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Revision 1.224 by root, Fri Jul 3 21:44:14 2009 UTC

1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops 3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops
4 4
5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops 5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt and POE are various supported
6event loops.
6 7
7=head1 SYNOPSIS 8=head1 SYNOPSIS
8 9
9 use AnyEvent; 10 use AnyEvent;
10 11
12 # file descriptor readable
11 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r|w", cb => sub { 13 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r", cb => sub { ... });
14
15 # one-shot or repeating timers
16 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });
17 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...
18
19 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time
20 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.
21
22 # POSIX signal
23 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... });
24
25 # child process exit
26 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
27 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
12 ... 28 ...
13 }); 29 });
14 30
15 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { 31 # called when event loop idle (if applicable)
16 ... 32 my $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub { ... });
17 });
18 33
19 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged 34 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged
20 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's 35 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
21 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send 36 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
37 # use a condvar in callback mode:
38 $w->cb (sub { $_[0]->recv });
22 39
23=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL 40=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL
24 41
25This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested 42This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested
26in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the 43in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the
128These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 145These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
129creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 146creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
130callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 147callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
131is in control). 148is in control).
132 149
150Note that B<callbacks must not permanently change global variables>
151potentially in use by the event loop (such as C<$_> or C<$[>) and that B<<
152callbacks must not C<die> >>. The former is good programming practise in
153Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs
154widely between event loops.
155
133To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the 156To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the
134variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references 157variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references
135to it). 158to it).
136 159
137All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class. 160All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class.
153=head2 I/O WATCHERS 176=head2 I/O WATCHERS
154 177
155You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method 178You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
156with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 179with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
157 180
158C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch for events 181C<fh> is the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch
159(AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file handle). C<poll> 182for events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file
183handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which
184non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,
185most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example files
186or block devices.
187
160must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a watcher 188C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a
161waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively. C<cb> is the 189watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively.
190
162callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready. 191C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready.
163 192
164Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 193Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
165presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 194presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
166callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks. 195callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
167 196
299In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you 328In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you
300can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the 329can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the
301difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into 330difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into
302account. 331account.
303 332
333=item AnyEvent->now_update
334
335Some event loops (such as L<EV> or L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) cache
336the current time for each loop iteration (see the discussion of L<<
337AnyEvent->now >>, above).
338
339When a callback runs for a long time (or when the process sleeps), then
340this "current" time will differ substantially from the real time, which
341might affect timers and time-outs.
342
343When this is the case, you can call this method, which will update the
344event loop's idea of "current time".
345
346Note that updating the time I<might> cause some events to be handled.
347
304=back 348=back
305 349
306=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS 350=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS
307 351
308You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal 352You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal
331=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS 375=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
332 376
333You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status. 377You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.
334 378
335The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 379The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it
336watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often 380watches for any child process exit). The watcher will triggered only when
337as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 381the child process has finished and an exit status is available, not on
338signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid 382any trace events (stopped/continued).
339and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, 383
340you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments. 384The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by
385waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you I<can> rely on child watcher
386callback arguments.
387
388This watcher type works by installing a signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>,
389and since it cannot be shared, nothing else should use SIGCHLD or reap
390random child processes (waiting for specific child processes, e.g. inside
391C<system>, is just fine).
341 392
342There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them 393There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
343I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could 394I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
344have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore). 395have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
345 396
346Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for 397Not all event models handle this correctly (neither POE nor IO::Async do,
398see their AnyEvent::Impl manpages for details), but even for event models
347event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be 399that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be loaded before
348loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). 400the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). AnyEvent's
401pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless of when you
402start the watcher.
349 403
350This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an 404This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first
351AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you 405thing in an AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one
352C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>). 406watcher before you C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call
407C<AnyEvent::detect>).
353 408
354Example: fork a process and wait for it 409Example: fork a process and wait for it
355 410
356 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 411 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
357 412
367 ); 422 );
368 423
369 # do something else, then wait for process exit 424 # do something else, then wait for process exit
370 $done->recv; 425 $done->recv;
371 426
427=head2 IDLE WATCHERS
428
429Sometimes there is a need to do something, but it is not so important
430to do it instantly, but only when there is nothing better to do. This
431"nothing better to do" is usually defined to be "no other events need
432attention by the event loop".
