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Revision 1.207 by root, Thu Apr 23 22:44:30 2009 UTC vs.
Revision 1.226 by root, Mon Jul 6 23:32:49 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
391 392
392There 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
393I<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
394have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore). 395have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
395 396
396Not 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
397event 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
398loaded 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.
399 403
400This 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
401AnyEvent 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
402C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>). 406watcher before you C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call
407C<AnyEvent::detect>).
403 408
404Example: fork a process and wait for it 409Example: fork a process and wait for it
405 410
406 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 411 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
407 412
594 599
595=item $cv->begin ([group callback]) 600=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
596 601
597=item $cv->end 602=item $cv->end
598 603
599These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
600
601These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into 604These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
602one. 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
603to use a condition variable for the whole process. 606to use a condition variable for the whole process.
604 607
605Every 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
606C<< ->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
607>>, 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
608is 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
609callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments. 612callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
610 613
611Let'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:
612 645
613 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar; 646 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
614 647
615 my %result; 648 my %result;
616 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) }); 649 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
636loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback 669loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
637to 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
638C<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
639doesn't execute once). 672doesn't execute once).
640 673
641This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests: 674This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
642use 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
643is 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
644C<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>.
645 679
646=back 680=back
647 681
648=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS 682=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
649 683
729 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice. 763 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
730 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).
731 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse. 765 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
732 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.
733 767
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
734There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for 772There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
735watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the 773watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
736POE 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
737second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for 775second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
738AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using 776AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using
930no warnings; 968no warnings;
931use strict qw(vars subs); 969use strict qw(vars subs);
932 970
933use Carp; 971use Carp;
934 972
935our $VERSION = 4.352; 973our $VERSION = 4.8;
936our $MODEL; 974our $MODEL;
937 975
938our $AUTOLOAD; 976our $AUTOLOAD;
939our @ISA; 977our @ISA;
940 978
941our @REGISTRY; 979our @REGISTRY;
942 980
943our $WIN32; 981our $WIN32;
944 982
945BEGIN { 983BEGIN {
946 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i); 984 eval "sub WIN32(){ " . (($^O =~ /mswin32/i)*1) ." }";
947 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }"; 985 eval "sub TAINT(){ " . (${^TAINT}*1) . " }";
986
987 delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
988 if ${^TAINT};
948} 989}
949 990
950our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 991our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
951 992
952our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred 993our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
970 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 1011 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
971 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 1012 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
972 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 1013 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
973 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1014 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
974 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1015 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
1016 # IO::Async is just too broken - we would need workaorunds for its
1017 # byzantine signal and broken child handling, among others.
1018 # IO::Async is rather hard to detect, as it doesn't have any
1019 # obvious default class.
1020# [IO::Async:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1021# [IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1022# [IO::Async::Notifier:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
975); 1023);
976 1024
977our %method = map +($_ => 1), 1025our %method = map +($_ => 1),
978 qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY); 1026 qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY);
979 1027
1071} 1119}
1072 1120
1073# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends 1121# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
1074# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually 1122# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
1075# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one). 1123# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
1076sub _dupfh($$$$) { 1124sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
1077 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_; 1125 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
1078 1126
1079 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't 1127 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
1080 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<") 1128 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<")
1081 : $poll eq "w" ? ($w, ">") 1129 : $poll eq "w" ? ($w, ">")
1141 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case 1189 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1142 } else { 1190 } else {
1143 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W; 1191 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
1144 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R; 1192 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
1145 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case 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;
1146 } 1198 }
1147 1199
1148 $SIGPIPE_R 1200 $SIGPIPE_R
1149 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n"; 1201 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
1150
1151 # not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
1152 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1153 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1154 1202
1155 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec); 1203 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1156 } 1204 }
1157 1205
1158 my $signal = uc $arg{signal} 1206 my $signal = uc $arg{signal}
1171sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY { 1219sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY {
1172 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1220 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1173 1221
1174 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb}; 1222 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
1175 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.
1176 delete $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} }; 1227 undef $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
1177} 1228}
1178 1229
1179# default implementation for ->child 1230# default implementation for ->child
1180 1231
1181our %PID_CB; 1232our %PID_CB;
1182our $CHLD_W; 1233our $CHLD_W;
1183our $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1234our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1184our $PID_IDLE;
1185our $WNOHANG; 1235our $WNOHANG;
1186 1236
1187sub _child_wait { 1237sub _sigchld {
1188 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) { 1238 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) {
1189 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }), 1239 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }),
1190 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} }); 1240 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} });
1191 } 1241 }
1192
1193 undef $PID_IDLE;
1194}
1195
1196sub _sigchld {
1197 # make sure we deliver these changes "synchronous" with the event loop.
1198 $CHLD_DELAY_W ||= AnyEvent->timer (after => 0, cb => sub {
1199 undef $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1200 &_child_wait;
1201 });
1202} 1242}
1203 1243
1204sub child { 1244sub child {
1205 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1245 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1206 1246
1207 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0) 1247 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)
1208 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1248 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
1209 1249
1210 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1250 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1211 1251
1212 unless ($WNOHANG) {
1213 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 1252 $WNOHANG ||= eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
1214 }
1215 1253
1216 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1254 unless ($CHLD_W) {
1217 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1255 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
1218 # 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
1219 &_sigchld; 1257 &_sigchld;
1230 1268
1231 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1269 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
1232} 1270}
1233 1271
1234# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless 1272# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
1235# of whether the proces sis idle or not, and not letting 1273# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
1236# the callback use more than 50% of the time. 1274# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
1237sub idle { 1275sub idle {
1238 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1276 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1239 1277
1240 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb}; 1278 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
1346so on. 1384so on.
