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1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3Coro - coroutine process abstraction 3Coro - the only real threads in perl
4 4
5=head1 SYNOPSIS 5=head1 SYNOPSIS
6 6
7 use Coro; 7 use Coro;
8 8
9 async { 9 async {
10 # some asynchronous thread of execution 10 # some asynchronous thread of execution
11 print "2\n";
12 cede; # yield back to main
13 print "4\n";
11 }; 14 };
12 15 print "1\n";
13 # alternatively create an async coroutine like this: 16 cede; # yield to coro
14 17 print "3\n";
15 sub some_func : Coro { 18 cede; # and again
16 # some more async code 19
17 } 20 # use locking
18 21 my $lock = new Coro::Semaphore;
19 cede; 22 my $locked;
23
24 $lock->down;
25 $locked = 1;
26 $lock->up;
20 27
21=head1 DESCRIPTION 28=head1 DESCRIPTION
22 29
23This module collection manages coroutines. Coroutines are similar to 30For a tutorial-style introduction, please read the L<Coro::Intro>
24threads but don't run in parallel. 31manpage. This manpage mainly contains reference information.
25 32
33This module collection manages continuations in general, most often in
34the form of cooperative threads (also called coros, or simply "coro"
35in the documentation). They are similar to kernel threads but don't (in
36general) run in parallel at the same time even on SMP machines. The
37specific flavor of thread offered by this module also guarantees you that
38it will not switch between threads unless necessary, at easily-identified
39points in your program, so locking and parallel access are rarely an
40issue, making thread programming much safer and easier than using other
41thread models.
42
43Unlike the so-called "Perl threads" (which are not actually real threads
44but only the windows process emulation (see section of same name for
45more details) ported to UNIX, and as such act as processes), Coro
46provides a full shared address space, which makes communication between
47threads very easy. And coro threads are fast, too: disabling the Windows
48process emulation code in your perl and using Coro can easily result in
49a two to four times speed increase for your programs. A parallel matrix
50multiplication benchmark (very communication-intensive) runs over 300
51times faster on a single core than perls pseudo-threads on a quad core
52using all four cores.
53
54Coro achieves that by supporting multiple running interpreters that share
55data, which is especially useful to code pseudo-parallel processes and
56for event-based programming, such as multiple HTTP-GET requests running
57concurrently. See L<Coro::AnyEvent> to learn more on how to integrate Coro
58into an event-based environment.
59
26In this module, coroutines are defined as "callchain + lexical variables 60In this module, a thread is defined as "callchain + lexical variables +
27+ @_ + $_ + $@ + $^W + C stack), that is, a coroutine has it's own 61some package variables + C stack), that is, a thread has its own callchain,
28callchain, it's own set of lexicals and it's own set of perl's most 62its own set of lexicals and its own set of perls most important global
29important global variables. 63variables (see L<Coro::State> for more configuration and background info).
64
65See also the C<SEE ALSO> section at the end of this document - the Coro
66module family is quite large.
67
68=head1 CORO THREAD LIFE CYCLE
69
70During the long and exciting (or not) life of a coro thread, it goes
71through a number of states:
72
73=over 4
74
75=item 1. Creation
76
77The first thing in the life of a coro thread is it's creation -
78obviously. The typical way to create a thread is to call the C<async
79BLOCK> function:
80
81 async {
82 # thread code goes here
83 };
84
85You can also pass arguments, which are put in C<@_>:
86
87 async {
88 print $_[1]; # prints 2
89 } 1, 2, 3;
90
91This creates a new coro thread and puts it into the ready queue, meaning
92it will run as soon as the CPU is free for it.
93
94C<async> will return a Coro object - you can store this for future
95reference or ignore it - a thread that is running, ready to run or waiting
96for some event is alive on it's own.
97
98Another way to create a thread is to call the C<new> constructor with a
99code-reference:
100
101 new Coro sub {
102 # thread code goes here
103 }, @optional_arguments;
104
105This is quite similar to calling C<async>, but the important difference is
106that the new thread is not put into the ready queue, so the thread will
107not run until somebody puts it there. C<async> is, therefore, identical to
108this sequence:
109
110 my $coro = new Coro sub {
111 # thread code goes here
112 };
113 $coro->ready;
114 return $coro;
115
116=item 2. Startup
117
118When a new coro thread is created, only a copy of the code reference
119and the arguments are stored, no extra memory for stacks and so on is
120allocated, keeping the coro thread in a low-memory state.
