoring actions added after
656that will again trigger).
657
658As a rule of thumb, monitoring requests should always monitor a remote
659port locally (using a local C<$rcvport> or a callback). The reason is that
660kill messages might get lost, just like any other message. Another less
661obvious reason is that even monitoring requests can get lost (for example,
662when the connection to the other node goes down permanently). When
663monitoring a port locally these problems do not exist.
664
665C<mon> effectively guarantees that, in the absence of hardware failures,
666after starting the monitor, either all messages sent to the port will
667arrive, or the monitoring action will be invoked after possible message
668loss has been detected. No messages will be lost "in between" (after
669the first lost message no further messages will be received by the
670port). After the monitoring action was invoked, further messages might get
671delivered again.
672
673Inter-host-connection timeouts and monitoring depend on the transport
674used. The only transport currently implemented is TCP, and AnyEvent::MP
675relies on TCP to detect node-downs (this can take 10-15 minutes on a
676non-idle connection, and usually around two hours for idle connections).
677
678This means that monitoring is good for program errors and cleaning up
679stuff eventually, but they are no replacement for a timeout when you need
680to ensure some maximum latency.
228 681
229Example: call a given callback when C<$port> is killed. 682Example: call a given callback when C<$port> is killed.
230 683
231 mon $port, sub { warn "port died because of <@_>\n" }; 684 mon $port, sub { warn "port died because of <@_>\n" };
232 685
233Example: kill ourselves when C<$port> is killed abnormally. 686Example: kill ourselves when C<$port> is killed abnormally.
234 687
235 mon $port, $self; 688 mon $port;
236 689
237Example: send us a restart message another C<$port> is killed. 690Example: send us a restart message when another C<$port> is killed.
238 691
239 mon $port, $self => "restart"; 692 mon $port, $self => "restart";
240 693
241=cut 694=cut
242 695
243sub mon { 696sub mon {
244 my ($noderef, $port) = split /#/, shift, 2; 697 my ($nodeid, $port) = split /#/, shift, 2;
245 698
246 my $node = $NODE{$noderef} || add_node $noderef; 699 my $node = $NODE{$nodeid} || add_node $nodeid;
247 700
248 my $cb = shift; 701 my $cb = @_ ? shift : $SELF || Carp::croak 'mon: called with one argument only, but $SELF not set,';
249 702
250 unless (ref $cb) { 703 unless (ref $cb) {
251 if (@_) { 704 if (@_) {
252 # send a kill info message 705 # send a kill info message
253 my (@msg) = ($cb, @_); 706 my (@msg) = ($cb, @_);
260 } 713 }
261 714
262 $node->monitor ($port, $cb); 715 $node->monitor ($port, $cb);
263 716
264 defined wantarray 717 defined wantarray
265 and AnyEvent::Util::guard { $node->unmonitor ($port, $cb) } 718 and ($cb += 0, Guard::guard { $node->unmonitor ($port, $cb) })
266} 719}
267 720
268=item $guard = mon_guard $port, $ref, $ref... 721=item $guard = mon_guard $port, $ref, $ref...
269 722
270Monitors the given C<$port> and keeps the passed references. When the port 723Monitors the given C<$port> and keeps the passed references. When the port
271is killed, the references will be freed. 724is killed, the references will be freed.
272 725
273Optionally returns a guard that will stop the monitoring. 726Optionally returns a guard that will stop the monitoring.
274 727
275This function is useful when you create e.g. timers or other watchers and 728This function is useful when you create e.g. timers or other watchers and
276want to free them when the port gets killed: 729want to free them when the port gets killed (note the use of C<psub>):
277 730
278 $port->rcv (start => sub { 731 $port->rcv (start => sub {
279 my $timer; $timer = mon_guard $port, AE::timer 1, 1, sub { 732 my $timer; $timer = mon_guard $port, AE::timer 1, 1, psub {
280 undef $timer if 0.9 < rand; 733 undef $timer if 0.9 < rand;
281 }); 734 });
282 }); 735 });
283 736
284=cut 737=cut
285 738
286sub mon_guard { 739sub mon_guard {
287 my ($port, @refs) = @_; 740 my ($port, @refs) = @_;
288 741
742 #TODO: mon-less form?
743
289 mon $port, sub { 0 && @refs } 744 mon $port, sub { 0 && @refs }
290} 745}
291 746
292=item lnk $port1, $port2 747=item kil $port[, @reason]
293 748
294Link two ports. This is simply a shorthand for: 749Kill the specified port with the given C<@reason>.
295 750
296 mon $port1, $port2; 751If no C<@reason> is specified, then the port is killed "normally" -
297 mon $port2, $port1; 752monitor callback will be invoked, but the kil will not cause linked ports
753(C<mon $mport, $lport> form) to get killed.