433
434Idle watchers ideally get invoked when the event loop has nothing
435better to do, just before it would block the process to wait for new
436events. Instead of blocking, the idle watcher is invoked.
437
438Most event loops unfortunately do not really support idle watchers (only
439EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent
440will simply call the callback "from time to time".
441
442Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the
443program is otherwise idle:
444
445 my @lines; # read data
446 my $idle_w;
447 my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
448 push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
449
450 # start an idle watcher, if not already done
451 $idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
452 # handle only one line, when there are lines left
453 if (my $line = shift @lines) {
454 print "handled when idle: $line";
455 } else {
456 # otherwise disable the idle watcher again
457 undef $idle_w;
458 }
459 });
460 });
461
372=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 462=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
373 463
374If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them 464If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
375require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that 465require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
376will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks. 466will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
381The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called 471The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
382because they represent a condition that must become true. 472because they represent a condition that must become true.
383 473
384Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar 474Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
385>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is 475>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
476
386C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable 477C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
387becomes true. 478becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not
479the results).
388 480
389After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true" 481After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
390by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it 482by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
391were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<< 483were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
392->send >> method). 484->send >> method).
448 540
449 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 541 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
450 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done); 542 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
451 $done->recv; 543 $done->recv;
452 544
545Example: Imagine an API that returns a condvar and doesn't support
546callbacks. This is how you make a synchronous call, for example from
547the main program:
548
549 use AnyEvent::CouchDB;
550
551 ...
552
553 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
554
555And this is how you would just ste a callback to be called whenever the
556results are available:
557
558 $couchdb->info->cb (sub {
559 my @info = $_[0]->recv;
560 });
561
453=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS 562=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
454 563
455These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the 564These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
456code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also 565code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
457the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't 566the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
490 599
491=item $cv->begin ([group callback]) 600=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
492 601
493=item $cv->end 602=item $cv->end
494 603
495These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
496
497These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into 604These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
498one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want 605one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
499to use a condition variable for the whole process. 606to use a condition variable for the whole process.
500 607
501Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to 608Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
502C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end 609C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
503>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback 610>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
504is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no 611is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
505callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments. 612callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
506 613
507Let's clarify this with the ping example: 614You can think of C<< $cv->send >> giving you an OR condition (one call
615sends), while C<< $cv->begin >> and C<< $cv->end >> giving you an AND
616condition (all C<begin> calls must be C<end>'ed before the condvar sends).
617
618Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for example,
619STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for both streams to
620close before activating a condvar:
621
622 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
623
624 $cv->begin; # first watcher
625 my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
626 defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
627 or $cv->end;
628 });
629
630 $cv->begin; # second watcher
631 my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
632 defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
633 or $cv->end;
634 });
635
636 $cv->recv;
637
638This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle), there is
639one call to C<begin>, so the condvar waits for all calls to C<end> before
640sending.
641
642The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as the
643there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks that are
644begung can potentially be zero:
508 645
509 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar; 646 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
510 647
511 my %result; 648 my %result;
512 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) }); 649 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
532loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback 669loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
533to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that 670to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
534C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop 671C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
535doesn't execute once). 672doesn't execute once).
536 673
537This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests: 674This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
538use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end> 675potentially none) subrequests: use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set
539is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call 676the callback and ensure C<end> is called at least once, and then, for each
540C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>. 677subrequest you start, call C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish,
678call C<end>.
541 679
542=back 680=back
543 681
544=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS 682=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
545 683
590=item $bool = $cv->ready 728=item $bool = $cv->ready
591 729
592Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or 730Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
593C<croak> have been called. 731C<croak> have been called.
594 732
595=item $cb = $cv->cb ([new callback]) 733=item $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv))
596 734
597This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally 735This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
598replaces it before doing so. 736replaces it before doing so.
599 737
600The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when 738The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
625 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice. 763 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
626 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs). 764 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
627 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse. 765 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
628 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support. 766 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
629 767
768 # warning, support for IO::Async is only partial, as it is too broken
769 # and limited toe ven support the AnyEvent API. See AnyEvent::Impl::Async.
770 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
771
630There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for 772There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
631watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the 773watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
632POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per 774POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
633second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for 775second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
634AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using 776AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using
790=item L<AnyEvent::IGS> 932=item L<AnyEvent::IGS>
791 933
792A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by 934A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
793L<App::IGS>). 935L<App::IGS>).