121
122Only when it actually starts executing will all the resources be finally
123allocated.
124
125The optional arguments specified at coro creation are available in C<@_>,
126similar to function calls.
127
128=item 3. Running / Blocking
129
130A lot can happen after the coro thread has started running. Quite usually,
131it will not run to the end in one go (because you could use a function
132instead), but it will give up the CPU regularly because it waits for
133external events.
134
135As long as a coro thread runs, its Coro object is available in the global
136variable C<$Coro::current>.
137
138The low-level way to give up the CPU is to call the scheduler, which
139selects a new coro thread to run:
140
141 Coro::schedule;
142
143Since running threads are not in the ready queue, calling the scheduler
144without doing anything else will block the coro thread forever - you need
145to arrange either for the coro to put woken up (readied) by some other
146event or some other thread, or you can put it into the ready queue before
147scheduling:
148
149 # this is exactly what Coro::cede does
150 $Coro::current->ready;
151 Coro::schedule;
152
153All the higher-level synchronisation methods (Coro::Semaphore,
154Coro::rouse_*...) are actually implemented via C<< ->ready >> and C<<
155Coro::schedule >>.
156
157While the coro thread is running it also might get assigned a C-level
158thread, or the C-level thread might be unassigned from it, as the Coro
159runtime wishes. A C-level thread needs to be assigned when your perl
160thread calls into some C-level function and that function in turn calls
161perl and perl then wants to switch coroutines. This happens most often
162when you run an event loop and block in the callback, or when perl
163itself calls some function such as C<AUTOLOAD> or methods via the C<tie>
164mechanism.
165
166=item 4. Termination
167
168Many threads actually terminate after some time. There are a number of
169ways to terminate a coro thread, the simplest is returning from the
170top-level code reference:
171
172 async {
173 # after returning from here, the coro thread is terminated
174 };
175
176 async {
177 return if 0.5 < rand; # terminate a little earlier, maybe
178 print "got a chance to print this\n";
179 # or here
180 };
181
182Any values returned from the coroutine can be recovered using C<< ->join
183>>:
184
185 my $coro = async {
186 "hello, world\n" # return a string
187 };
188
189 my $hello_world = $coro->join;
190
191 print $hello_world;
192
193Another way to terminate is to call C<< Coro::terminate >>, which at any
194subroutine call nesting level:
195
196 async {
197 Coro::terminate "return value 1", "return value 2";
198 };
199
200Yet another way is to C<< ->cancel >> (or C<< ->safe_cancel >>) the coro
201thread from another thread:
202
203 my $coro = async {
204 exit 1;
205 };
206
207 $coro->cancel; # also accepts values for ->join to retrieve
208
209Cancellation I<can> be dangerous - it's a bit like calling C<exit> without
210actually exiting, and might leave C libraries and XS modules in a weird
211state. Unlike other thread implementations, however, Coro is exceptionally
212safe with regards to cancellation, as perl will always be in a consistent
213state, and for those cases where you want to do truly marvellous things
214with your coro while it is being cancelled - that is, make sure all
215cleanup code is executed from the thread being cancelled - there is even a
216C<< ->safe_cancel >> method.
217
218So, cancelling a thread that runs in an XS event loop might not be the
219best idea, but any other combination that deals with perl only (cancelling
220when a thread is in a C<tie> method or an C<AUTOLOAD> for example) is
221safe.
222
223Last not least, a coro thread object that isn't referenced is C<<
224->cancel >>'ed automatically - just like other objects in Perl. This
225is not such a common case, however - a running thread is referencedy by
226C<$Coro::current>, a thread ready to run is referenced by the ready queue,
227a thread waiting on a lock or semaphore is referenced by being in some
228wait list and so on. But a thread that isn't in any of those queues gets
229cancelled:
230
231 async {
232 schedule; # cede to other coros, don't go into the ready queue
233 };
234
235 cede;
236 # now the async above is destroyed, as it is not referenced by anything.
237
238A slightly embellished example might make it clearer:
239
240 async {
241 my $guard = Guard::guard { print "destroyed\n" };
242 schedule while 1;
243 };
244
245 cede;
246
247Superficially one might not expect any output - since the C<async>
248implements an endless loop, the C<$guard> will not be cleaned up. However,
249since the thread object returned by C<async> is not stored anywhere, the
250thread is initially referenced because it is in the ready queue, when it
251runs it is referenced by C<$Coro::current>, but when it calls C<schedule>,
252it gets C<cancel>ed causing the guard object to be destroyed (see the next
253section), and printing it's message.