298 754
299It means that if either one is killed abnormally, the other one gets 755If a C<@reason> is specified, then linked ports (C<mon $mport, $lport>
300killed as well. 756form) get killed with the same reason.
301 757
302=item $local_port = port 758Runtime errors while evaluating C<rcv> callbacks or inside C<psub> blocks
759will be reported as reason C<< die => $@ >>.
303 760
304Create a new local port object that can be used either as a pattern 761Transport/communication errors are reported as C<< transport_error =>
305matching port ("full port") or a single-callback port ("miniport"), 762$message >>.
306depending on how C<rcv> callbacks are bound to the object.
307 763
308=item $portid = port { my @msg = @_; $finished } 764Common idioms:
309 765
310Creates a "mini port", that is, a very lightweight port without any 766 # silently remove yourself, do not kill linked ports
311pattern matching behind it, and returns its ID. 767 kil $SELF;
312 768
313The block will be called for every message received on the port. When the 769 # report a failure in some detail
314callback returns a true value its job is considered "done" and the port 770 kil $SELF, failure_mode_1 => "it failed with too high temperature";
315will be destroyed. Otherwise it will stay alive.
316 771
317The message will be passed as-is, no extra argument (i.e. no port id) will 772 # do not waste much time with killing, just die when something goes wrong
318be passed to the callback. 773 open my $fh, "<file"
774 or die "file: $!";
319 775
320If you need the local port id in the callback, this works nicely: 776=item $port = spawn $node, $initfunc[, @initdata]
321 777
322 my $port; $port = port { 778Creates a port on the node C<$node> (which can also be a port ID, in which
323 snd $otherport, reply => $port; 779case it's the node where that port resides).
780
781The port ID of the newly created port is returned immediately, and it is
782possible to immediately start sending messages or to monitor the port.
783
784After the port has been created, the init function is called on the remote
785node, in the same context as a C<rcv> callback. This function must be a
786fully-qualified function name (e.g. C<MyApp::Chat::Server::init>). To
787specify a function in the main program, use C<::name>.
788
789If the function doesn't exist, then the node tries to C<require>
790the package, then the package above the package and so on (e.g.
791C<MyApp::Chat::Server>, C<MyApp::Chat>, C<MyApp>) until the function
792exists or it runs out of package names.
793
794The init function is then called with the newly-created port as context
795object (C<$SELF>) and the C<@initdata> values as arguments. It I<must>
796call one of the C<rcv> functions to set callbacks on C<$SELF>, otherwise
797the port might not get created.
798
799A common idiom is to pass a local port, immediately monitor the spawned
800port, and in the remote init function, immediately monitor the passed
801local port. This two-way monitoring ensures that both ports get cleaned up
802when there is a problem.
803
804C<spawn> guarantees that the C<$initfunc> has no visible effects on the
805caller before C<spawn> returns (by delaying invocation when spawn is
806called for the local node).
807
808Example: spawn a chat server port on C<$othernode>.
809
810 # this node, executed from within a port context:
811 my $server = spawn $othernode, "MyApp::Chat::Server::connect", $SELF;
812 mon $server;
813
814 # init function on C<$othernode>
815 sub connect {
816 my ($srcport) = @_;
817
818 mon $srcport;
819
820 rcv $SELF, sub {
821 ...
822 };
823 }
824
825=cut
826
827sub _spawn {
828 my $port = shift;
829 my $init = shift;
830
831 # rcv will create the actual port
832 local $SELF = "$NODE#$port";
833 eval {
834 &{ load_func $init }
324 }; 835 };
836 _self_die if $@;
837}
838
839sub spawn(@) {
840 my ($nodeid, undef) = split /#/, shift, 2;
841
842 my $id = $RUNIQ . ++$ID;
843
844 $_[0] =~ /::/
845 or Carp::croak "spawn init function must be a fully-qualified name, caught";
846
847 snd_to_func $nodeid, "AnyEvent::MP::_spawn" => $id, @_;
848
849 "$nodeid#$id"
850}
851
852
853=item after $timeout, @msg
854
855=item after $timeout, $callback
856
857Either sends the given message, or call the given callback, after the
858specified number of seconds.
859
860This is simply a utility function that comes in handy at times - the
861AnyEvent::MP author is not convinced of the wisdom of having it, though,
862so it may go away in the future.
325 863
326=cut 864=cut
327 865
328sub port(;&) { 866sub after($@) {
329 my $id = "$UNIQ." . $ID++; 867 my ($timeout, @action) = @_;
330 my $port = "$NODE#$id";
331 868
332 if (@_) { 869 my $t; $t = AE::timer $timeout, 0, sub {
333 my $cb = shift; 870 undef $t;
334 $PORT{$id} = sub { 871 ref $action[0]
335 local $SELF = $port; 872 ? $action[0]()
336 eval { 873 : snd @action;
337 &$cb 874 };
338 and kil $id; 875}
339 }; 876
340 _self_die if $@; 877#=item $cb2 = timeout $seconds, $cb[, @args]
878
879=item cal $port, @msg, $callback[, $timeout]
880
881A simple form of RPC - sends a message to the given C<$port> with the
882given contents (C<@msg>), but appends a reply port to the message.