794 936
795=item L<Net::IRC3> 937=item L<AnyEvent::IRC>
796 938
797AnyEvent based IRC client module family. 939AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older Net::IRC3).
798 940
799=item L<Net::XMPP2> 941=item L<Net::XMPP2>
800 942
801AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family. 943AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
802 944
822=cut 964=cut
823 965
824package AnyEvent; 966package AnyEvent;
825 967
826no warnings; 968no warnings;
827use strict; 969use strict qw(vars subs);
828 970
829use Carp; 971use Carp;
830 972
831our $VERSION = 4.2; 973our $VERSION = 4.452;
832our $MODEL; 974our $MODEL;
833 975
834our $AUTOLOAD; 976our $AUTOLOAD;
835our @ISA; 977our @ISA;
836 978
837our @REGISTRY; 979our @REGISTRY;
838 980
839our $WIN32; 981our $WIN32;
840 982
841BEGIN { 983BEGIN {
842 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i); 984 eval "sub WIN32(){ " . (($^O =~ /mswin32/i)*1) ." }";
843 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }"; 985 eval "sub TAINT(){ " . (${^TAINT}*1) . " }";
986
987 delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
988 if ${^TAINT};
844} 989}
845 990
846our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 991our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
847 992
848our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred 993our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
866 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 1011 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
867 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 1012 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
868 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 1013 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
869 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1014 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
870 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1015 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
1016 # IO::Async is just too broken - we would need workaorunds for its
1017 # byzantine signal and broken child handling, among others.
1018 # IO::Async is rather hard to detect, as it doesn't have any
1019 # obvious default class.
1020# [IO::Async:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1021# [IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1022# [IO::Async::Notifier:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
871); 1023);
872 1024
873our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer time now signal child condvar one_event DESTROY); 1025our %method = map +($_ => 1),
1026 qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY);
874 1027
875our @post_detect; 1028our @post_detect;
876 1029
877sub post_detect(&) { 1030sub post_detect(&) {
878 my ($cb) = @_; 1031 my ($cb) = @_;
883 1 1036 1
884 } else { 1037 } else {
885 push @post_detect, $cb; 1038 push @post_detect, $cb;
886 1039
887 defined wantarray 1040 defined wantarray
888 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect" 1041 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::postdetect"
889 : () 1042 : ()
890 } 1043 }
891} 1044}
892 1045
893sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY { 1046sub AnyEvent::Util::postdetect::DESTROY {
894 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect; 1047 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
895} 1048}
896 1049
897sub detect() { 1050sub detect() {
898 unless ($MODEL) { 1051 unless ($MODEL) {
935 last; 1088 last;
936 } 1089 }
937 } 1090 }
938 1091
939 $MODEL 1092 $MODEL
940 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib."; 1093 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.\n";
941 } 1094 }
942 } 1095 }
943 1096
944 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 1097 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
945 1098
963 1116
964 my $class = shift; 1117 my $class = shift;
965 $class->$func (@_); 1118 $class->$func (@_);
966} 1119}
967 1120
1121# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
1122# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
1123# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
1124sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
1125 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
1126
1127 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
1128 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<")
1129 : $poll eq "w" ? ($w, ">")
1130 : Carp::croak "AnyEvent->io requires poll set to either 'r' or 'w'";
1131
1132 open my $fh2, "$mode&" . fileno $fh
1133 or die "cannot dup() filehandle: $!,";
1134
1135 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases
1136
1137 ($fh2, $rw)
1138}
1139
968package AnyEvent::Base; 1140package AnyEvent::Base;
969 1141
970# default implementation for now and time 1142# default implementations for many methods
971 1143
972use Time::HiRes (); 1144BEGIN {
1145 if (eval "use Time::HiRes (); Time::HiRes::time (); 1") {
1146 *_time = \&Time::HiRes::time;
1147 # if (eval "use POSIX (); (POSIX::times())...