254
255If this seems a bit drastic, remember that this only happens when nothing
256references the thread anymore, which means there is no way to further
257execute it, ever. The only options at this point are leaking the thread,
258or cleaning it up, which brings us to...
259
260=item 5. Cleanup
261
262Threads will allocate various resources. Most but not all will be returned
263when a thread terminates, during clean-up.
264
265Cleanup is quite similar to throwing an uncaught exception: perl will
266work it's way up through all subroutine calls and blocks. On it's way, it
267will release all C<my> variables, undo all C<local>'s and free any other
268resources truly local to the thread.
269
270So, a common way to free resources is to keep them referenced only by my
271variables:
272
273 async {
274 my $big_cache = new Cache ...;
275 };
276
277If there are no other references, then the C<$big_cache> object will be
278freed when the thread terminates, regardless of how it does so.
279
280What it does C<NOT> do is unlock any Coro::Semaphores or similar
281resources, but that's where the C<guard> methods come in handy:
282
283 my $sem = new Coro::Semaphore;
284
285 async {
286 my $lock_guard = $sem->guard;
287 # if we return, or die or get cancelled, here,
288 # then the semaphore will be "up"ed.
289 };
290
291The C<Guard::guard> function comes in handy for any custom cleanup you
292might want to do (but you cannot switch to other coroutines from those
293code blocks):
294
295 async {
296 my $window = new Gtk2::Window "toplevel";
297 # The window will not be cleaned up automatically, even when $window
298 # gets freed, so use a guard to ensure it's destruction
299 # in case of an error:
300 my $window_guard = Guard::guard { $window->destroy };
301
302 # we are safe here
303 };
304
305Last not least, C<local> can often be handy, too, e.g. when temporarily
306replacing the coro thread description:
307
308 sub myfunction {
309 local $Coro::current->{desc} = "inside myfunction(@_)";
310
311 # if we return or die here, the description will be restored
312 }
313
314=item 6. Viva La Zombie Muerte
315
316Even after a thread has terminated and cleaned up its resources, the Coro
317object still is there and stores the return values of the thread.
318
319When there are no other references, it will simply be cleaned up and
320freed.
321
322If there areany references, the Coro object will stay around, and you
323can call C<< ->join >> as many times as you wish to retrieve the result
324values:
325
326 async {
327 print "hi\n";
328 1
329 };
330
331 # run the async above, and free everything before returning
332 # from Coro::cede:
333 Coro::cede;
334
335 {
336 my $coro = async {
337 print "hi\n";
338 1
339 };
340
341 # run the async above, and clean up, but do not free the coro
342 # object:
343 Coro::cede;
344
345 # optionally retrieve the result values
346 my @results = $coro->join;
347
348 # now $coro goes out of scope, and presumably gets freed
349 };
350
351=back
30 352
31=cut 353=cut
32 354
33package Coro; 355package Coro;
34 356
35use strict; 357use common::sense;
36no warnings "uninitialized"; 358
359use Carp ();
360
361use Guard ();
37 362
38use Coro::State; 363use Coro::State;
39 364
40use base qw(Coro::State Exporter); 365use base qw(Coro::State Exporter);
41 366
42our $idle; # idle handler 367our $idle; # idle handler
43our $main; # main coroutine 368our $main; # main coro
44our $current; # current coroutine 369our $current; # current coro
45 370
46our $VERSION = '3.0'; 371our $VERSION = 6.33;
47 372
48our @EXPORT = qw(async cede schedule terminate current unblock_sub); 373our @EXPORT = qw(async async_pool cede schedule terminate current unblock_sub rouse_cb rouse_wait);
49our %EXPORT_TAGS = ( 374our %EXPORT_TAGS = (
50 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)], 375 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)],
51); 376);
52our @EXPORT_OK = @{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}; 377our @EXPORT_OK = (@{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}, qw(nready));
53 378
54{ 379=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES
55 my @async;
56 my $init;
57
58 # this way of handling attributes simply is NOT scalable ;()
59 sub import {
60 no strict 'refs';
61
62 Coro->export_to_level (1, @_);
63
64 my $old = *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"}{CODE};
65 *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"} = sub {
66 my ($package, $ref) = (shift, shift);
67 my @attrs;
68 for (@_) {
69 if ($_ eq "Coro") {
70 push @async, $ref;
71 unless ($init++) {
72 eval q{
73 sub INIT {
74 &async(pop @async) while @async;
75 }
76 };
77 }
78 } else {
79 push @attrs, $_;
80 }
81 }
82 return $old ? $old->($package, $ref, @attrs) : @attrs;
83 };
84 }
85
86}
87 380
88=over 4 381=over 4
89 382
90=item $main 383=item $Coro::main
91 384
92This coroutine represents the main program. 385This variable stores the Coro object that represents the main
386program. While you can C<ready> it and do most other things you can do to
387coro, it is mainly useful to compare again C<$Coro::current>, to see
388whether you are running in the main program or not.