883
884The reply port is created temporarily just for the purpose of receiving
885the reply, and will be C<kil>ed when no longer needed.
886
887A reply message sent to the port is passed to the C<$callback> as-is.
888
889If an optional time-out (in seconds) is given and it is not C<undef>,
890then the callback will be called without any arguments after the time-out
891elapsed and the port is C<kil>ed.
892
893If no time-out is given (or it is C<undef>), then the local port will
894monitor the remote port instead, so it eventually gets cleaned-up.
895
896Currently this function returns the temporary port, but this "feature"
897might go in future versions unless you can make a convincing case that
898this is indeed useful for something.
899
900=cut
901
902sub cal(@) {
903 my $timeout = ref $_[-1] ? undef : pop;
904 my $cb = pop;
905
906 my $port = port {
907 undef $timeout;
908 kil $SELF;
909 &$cb;
910 };
911
912 if (defined $timeout) {
913 $timeout = AE::timer $timeout, 0, sub {
914 undef $timeout;
915 kil $port;
916 $cb->();
341 }; 917 };
342 } else { 918 } else {
343 my $self = bless { 919 mon $_[0], sub {
344 id => "$NODE#$id", 920 kil $port;
345 }, "AnyEvent::MP::Port"; 921 $cb->();
346
347 $PORT_DATA{$id} = $self;
348 $PORT{$id} = sub {
349 local $SELF = $port;
350
351 eval {
352 for (@{ $self->{rc0}{$_[0]} }) {
353 $_ && &{$_->[0]}
354 && undef $_;
355 }
356
357 for (@{ $self->{rcv}{$_[0]} }) {
358 $_ && [@_[1 .. @{$_->[1]}]] ~~ $_->[1]
359 && &{$_->[0]}
360 && undef $_;
361 }
362
363 for (@{ $self->{any} }) {
364 $_ && [@_[0 .. $#{$_->[1]}]] ~~ $_->[1]
365 && &{$_->[0]}
366 && undef $_;
367 }
368 };
369 _self_die if $@;
370 }; 922 };
371 } 923 }
372 924
925 push @_, $port;
926 &snd;
927
373 $port 928 $port
374} 929}
375 930
376=item reg $portid, $name 931=back
377 932
378Registers the given port under the name C<$name>. If the name already 933=head1 DISTRIBUTED DATABASE
379exists it is replaced.
380 934
381A port can only be registered under one well known name. 935AnyEvent::MP comes with a simple distributed database. The database will
936be mirrored asynchronously on all global nodes. Other nodes bind to one
937of the global nodes for their needs. Every node has a "local database"
938which contains all the values that are set locally. All local databases
939are merged together to form the global database, which can be queried.
382 940
383A port automatically becomes unregistered when it is killed. 941The database structure is that of a two-level hash - the database hash
942contains hashes which contain values, similarly to a perl hash of hashes,
943i.e.:
944
945 $DATABASE{$family}{$subkey} = $value
946
947The top level hash key is called "family", and the second-level hash key
948is called "subkey" or simply "key".
949
950The family must be alphanumeric, i.e. start with a letter and consist
951of letters, digits, underscores and colons (C<[A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9_:]*>,
952pretty much like Perl module names.
953
954As the family namespace is global, it is recommended to prefix family names
955with the name of the application or module using it.
956
957The subkeys must be non-empty strings, with no further restrictions.
958
959The values should preferably be strings, but other perl scalars should
960work as well (such as C<undef>, arrays and hashes).
961
962Every database entry is owned by one node - adding the same family/subkey
963combination on multiple nodes will not cause discomfort for AnyEvent::MP,
964but the result might be nondeterministic, i.e. the key might have
965different values on different nodes.
966
967Different subkeys in the same family can be owned by different nodes
968without problems, and in fact, this is the common method to create worker
969pools. For example, a worker port for image scaling might do this:
970
971 db_set my_image_scalers => $port;
972
973And clients looking for an image scaler will want to get the
974C<my_image_scalers> keys from time to time:
975
976 db_keys my_image_scalers => sub {
977 @ports = @{ $_[0] };
978 };
979
980Or better yet, they want to monitor the database family, so they always
981have a reasonable up-to-date copy:
982
983 db_mon my_image_scalers => sub {
984 @ports = keys %{ $_[0] };
985 };
986
987In general, you can set or delete single subkeys, but query and monitor
988whole families only.
989
990If you feel the need to monitor or query a single subkey, try giving it
991it's own family.