1148 } else {
1149 *_time = sub { time }; # epic fail
1150 }
1151}
973 1152
974sub time { Time::HiRes::time } 1153sub time { _time }
975sub now { Time::HiRes::time } 1154sub now { _time }
1155sub now_update { }
976 1156
977# default implementation for ->condvar 1157# default implementation for ->condvar
978 1158
979sub condvar { 1159sub condvar {
980 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar:: 1160 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
981} 1161}
982 1162
983# default implementation for ->signal 1163# default implementation for ->signal
984 1164
985our %SIG_CB; 1165our ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W, %SIG_CB, %SIG_EV, $SIG_IO);
1166
1167sub _signal_exec {
1168 sysread $SIGPIPE_R, my $dummy, 4;
1169
1170 while (%SIG_EV) {
1171 for (keys %SIG_EV) {
1172 delete $SIG_EV{$_};
1173 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$_} || {} };
1174 }
1175 }
1176}
986 1177
987sub signal { 1178sub signal {
988 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1179 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
989 1180
1181 unless ($SIGPIPE_R) {
1182 require Fcntl;
1183
1184 if (AnyEvent::WIN32) {
1185 require AnyEvent::Util;
1186
1187 ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W) = AnyEvent::Util::portable_pipe ();
1188 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_R) if $SIGPIPE_R;
1189 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1190 } else {
1191 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
1192 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
1193 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1194
1195 # not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
1196 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1197 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1198 }
1199
1200 $SIGPIPE_R
1201 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
1202
1203 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1204 }
1205
990 my $signal = uc $arg{signal} 1206 my $signal = uc $arg{signal}
991 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing"; 1207 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";
992 1208
993 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1209 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
994 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub { 1210 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub {
995 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} || {} }; 1211 local $!;
1212 syswrite $SIGPIPE_W, "\x00", 1 unless %SIG_EV;
1213 undef $SIG_EV{$signal};
996 }; 1214 };
997 1215
998 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Signal" 1216 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
999} 1217}
1000 1218
1001sub AnyEvent::Base::Signal::DESTROY { 1219sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY {
1002 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1220 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1003 1221
1004 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb}; 1222 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
1005 1223
1224 # delete doesn't work with older perls - they then
1225 # print weird messages, or just unconditionally exit
1226 # instead of getting the default action.
1006 delete $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} }; 1227 undef $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
1007} 1228}
1008 1229
1009# default implementation for ->child 1230# default implementation for ->child
1010 1231
1011our %PID_CB; 1232our %PID_CB;
1012our $CHLD_W; 1233our $CHLD_W;
1013our $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1234our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1014our $PID_IDLE;
1015our $WNOHANG; 1235our $WNOHANG;
1016 1236
1017sub _child_wait { 1237sub _sigchld {
1018 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) { 1238 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) {
1019 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }), 1239 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }),
1020 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} }); 1240 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} });
1021 } 1241 }
1022
1023 undef $PID_IDLE;
1024}
1025
1026sub _sigchld {
1027 # make sure we deliver these changes "synchronous" with the event loop.
1028 $CHLD_DELAY_W ||= AnyEvent->timer (after => 0, cb => sub {
1029 undef $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1030 &_child_wait;
1031 });
1032} 1242}
1033 1243
1034sub child { 1244sub child {
1035 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1245 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1036 1246
1037 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0) 1247 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)
1038 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1248 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
1039 1249
1040 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1250 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1041 1251
1042 unless ($WNOHANG) {
1043 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 1252 $WNOHANG ||= eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
1044 }
1045 1253
1046 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1254 unless ($CHLD_W) {
1047 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1255 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
1048 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 1256 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
1049 &_sigchld; 1257 &_sigchld;
1050 } 1258 }
1051 1259
1052 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Child" 1260 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::child"
1053} 1261}
1054 1262
1055sub AnyEvent::Base::Child::DESTROY { 1263sub AnyEvent::Base::child::DESTROY {
1056 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1264 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1057 1265
1058 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 1266 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
1059 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 1267 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
1060 1268
1061 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1269 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
1270}
1271
1272# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
1273# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
1274# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
1275sub idle {
1276 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1277
1278 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
1279
1280 $rcb = sub {
1281 if ($cb) {
1282 $w = _time;
1283 &$cb;
1284 $w = _time - $w;
1285
1286 # never use more then 50% of the time for the idle watcher,
1287 # within some limits
1288 $w = 0.0001 if $w < 0.0001;
1289 $w = 5 if $w > 5;
1290
1291 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $w, cb => $rcb);
1292 } else {
1293 # clean up...