93 389
94=cut 390=cut
95 391
96$main = new Coro; 392# $main is now being initialised by Coro::State
97 393
98=item $current (or as function: current) 394=item $Coro::current
99 395
100The current coroutine (the last coroutine switched to). The initial value 396The Coro object representing the current coro (the last
397coro that the Coro scheduler switched to). The initial value is
101is C<$main> (of course). 398C<$Coro::main> (of course).
102 399
103This variable is B<strictly> I<read-only>. It is provided for performance 400This variable is B<strictly> I<read-only>. You can take copies of the
104reasons. If performance is not essentiel you are encouraged to use the 401value stored in it and use it as any other Coro object, but you must
105C<Coro::current> function instead. 402not otherwise modify the variable itself.
106 403
107=cut 404=cut
108 405
109# maybe some other module used Coro::Specific before...
110$main->{specific} = $current->{specific}
111 if $current;
112
113_set_current $main;
114
115sub current() { $current } 406sub current() { $current } # [DEPRECATED]
116 407
117=item $idle 408=item $Coro::idle
118 409
119A callback that is called whenever the scheduler finds no ready coroutines 410This variable is mainly useful to integrate Coro into event loops. It is
411usually better to rely on L<Coro::AnyEvent> or L<Coro::EV>, as this is
412pretty low-level functionality.
413
414This variable stores a Coro object that is put into the ready queue when
415there are no other ready threads (without invoking any ready hooks).
416
120to run. The default implementation prints "FATAL: deadlock detected" and 417The default implementation dies with "FATAL: deadlock detected.", followed
121exits, because the program has no other way to continue. 418by a thread listing, because the program has no other way to continue.
122 419
123This hook is overwritten by modules such as C<Coro::Timer> and 420This hook is overwritten by modules such as C<Coro::EV> and
124C<Coro::Event> to wait on an external event that hopefully wake up a 421C<Coro::AnyEvent> to wait on an external event that hopefully wakes up a
125coroutine so the scheduler can run it. 422coro so the scheduler can run it.
126 423
127Please note that if your callback recursively invokes perl (e.g. for event 424See L<Coro::EV> or L<Coro::AnyEvent> for examples of using this technique.
128handlers), then it must be prepared to be called recursively.
129 425
130=cut 426=cut
131 427
132$idle = sub { 428# ||= because other modules could have provided their own by now
429$idle ||= new Coro sub {
430 require Coro::Debug;
133 print STDERR "FATAL: deadlock detected\n"; 431 die "FATAL: deadlock detected.\n"
134 exit (51); 432 . Coro::Debug::ps_listing ();
135}; 433};
136 434
137# this coroutine is necessary because a coroutine 435# this coro is necessary because a coro
138# cannot destroy itself. 436# cannot destroy itself.
139my @destroy; 437our @destroy;
438our $manager;
439
140my $manager; $manager = new Coro sub { 440$manager = new Coro sub {
141 while () { 441 while () {
142 # by overwriting the state object with the manager we destroy it 442 _destroy shift @destroy
143 # while still being able to schedule this coroutine (in case it has
144 # been readied multiple times. this is harmless since the manager
145 # can be called as many times as neccessary and will always
146 # remove itself from the runqueue
147 while (@destroy) { 443 while @destroy;
148 my $coro = pop @destroy;
149 $coro->{status} ||= [];
150 $_->ready for @{delete $coro->{join} || []};
151 444
152 # the next line destroys the coro state, but keeps the
153 # coroutine itself intact (we basically make it a zombie
154 # coroutine that always runs the manager thread, so it's possible
155 # to transfer() to this coroutine).