992
993=over
994
995=item $guard = db_set $family => $subkey [=> $value]
996
997Sets (or replaces) a key to the database - if C<$value> is omitted,
998C<undef> is used instead.
999
1000When called in non-void context, C<db_set> returns a guard that
1001automatically calls C<db_del> when it is destroyed.
1002
1003=item db_del $family => $subkey...
1004
1005Deletes one or more subkeys from the database family.
1006
1007=item $guard = db_reg $family => $port => $value
1008
1009=item $guard = db_reg $family => $port
1010
1011=item $guard = db_reg $family
1012
1013Registers a port in the given family and optionally returns a guard to
1014remove it.
1015
1016This function basically does the same as:
1017
1018 db_set $family => $port => $value
1019
1020Except that the port is monitored and automatically removed from the
1021database family when it is kil'ed.
1022
1023If C<$value> is missing, C<undef> is used. If C<$port> is missing, then
1024C<$SELF> is used.
1025
1026This function is most useful to register a port in some port group (which
1027is just another name for a database family), and have it removed when the
1028port is gone. This works best when the port is a local port.
384 1029
385=cut 1030=cut
386 1031
387sub reg(@) { 1032sub db_reg($$;$) {
388 my ($portid, $name) = @_; 1033 my $family = shift;
1034 my $port = @_ ? shift : $SELF;
389 1035
390 $REG{$name} = $portid; 1036 my $clr = sub { db_del $family => $port };
1037 mon $port, $clr;
1038
1039 db_set $family => $port => $_[0];
1040
1041 defined wantarray
1042 and &Guard::guard ($clr)
391} 1043}
392 1044
393=item rcv $portid, $callback->(@msg) 1045=item db_family $family => $cb->(\%familyhash)
394 1046
395Replaces the callback on the specified miniport (or newly created port 1047Queries the named database C<$family> and call the callback with the
396object, see C<port>). Full ports are configured with the following calls: 1048family represented as a hash. You can keep and freely modify the hash.
397 1049
398=item rcv $portid, tagstring => $callback->(@msg), ... 1050=item db_keys $family => $cb->(\@keys)
399 1051
400=item rcv $portid, $smartmatch => $callback->(@msg), ... 1052Same as C<db_family>, except it only queries the family I<subkeys> and passes
1053them as array reference to the callback.
401 1054
402=item rcv $portid, [$smartmatch...] => $callback->(@msg), ... 1055=item db_values $family => $cb->(\@values)
403 1056
404Register callbacks to be called on matching messages on the given port. 1057Same as C<db_family>, except it only queries the family I<values> and passes them
1058as array reference to the callback.
405 1059
406The callback has to return a true value when its work is done, after 1060=item $guard = db_mon $family => $cb->(\%familyhash, \@added, \@changed, \@deleted)
407which is will be removed, or a false value in which case it will stay
408registered.
409 1061
410The global C<$SELF> (exported by this module) contains C<$portid> while 1062Creates a monitor on the given database family. Each time a key is
411executing the callback. 1063set or is deleted the callback is called with a hash containing the
1064database family and three lists of added, changed and deleted subkeys,
1065respectively. If no keys have changed then the array reference might be
1066C<undef> or even missing.
412 1067
413Runtime errors wdurign callback execution will result in the port being 1068If not called in void context, a guard object is returned that, when
414C<kil>ed. 1069destroyed, stops the monitor.
415 1070
416If the match is an array reference, then it will be matched against the 1071The family hash reference and the key arrays belong to AnyEvent::MP and
417first elements of the message, otherwise only the first element is being 1072B<must not be modified or stored> by the callback. When in doubt, make a
418matched. 1073copy.
419 1074
420Any element in the match that is specified as C<_any_> (a function 1075As soon as possible after the monitoring starts, the callback will be
421exported by this module) matches any single element of the message. 1076called with the intiial contents of the family, even if it is empty,
1077i.e. there will always be a timely call to the callback with the current
1078contents.
422 1079
423While not required, it is highly recommended that the first matching 1080It is possible that the callback is called with a change event even though
424element is a string identifying the message. The one-string-only match is 1081the subkey is already present and the value has not changed.
425also the most efficient match (by far). 1082
1083The monitoring stops when the guard object is destroyed.
1084
1085Example: on every change to the family "mygroup", print out all keys.
1086
1087 my $guard = db_mon mygroup => sub {
1088 my ($family, $a, $c, $d) = @_;
1089 print "mygroup members: ", (join " ", keys %$family), "\n";
1090 };
1091
1092Exmaple: wait until the family "My::Module::workers" is non-empty.
1093
1094 my $guard; $guard = db_mon My::Module::workers => sub {
1095 my ($family, $a, $c, $d) = @_;
1096 return unless %$family;
1097 undef $guard;
1098 print "My::Module::workers now nonempty\n";
1099 };
1100
1101Example: print all changes to the family "AnyEvent::Fantasy::Module".