1294 undef $w;
1295 undef $rcb;
1296 }
1297 };
1298
1299 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.05, cb => $rcb);
1300
1301 bless \\$cb, "AnyEvent::Base::idle"
1302}
1303
1304sub AnyEvent::Base::idle::DESTROY {
1305 undef $${$_[0]};
1062} 1306}
1063 1307
1064package AnyEvent::CondVar; 1308package AnyEvent::CondVar;
1065 1309
1066our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::; 1310our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
1118} 1362}
1119 1363
1120# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4 1364# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1121*broadcast = \&send; 1365*broadcast = \&send;
1122*wait = \&_wait; 1366*wait = \&_wait;
1367
1368=head1 ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
1369
1370In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
1371caller to do that if required. The L<AnyEvent::Strict> module (see also
1372the C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> environment variable, below) provides strict
1373checking of all AnyEvent methods, however, which is highly useful during
1374development.
1375
1376As for exception handling (i.e. runtime errors and exceptions thrown while
1377executing a callback), this is not only highly event-loop specific, but
1378also not in any way wrapped by this module, as this is the job of the main
1379program.
1380
1381The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually
1382within C<< condvar->recv >>), the L<Event> and L<EV> modules call C<<
1383$Event/EV::DIED->() >>, L<Glib> uses C<< install_exception_handler >> and
1384so on.
1385
1386=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1387
1388The following environment variables are used by this module or its
1389submodules.
1390
1391Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
1392C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
1393enabled.
1394
1395=over 4
1396
1397=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1398
1399By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1400conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1401talkative.
1402
1403When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1404conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1405C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1406
1407When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1408model it chooses.
1409
1410=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1411
1412AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1413argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1414will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1415check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
1416it will croak.
1417
1418In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1419
1420Unlike C<use strict>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in
1421production. Keeping C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while
1422developing programs can be very useful, however.
1423
1424=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1425
1426This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1427auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1428entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1429and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1430used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1431auto detection and -probing.
1432
1433This functionality might change in future versions.
1434
1435For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1436could start your program like this:
1437
1438 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1439
1440=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1441
1442Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1443for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1444of auto probing).
1445
1446Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1447current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1448used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1449list.
1450
1451This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1452against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1453small, as the program has to handle conenction and other failures anyways.
1454
1455Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1456but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1457- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1458addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1459IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1460
1461=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1462
1463Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1464for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1465some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1466default.
1467
1468Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1469EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1470
1471=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1472
1473The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1474will create in parallel.
1475
1476=back
1123 1477
1124=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1478=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
1125 1479
1126This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1480This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
1127a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to 1481a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
1161 1515
1162I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to 1516I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to
1163condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will 1517condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will
1164C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must 1518C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must
1165not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense. 1519not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense.
1166
1167=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1168
1169The following environment variables are used by this module:
1170
1171=over 4
1172
1173=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1174
1175By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1176conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1177talkative.
1178
1179When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1180conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1181C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1182
1183When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1184model it chooses.
1185
1186=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1187
1188AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1189argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1190will cause AnyEvent to thoroughly check the arguments passed to most
1191method calls and croaks if it finds any problems. In other words, enables
1192"strict" mode. Unlike C<use strict> it is definitely recommended ot keep
1193it off in production.
1194
1195=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1196
1197This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1198auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1199entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1200and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1201used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1202auto detection and -probing.
1203
1204This functionality might change in future versions.
1205
1206For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1207could start your program like this:
1208
1209 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1210
1211=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1212
1213Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1214for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1215of auto probing).
1216
1217Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1218current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1219used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1220list.
1221
1222This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1223against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1224small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
1225
1226Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1227but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1228- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1229addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1230IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1231
1232=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1233
1234Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1235for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1236some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1237default.
1238
1239Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1240EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1241
1242=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1243
1244The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1245will create in parallel.
1246
1247=back
1248 1520
1249=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1521=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
1250 1522
1251The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1523The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer
1252to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the 1524to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
1446watcher. 1718watcher.