156 $coro->_clone_state_from ($manager);
157 }
158 &schedule; 445 &schedule;
159 } 446 }
160}; 447};
161 448$manager->{desc} = "[coro manager]";
162# static methods. not really. 449$manager->prio (PRIO_MAX);
163 450
164=back 451=back
165 452
166=head2 STATIC METHODS 453=head1 SIMPLE CORO CREATION
167
168Static methods are actually functions that operate on the current coroutine only.
169 454
170=over 4 455=over 4
171 456
172=item async { ... } [@args...] 457=item async { ... } [@args...]
173 458
174Create a new asynchronous coroutine and return it's coroutine object 459Create a new coro and return its Coro object (usually
175(usually unused). When the sub returns the new coroutine is automatically 460unused). The coro will be put into the ready queue, so
461it will start running automatically on the next scheduler run.
462
463The first argument is a codeblock/closure that should be executed in the
464coro. When it returns argument returns the coro is automatically
176terminated. 465terminated.
177 466
178Calling C<exit> in a coroutine will not work correctly, so do not do that. 467The remaining arguments are passed as arguments to the closure.
179 468
180When the coroutine dies, the program will exit, just as in the main 469See the C<Coro::State::new> constructor for info about the coro
181program. 470environment in which coro are executed.
182 471
472Calling C<exit> in a coro will do the same as calling exit outside
473the coro. Likewise, when the coro dies, the program will exit,
474just as it would in the main program.
475
476If you do not want that, you can provide a default C<die> handler, or
477simply avoid dieing (by use of C<eval>).
478
183 # create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments 479Example: Create a new coro that just prints its arguments.
480
184 async { 481 async {
185 print "@_\n"; 482 print "@_\n";
186 } 1,2,3,4; 483 } 1,2,3,4;
187 484
485=item async_pool { ... } [@args...]
486
487Similar to C<async>, but uses a coro pool, so you should not call
488terminate or join on it (although you are allowed to), and you get a
489coro that might have executed other code already (which can be good
490or bad :).
491
492On the plus side, this function is about twice as fast as creating (and
493destroying) a completely new coro, so if you need a lot of generic
494coros in quick successsion, use C<async_pool>, not C<async>.
495
496The code block is executed in an C<eval> context and a warning will be
497issued in case of an exception instead of terminating the program, as
498C<async> does. As the coro is being reused, stuff like C<on_destroy>
499will not work in the expected way, unless you call terminate or cancel,
500which somehow defeats the purpose of pooling (but is fine in the
501exceptional case).
502
503The priority will be reset to C<0> after each run, tracing will be
504disabled, the description will be reset and the default output filehandle
505gets restored, so you can change all these. Otherwise the coro will
506be re-used "as-is": most notably if you change other per-coro global
507stuff such as C<$/> you I<must needs> revert that change, which is most
508simply done by using local as in: C<< local $/ >>.
509
510The idle pool size is limited to C<8> idle coros (this can be
511adjusted by changing $Coro::POOL_SIZE), but there can be as many non-idle
512coros as required.
513
514If you are concerned about pooled coros growing a lot because a
515single C<async_pool> used a lot of stackspace you can e.g. C<async_pool
516{ terminate }> once per second or so to slowly replenish the pool. In
517addition to that, when the stacks used by a handler grows larger than 32kb
518(adjustable via $Coro::POOL_RSS) it will also be destroyed.
519
188=cut 520=cut
189 521
190sub async(&@) { 522our $POOL_SIZE = 8;
191 my $pid = new Coro @_; 523our $POOL_RSS = 32 * 1024;
192 $pid->ready; 524our @async_pool;
193 $pid 525
526sub pool_handler {
527 while () {
528 eval {
529 &{&_pool_handler} while 1;
530 };
531
532 warn $@ if $@;
533 }
194} 534}
195 535
536=back
537
538=head1 STATIC METHODS
539
540Static methods are actually functions that implicitly operate on the
541current coro.
542
543=over 4
544
196=item schedule 545=item schedule
197 546
198Calls the scheduler. Please note that the current coroutine will not be put 547Calls the scheduler. The scheduler will find the next coro that is
548to be run from the ready queue and switches to it. The next coro
549to be run is simply the one with the highest priority that is longest
550in its ready queue. If there is no coro ready, it will call the
551C<$Coro::idle> hook.