1102
1103 my $guard = db_mon AnyEvent::Fantasy::Module => sub {
1104 my ($family, $a, $c, $d) = @_;
1105
1106 print "+$_=$family->{$_}\n" for @$a;
1107 print "*$_=$family->{$_}\n" for @$c;
1108 print "-$_=$family->{$_}\n" for @$d;
1109 };
426 1110
427=cut 1111=cut
428 1112
429sub rcv($@) {
430 my $portid = shift;
431 my ($noderef, $port) = split /#/, $port, 2;
432
433 ($NODE{$noderef} || add_node $noderef) == $NODE{""}
434 or Carp::croak "$noderef#$port: rcv can only be called on local ports, caught";
435
436 my $self = $PORT_DATA{$port}
437 or Carp::croak "$noderef#$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
438
439 "AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self
440 or Carp::croak "$noderef#$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
441
442 while (@_) {
443 my ($match, $cb) = splice @_, 0, 2;
444
445 if (!ref $match) {
446 push @{ $self->{rc0}{$match} }, [$cb];
447 } elsif (("ARRAY" eq ref $match && !ref $match->[0])) {
448 my ($type, @match) = @$match;
449 @match
450 ? push @{ $self->{rcv}{$match->[0]} }, [$cb, \@match]
451 : push @{ $self->{rc0}{$match->[0]} }, [$cb];
452 } else {
453 push @{ $self->{any} }, [$cb, $match];
454 }
455 }
456
457 $portid
458}
459
460=item $closure = psub { BLOCK }
461
462Remembers C<$SELF> and creates a closure out of the BLOCK. When the
463closure is executed, sets up the environment in the same way as in C<rcv>
464callbacks, i.e. runtime errors will cause the port to get C<kil>ed.
465
466This is useful when you register callbacks from C<rcv> callbacks:
467
468 rcv delayed_reply => sub {
469 my ($delay, @reply) = @_;
470 my $timer = AE::timer $delay, 0, psub {
471 snd @reply, $SELF;
472 };
473 };
474
475=cut
476
477sub psub(&) {
478 my $cb = shift;
479
480 my $port = $SELF
481 or Carp::croak "psub can only be called from within rcv or psub callbacks, not";
482
483 sub {
484 local $SELF = $port;
485
486 if (wantarray) {
487 my @res = eval { &$cb };
488 _self_die if $@;
489 @res
490 } else {
491 my $res = eval { &$cb };
492 _self_die if $@;
493 $res
494 }
495 }
496}
497
498=back 1113=back
499 1114
500=head1 FUNCTIONS FOR NODES
501
502=over 4
503
504=item become_public $noderef
505
506Tells the node to become a public node, i.e. reachable from other nodes.
507
508The first argument is the (unresolved) node reference of the local node
509(if missing then the empty string is used).
510
511It is quite common to not specify anything, in which case the local node
512tries to listen on the default port, or to only specify a port number, in
513which case AnyEvent::MP tries to guess the local addresses.
514
515=cut
516
517=back
518
519=head1 NODE MESSAGES
520
521Nodes understand the following messages sent to them. Many of them take
522arguments called C<@reply>, which will simply be used to compose a reply
523message - C<$reply[0]> is the port to reply to, C<$reply[1]> the type and
524the remaining arguments are simply the message data.
525
526While other messages exist, they are not public and subject to change.
527
528=over 4
529
530=cut
531
532=item lookup => $name, @reply
533
534Replies with the port ID of the specified well-known port, or C<undef>.
535
536=item devnull => ...
537
538Generic data sink/CPU heat conversion.
539
540=item relay => $port, @msg
541
542Simply forwards the message to the given port.
543
544=item eval => $string[ @reply]
545
546Evaluates the given string. If C<@reply> is given, then a message of the
547form C<@reply, $@, @evalres> is sent.
548
549Example: crash another node.
550
551 snd $othernode, eval => "exit";
552
553=item time => @reply
554
555Replies the the current node time to C<@reply>.
556
557Example: tell the current node to send the current time to C<$myport> in a
558C<timereply> message.