1447 1719
1448=head3 Results 1720=head3 Results
1449 1721
1450 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 1722 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1451 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1723 EV/EV 400000 224 0.47 0.35 0.27 EV native interface
1452 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1724 EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1453 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1725 CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1454 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation 1726 Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation
1455 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface 1727 Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface
1456 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1728 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers
1729 IOAsync/Any 16000 989 38.10 32.77 11.13 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
1730 IOAsync/Any 16000 990 37.59 29.50 10.61 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1457 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour 1731 Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour
1458 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1732 Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1459 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event 1733 POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event
1460 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select 1734 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select
1461 1735
1462=head3 Discussion 1736=head3 Discussion
1463 1737
1464The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 1738The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
1465well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 1739well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
1490performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of 1764performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1491them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark. 1765them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1492 1766
1493The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 1767The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1494cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 1768cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
1769
1770C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
1771when using its pure perl backend.
1495 1772
1496C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a 1773C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
1497faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 1774faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1498C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 1775C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1499watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 1776watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1577it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating 1854it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1578a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 1855a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1579 1856
1580=head3 Results 1857=head3 Results
1581 1858
1582 name sockets create request 1859 name sockets create request
1583 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 1860 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1584 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 1861 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1862 IOAsync 20000 157.00 98.14 epoll
1863 IOAsync 20000 159.31 616.06 poll
1585 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 1864 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1586 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 1865 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1587 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 1866 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1588 1867
1589=head3 Discussion 1868=head3 Discussion
1590 1869
1591This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the 1870This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1592particular event loop. 1871particular event loop.
1594EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time 1873EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1595is relatively high, though. 1874is relatively high, though.
1596 1875
1597Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 1876Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1598loops Event and Glib. 1877loops Event and Glib.
1878
1879IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
1880good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1599 1881
1600Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will 1882Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1601understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to 1883understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1602the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event 1884the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1603uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations. 1885uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1666=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of 1948=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1667watchers, as the management overhead dominates. 1949watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1668 1950
1669=back 1951=back
1670 1952
1953=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
1954
1955Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
1956could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
1957simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
1958shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
1959fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
1960very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
1961baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
1962
1963The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
1964connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
1965creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
1966test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
1967benchmark nevertheless.
1968
1969 name runtime
1970 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
1971 + optimized 0.122 sec
1972 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
1973 + optimized 0.138 sec
1974 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
1975 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
1976 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
1977 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
1978
1979 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
1980 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
1981 +state machine 0.134 sec
1982
1983The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
1984benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
1985defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
1986written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
1987AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
1988resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
1989generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
1990connects (which involve a single syscall only).
1991
1992The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
1993offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
1994Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
1995non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
1996
1997As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
1998hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
1999backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
2000
2001And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
2002slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda by a
2003large margin, even though it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O
2004in a non-blocking way.
2005
2006The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
2007F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
2008part of the IO::lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
2009
2010
2011=head1 SIGNALS
2012
2013AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
2014
2015=over 4
2016
2017=item SIGCHLD
2018
2019A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
2020emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
2021event loops install a similar handler.
2022
2023If, when AnyEvent is loaded, SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then AnyEvent will
2024reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
2025
2026=item SIGPIPE
2027
2028A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
2029when AnyEvent gets loaded.
2030
2031The rationale for this is that AnyEvent users usually do not really depend
2032on SIGPIPE delivery (which is purely an optimisation for shell use, or
2033badly-written programs), but C<SIGPIPE> can cause spurious and rare
2034program exits as a lot of people do not expect C<SIGPIPE> when writing to
2035some random socket.
2036
2037The rationale for installing a no-op handler as opposed to ignoring it is
2038that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on exec.
2039
2040Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
2041
2042=back
2043
2044=cut
2045
2046undef $SIG{CHLD}
2047 if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
2048
2049$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
2050 unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
1671 2051
1672=head1 FORK 2052=head1 FORK
1673 2053
1674Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 2054Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1675because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll> 2055because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1696 use AnyEvent; 2076 use AnyEvent;
1697 2077
1698Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 2078Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1699be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is 2079be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1700probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and 2080probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
1701$ENV{PERL_ANYEGENT_STRICT}. 2081$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
2082
2083Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
2084C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
2085enabled.
1702 2086
1703 2087
1704=head1 BUGS 2088=head1 BUGS
1705 2089
1706Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard 2090Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard
1707to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10 2091to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10
1708and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying 2092and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying
1709mamleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as 2093memleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as
1710pronounced). 2094pronounced).
1711 2095
1712 2096
1713=head1 SEE ALSO 2097=head1 SEE ALSO
1714 2098

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