1347 1385
1348=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES 1386=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1349 1387
1350The following environment variables are used by this module or its 1388The following environment variables are used by this module or its
1351submodules: 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.
1352 1394
1353=over 4 1395=over 4
1354 1396
1355=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE> 1397=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1356 1398
1368=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> 1410=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1369 1411
1370AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough 1412AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1371argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value 1413argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1372will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly 1414will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1373check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems 1415check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
1374it will croak. 1416it will croak.
1375 1417
1376In other words, enables "strict" mode. 1418In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1377 1419
1378Unlike C<use strict>, it is definitely recommended ot keep it off in 1420Unlike C<use strict>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in
1379production. Keeping C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while 1421production. Keeping C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while
1380developing programs can be very useful, however. 1422developing programs can be very useful, however.
1381 1423
1382=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL> 1424=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1383 1425
1428 1470
1429=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS> 1471=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1430 1472
1431The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call> 1473The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1432will create in parallel. 1474will create in parallel.
1475
1476=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS>
1477
1478The default value for the C<max_outstanding> parameter for the default DNS
1479resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS requests that are
1480sent to the DNS server.
1481
1482=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF>
1483
1484The file to use instead of F</etc/resolv.conf> (or OS-specific
1485configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty string, no
1486default config will be used.
1433 1487
1434=back 1488=back
1435 1489
1436=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1490=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
1437 1491
1682 EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1736 EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1683 CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1737 CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1684 Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation 1738 Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation
1685 Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface 1739 Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface
1686 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1740 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers
1741 IOAsync/Any 16000 989 38.10 32.77 11.13 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
1742 IOAsync/Any 16000 990 37.59 29.50 10.61 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1687 Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour 1743 Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour
1688 Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1744 Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1689 POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event 1745 POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event
1690 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select 1746 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select
1691 1747
1720performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of 1776performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1721them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark. 1777them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1722 1778
1723The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 1779The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1724cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 1780cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
1781
1782C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
1783when using its pure perl backend.
1725 1784
1726C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a 1785C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
1727faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 1786faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1728C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 1787C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1729watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 1788watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1807it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating 1866it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1808a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 1867a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1809 1868
1810=head3 Results 1869=head3 Results
1811 1870
1812 name sockets create request 1871 name sockets create request
1813 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 1872 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1814 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 1873 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1874 IOAsync 20000 157.00 98.14 epoll
1875 IOAsync 20000 159.31 616.06 poll
1815 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 1876 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1816 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 1877 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1817 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 1878 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1818 1879
1819=head3 Discussion 1880=head3 Discussion
1820 1881
1821This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the 1882This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1822particular event loop. 1883particular event loop.
1824EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time 1885EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1825is relatively high, though. 1886is relatively high, though.
1826 1887
1827Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 1888Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1828loops Event and Glib. 1889loops Event and Glib.
1890
1891IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
1892good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1829 1893
1830Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will 1894Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1831understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to 1895understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1832the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event 1896the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1833uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations. 1897uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1896=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of 1960=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1897watchers, as the management overhead dominates. 1961watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1898 1962
1899=back 1963=back
1900 1964
1965=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
1966
1967Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
1968could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
1969simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
1970shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
1971fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
1972very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
1973baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
1974
1975The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
1976connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
1977creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
1978test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
1979benchmark nevertheless.
1980
1981 name runtime
1982 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
1983 + optimized 0.122 sec
1984 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
1985 + optimized 0.138 sec
1986 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
1987 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
1988 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
1989 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
1990
1991 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
1992 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
1993 +state machine 0.134 sec
1994
1995The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
1996benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
1997defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
1998written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
1999AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
2000resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
2001generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
2002connects (which involve a single syscall only).
2003
2004The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
2005offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
2006Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
2007non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
2008
2009As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
2010hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
2011backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
2012
2013And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
2014slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda by a
2015large margin, even though it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O
2016in a non-blocking way.
2017
2018The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
2019F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
2020part of the IO::lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
2021
1901 2022
1902=head1 SIGNALS 2023=head1 SIGNALS
1903 2024
1904AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals: 2025AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
1905 2026
1908=item SIGCHLD 2029=item SIGCHLD
1909 2030
1910A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher 2031A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
1911emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some 2032emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
1912event loops install a similar handler. 2033event loops install a similar handler.
2034
2035If, when AnyEvent is loaded, SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then AnyEvent will
2036reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
1913 2037
1914=item SIGPIPE 2038=item SIGPIPE
1915 2039
1916A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef> 2040A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
1917when AnyEvent gets loaded. 2041when AnyEvent gets loaded.
1929 2053
1930=back 2054=back
1931 2055
1932=cut 2056=cut
1933 2057
2058undef $SIG{CHLD}
2059 if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
2060
1934$SIG{PIPE} = sub { } 2061$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
1935 unless defined $SIG{PIPE}; 2062 unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
1936
1937 2063
1938=head1 FORK 2064=head1 FORK
1939 2065
1940Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 2066Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1941because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll> 2067because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1962 use AnyEvent; 2088 use AnyEvent;
1963 2089
1964Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 2090Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1965be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is 2091be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1966probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and 2092probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
1967$ENV{PERL_ANYEGENT_STRICT}. 2093$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
2094
2095Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
2096C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
2097enabled.
1968 2098
1969 2099
1970=head1 BUGS 2100=head1 BUGS
1971 2101
1972Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard 2102Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard

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