559
560 snd $NODE, time => $myport, timereply => 1, 2;
561 # => snd $myport, timereply => 1, 2, <time>
562
563=back
564
565=head1 AnyEvent::MP vs. Distributed Erlang 1115=head1 AnyEvent::MP vs. Distributed Erlang
566 1116
567AnyEvent::MP got lots of its ideas from distributed erlang (erlang node 1117AnyEvent::MP got lots of its ideas from distributed Erlang (Erlang node
568== aemp node, erlang process == aemp port), so many of the documents and 1118== aemp node, Erlang process == aemp port), so many of the documents and
569programming techniques employed by erlang apply to AnyEvent::MP. Here is a 1119programming techniques employed by Erlang apply to AnyEvent::MP. Here is a
570sample: 1120sample:
571 1121
572 http://www.erlang.se/doc/programming_rules.shtml 1122 http://www.erlang.se/doc/programming_rules.shtml
573 http://erlang.org/doc/getting_started/part_frame.html # chapters 3 and 4 1123 http://erlang.org/doc/getting_started/part_frame.html # chapters 3 and 4
574 http://erlang.org/download/erlang-book-part1.pdf # chapters 5 and 6 1124 http://erlang.org/download/erlang-book-part1.pdf # chapters 5 and 6
576 1126
577Despite the similarities, there are also some important differences: 1127Despite the similarities, there are also some important differences:
578 1128
579=over 4 1129=over 4
580 1130
581=item * Node references contain the recipe on how to contact them. 1131=item * Node IDs are arbitrary strings in AEMP.
582 1132
583Erlang relies on special naming and DNS to work everywhere in the 1133Erlang relies on special naming and DNS to work everywhere in the same
584same way. AEMP relies on each node knowing it's own address(es), with 1134way. AEMP relies on each node somehow knowing its own address(es) (e.g. by
585convenience functionality. 1135configuration or DNS), and possibly the addresses of some seed nodes, but
1136will otherwise discover other nodes (and their IDs) itself.
586 1137
587This means that AEMP requires a less tightly controlled environment at the 1138=item * Erlang has a "remote ports are like local ports" philosophy, AEMP
588cost of longer node references and a slightly higher management overhead. 1139uses "local ports are like remote ports".
1140
1141The failure modes for local ports are quite different (runtime errors
1142only) then for remote ports - when a local port dies, you I<know> it dies,
1143when a connection to another node dies, you know nothing about the other
1144port.
1145
1146Erlang pretends remote ports are as reliable as local ports, even when
1147they are not.
1148
1149AEMP encourages a "treat remote ports differently" philosophy, with local
1150ports being the special case/exception, where transport errors cannot
1151occur.
589 1152
590=item * Erlang uses processes and a mailbox, AEMP does not queue. 1153=item * Erlang uses processes and a mailbox, AEMP does not queue.
591 1154
592Erlang uses processes that selctively receive messages, and therefore 1155Erlang uses processes that selectively receive messages out of order, and
593needs a queue. AEMP is event based, queuing messages would serve no useful 1156therefore needs a queue. AEMP is event based, queuing messages would serve
594purpose. 1157no useful purpose. For the same reason the pattern-matching abilities
1158of AnyEvent::MP are more limited, as there is little need to be able to
1159filter messages without dequeuing them.
595 1160
596(But see L<Coro::MP> for a more erlang-like process model on top of AEMP). 1161This is not a philosophical difference, but simply stems from AnyEvent::MP
1162being event-based, while Erlang is process-based.
1163
1164You can have a look at L<Coro::MP> for a more Erlang-like process model on
1165top of AEMP and Coro threads.
597 1166
598=item * Erlang sends are synchronous, AEMP sends are asynchronous. 1167=item * Erlang sends are synchronous, AEMP sends are asynchronous.
599 1168
600Sending messages in erlang is synchronous and blocks the process. AEMP 1169Sending messages in Erlang is synchronous and blocks the process until
601sends are immediate, connection establishment is handled in the 1170a connection has been established and the message sent (and so does not
602background. 1171need a queue that can overflow). AEMP sends return immediately, connection
1172establishment is handled in the background.
603 1173
604=item * Erlang can silently lose messages, AEMP cannot. 1174=item * Erlang suffers from silent message loss, AEMP does not.
605 1175
606Erlang makes few guarantees on messages delivery - messages can get lost 1176Erlang implements few guarantees on messages delivery - messages can get
607without any of the processes realising it (i.e. you send messages a, b, 1177lost without any of the processes realising it (i.e. you send messages a,
608and c, and the other side only receives messages a and c). 1178b, and c, and the other side only receives messages a and c).
609 1179
610AEMP guarantees correct ordering, and the guarantee that there are no 1180AEMP guarantees (modulo hardware errors) correct ordering, and the
1181guarantee that after one message is lost, all following ones sent to the
1182same port are lost as well, until monitoring raises an error, so there are
611holes in the message sequence. 1183no silent "holes" in the message sequence.
612 1184
613=item * In erlang, processes can be declared dead and later be found to be 1185If you want your software to be very reliable, you have to cope with
614alive. 1186corrupted and even out-of-order messages in both Erlang and AEMP. AEMP
615 1187simply tries to work better in common error cases, such as when a network
616In erlang it can happen that a monitored process is declared dead and 1188link goes down.
617linked processes get killed, but later it turns out that the process is
618still alive - and can receive messages.
619
620In AEMP, when port monitoring detects a port as dead, then that port will
621eventually be killed - it cannot happen that a node detects a port as dead
622and then later sends messages to it, finding it is still alive.
623 1189
624=item * Erlang can send messages to the wrong port, AEMP does not. 1190=item * Erlang can send messages to the wrong port, AEMP does not.
625 1191
626In erlang it is quite possible that a node that restarts reuses a process 1192In Erlang it is quite likely that a node that restarts reuses an Erlang
627ID known to other nodes for a completely different process, causing 1193process ID known to other nodes for a completely different process,
628messages destined for that process to end up in an unrelated process. 1194causing messages destined for that process to end up in an unrelated
1195process.
629 1196
630AEMP never reuses port IDs, so old messages or old port IDs floating 1197AEMP does not reuse port IDs, so old messages or old port IDs floating
631around in the network will not be sent to an unrelated port. 1198around in the network will not be sent to an unrelated port.
632 1199
633=item * Erlang uses unprotected connections, AEMP uses secure 1200=item * Erlang uses unprotected connections, AEMP uses secure
634authentication and can use TLS. 1201authentication and can use TLS.
635 1202
636AEMP can use a proven protocol - SSL/TLS - to protect connections and 1203AEMP can use a proven protocol - TLS - to protect connections and
637securely authenticate nodes. 1204securely authenticate nodes.
638 1205
639=item * The AEMP protocol is optimised for both text-based and binary 1206=item * The AEMP protocol is optimised for both text-based and binary
640communications. 1207communications.
641 1208
642The AEMP protocol, unlike the erlang protocol, supports both 1209The AEMP protocol, unlike the Erlang protocol, supports both programming
643language-independent text-only protocols (good for debugging) and binary, 1210language independent text-only protocols (good for debugging), and binary,
644language-specific serialisers (e.g. Storable). 1211language-specific serialisers (e.g. Storable). By default, unless TLS is
1212used, the protocol is actually completely text-based.
645 1213
646It has also been carefully designed to be implementable in other languages 1214It has also been carefully designed to be implementable in other languages
647with a minimum of work while gracefully degrading fucntionality to make the 1215with a minimum of work while gracefully degrading functionality to make the
648protocol simple. 1216protocol simple.
649 1217
1218=item * AEMP has more flexible monitoring options than Erlang.
1219
1220In Erlang, you can chose to receive I<all> exit signals as messages or
1221I<none>, there is no in-between, so monitoring single Erlang processes is
1222difficult to implement.
1223
1224Monitoring in AEMP is more flexible than in Erlang, as one can choose
1225between automatic kill, exit message or callback on a per-port basis.
1226
1227=item * Erlang tries to hide remote/local connections, AEMP does not.
1228
1229Monitoring in Erlang is not an indicator of process death/crashes, in the
1230same way as linking is (except linking is unreliable in Erlang).
1231
1232In AEMP, you don't "look up" registered port names or send to named ports
1233that might or might not be persistent. Instead, you normally spawn a port
1234on the remote node. The init function monitors you, and you monitor the
1235remote port. Since both monitors are local to the node, they are much more
1236reliable (no need for C<spawn_link>).
1237
1238This also saves round-trips and avoids sending messages to the wrong port
1239(hard to do in Erlang).
1240
650=back 1241=back
651 1242
1243=head1 RATIONALE
1244
1245=over 4
1246
1247=item Why strings for port and node IDs, why not objects?
1248
1249We considered "objects", but found that the actual number of methods
1250that can be called are quite low. Since port and node IDs travel over
1251the network frequently, the serialising/deserialising would add lots of
1252overhead, as well as having to keep a proxy object everywhere.
1253
1254Strings can easily be printed, easily serialised etc. and need no special
1255procedures to be "valid".
1256
1257And as a result, a port with just a default receiver consists of a single
1258code reference stored in a global hash - it can't become much cheaper.
1259
1260=item Why favour JSON, why not a real serialising format such as Storable?
1261
1262In fact, any AnyEvent::MP node will happily accept Storable as framing
1263format, but currently there is no way to make a node use Storable by
1264default (although all nodes will accept it).
1265
1266The default framing protocol is JSON because a) JSON::XS is many times
1267faster for small messages and b) most importantly, after years of
1268experience we found that object serialisation is causing more problems
1269than it solves: Just like function calls, objects simply do not travel
1270easily over the network, mostly because they will always be a copy, so you
1271always have to re-think your design.
1272
1273Keeping your messages simple, concentrating on data structures rather than
1274objects, will keep your messages clean, tidy and efficient.
1275
1276=back
1277
1278=head1 PORTING FROM AnyEvent::MP VERSION 1.X
1279
1280AEMP version 2 has a few major incompatible changes compared to version 1:
1281
1282=over 4
1283
1284=item AnyEvent::MP::Global no longer has group management functions.
1285
1286At least not officially - the grp_* functions are still exported and might
1287work, but they will be removed in some later release.
1288
1289AnyEvent::MP now comes with a distributed database that is more
1290powerful. Its database families map closely to port groups, but the API
1291has changed (the functions are also now exported by AnyEvent::MP). Here is
1292a rough porting guide:
1293
1294 grp_reg $group, $port # old
1295 db_reg $group, $port # new
1296
1297 $list = grp_get $group # old
1298 db_keys $group, sub { my $list = shift } # new
1299
1300 grp_mon $group, $cb->(\@ports, $add, $del) # old
1301 db_mon $group, $cb->(\%ports, $add, $change, $del) # new
1302
1303C<grp_reg> is a no-brainer (just replace by C<db_reg>), but C<grp_get> is
1304no longer instant, because the local node might not have a copy of the
1305group. You can either modify your code to allow for a callback, or use
1306C<db_mon> to keep an updated copy of the group:
1307
1308 my $local_group_copy;
1309 db_mon $group => sub { $local_group_copy = $_[0] };
1310
1311 # now "keys %$local_group_copy" always returns the most up-to-date
1312 # list of ports in the group.
1313
1314C<grp_mon> can be replaced by C<db_mon> with minor changes - C<db_mon>
1315passes a hash as first argument, and an extra C<$chg> argument that can be
1316ignored:
1317
1318 db_mon $group => sub {
1319 my ($ports, $add, $chg, $del) = @_;
1320 $ports = [keys %$ports];
1321
1322 # now $ports, $add and $del are the same as
1323 # were originally passed by grp_mon.
1324 ...
1325 };
1326
1327=item Nodes not longer connect to all other nodes.
1328
1329In AEMP 1.x, every node automatically loads the L<AnyEvent::MP::Global>
1330module, which in turn would create connections to all other nodes in the
1331network (helped by the seed nodes).
1332
1333In version 2.x, global nodes still connect to all other global nodes, but
1334other nodes don't - now every node either is a global node itself, or
1335attaches itself to another global node.
1336
1337If a node isn't a global node itself, then it attaches itself to one
1338of its seed nodes. If that seed node isn't a global node yet, it will
1339automatically be upgraded to a global node.
1340
1341So in many cases, nothing needs to be changed - one just has to make sure
1342that all seed nodes are meshed together with the other seed nodes (as with
1343AEMP 1.x), and other nodes specify them as seed nodes. This is most easily
1344achieved by specifying the same set of seed nodes for all nodes in the
1345network.
1346
1347Not opening a connection to every other node is usually an advantage,
1348except when you need the lower latency of an already established
1349connection. To ensure a node establishes a connection to another node,
1350you can monitor the node port (C<mon $node, ...>), which will attempt to
1351create the connection (and notify you when the connection fails).
1352
1353=item Listener-less nodes (nodes without binds) are gone.
1354
1355And are not coming back, at least not in their old form. If no C<binds>
1356are specified for a node, AnyEvent::MP assumes a default of C<*:*>.
1357
1358There are vague plans to implement some form of routing domains, which
1359might or might not bring back listener-less nodes, but don't count on it.
1360
1361The fact that most connections are now optional somewhat mitigates this,
1362as a node can be effectively unreachable from the outside without any
1363problems, as long as it isn't a global node and only reaches out to other
1364nodes (as opposed to being contacted from other nodes).
1365
1366=item $AnyEvent::MP::Kernel::WARN has gone.
1367
1368AnyEvent has acquired a logging framework (L<AnyEvent::Log>), and AEMP now
1369uses this, and so should your programs.
1370
1371Every module now documents what kinds of messages it generates, with
1372AnyEvent::MP acting as a catch all.
1373
1374On the positive side, this means that instead of setting
1375C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MP_WARNLEVEL>, you can get away by setting C<AE_VERBOSE> -
1376much less to type.
1377
1378=back
1379
1380=head1 LOGGING
1381
1382AnyEvent::MP does not normally log anything by itself, but since it is the
1383root of the context hierarchy for AnyEvent::MP modules, it will receive
1384all log messages by submodules.
1385
652=head1 SEE ALSO 1386=head1 SEE ALSO
1387
1388L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro> - a gentle introduction.
1389
1390L<AnyEvent::MP::Kernel> - more, lower-level, stuff.
1391
1392L<AnyEvent::MP::Global> - network maintenance and port groups, to find
1393your applications.
1394
1395L<AnyEvent::MP::DataConn> - establish data connections between nodes.
1396
1397L<AnyEvent::MP::LogCatcher> - simple service to display log messages from
1398all nodes.
653 1399
654L<AnyEvent>. 1400L<AnyEvent>.
655 1401
656=head1 AUTHOR 1402=head1 AUTHOR
657 1403

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