552
553Please note that the current coro will I<not> be put into the ready
199into the ready queue, so calling this function usually means you will 554queue, so calling this function usually means you will never be called
200never be called again unless something else (e.g. an event handler) calls 555again unless something else (e.g. an event handler) calls C<< ->ready >>,
201ready. 556thus waking you up.
202 557
203The canonical way to wait on external events is this: 558This makes C<schedule> I<the> generic method to use to block the current
559coro and wait for events: first you remember the current coro in
560a variable, then arrange for some callback of yours to call C<< ->ready
561>> on that once some event happens, and last you call C<schedule> to put
562yourself to sleep. Note that a lot of things can wake your coro up,
563so you need to check whether the event indeed happened, e.g. by storing the
564status in a variable.
204 565
205 { 566See B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK>, below, for some ways to wait for callbacks.
206 # remember current coroutine
207 my $current = $Coro::current;
208 567
209 # register a hypothetical event handler 568=item cede
210 on_event_invoke sub { 569
211 # wake up sleeping coroutine 570"Cede" to other coros. This function puts the current coro into
212 $current->ready; 571the ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving
213 undef $current; 572up the current "timeslice" to other coros of the same or higher
573priority. Once your coro gets its turn again it will automatically be
574resumed.
575
576This function is often called C<yield> in other languages.
577
578=item Coro::cede_notself
579
580Works like cede, but is not exported by default and will cede to I<any>
581coro, regardless of priority. This is useful sometimes to ensure
582progress is made.
583
584=item terminate [arg...]
585
586Terminates the current coro with the given status values (see
587L<cancel>). The values will not be copied, but referenced directly.
588
589=item Coro::on_enter BLOCK, Coro::on_leave BLOCK
590
591These function install enter and leave winders in the current scope. The
592enter block will be executed when on_enter is called and whenever the
593current coro is re-entered by the scheduler, while the leave block is
594executed whenever the current coro is blocked by the scheduler, and
595also when the containing scope is exited (by whatever means, be it exit,
596die, last etc.).
597
598I<Neither invoking the scheduler, nor exceptions, are allowed within those
599BLOCKs>. That means: do not even think about calling C<die> without an
600eval, and do not even think of entering the scheduler in any way.
601
602Since both BLOCKs are tied to the current scope, they will automatically
603be removed when the current scope exits.
604
605These functions implement the same concept as C<dynamic-wind> in scheme
606does, and are useful when you want to localise some resource to a specific
607coro.
608
609They slow down thread switching considerably for coros that use them
610(about 40% for a BLOCK with a single assignment, so thread switching is
611still reasonably fast if the handlers are fast).
612
613These functions are best understood by an example: The following function
614will change the current timezone to "Antarctica/South_Pole", which
615requires a call to C<tzset>, but by using C<on_enter> and C<on_leave>,
616which remember/change the current timezone and restore the previous
617value, respectively, the timezone is only changed for the coro that
618installed those handlers.
619
620 use POSIX qw(tzset);
621
622 async {
623 my $old_tz; # store outside TZ value here
624
625 Coro::on_enter {
626 $old_tz = $ENV{TZ}; # remember the old value
627
628 $ENV{TZ} = "Antarctica/South_Pole";
629 tzset; # enable new value
214 }; 630 };
215 631
216 # call schedule until event occured. 632 Coro::on_leave {
217 # in case we are woken up for other reasons 633 $ENV{TZ} = $old_tz;
218 # (current still defined), loop. 634 tzset; # restore old value
219 Coro::schedule while $current; 635 };
636
637 # at this place, the timezone is Antarctica/South_Pole,
638 # without disturbing the TZ of any other coro.
639 };
640
641This can be used to localise about any resource (locale, uid, current
642working directory etc.) to a block, despite the existance of other
643coros.
644
645Another interesting example implements time-sliced multitasking using
646interval timers (this could obviously be optimised, but does the job):
647
648 # "timeslice" the given block
649 sub timeslice(&) {
650 use Time::HiRes ();
651
652 Coro::on_enter {
653 # on entering the thread, we set an VTALRM handler to cede
654 $SIG{VTALRM} = sub { cede };
655 # and then start the interval timer
656 Time::HiRes::setitimer &Time::HiRes::ITIMER_VIRTUAL, 0.01, 0.01;
657 };
658 Coro::on_leave {
659 # on leaving the thread, we stop the interval timer again
660 Time::HiRes::setitimer &Time::HiRes::ITIMER_VIRTUAL, 0, 0;
661 };
662
663 &{+shift};
664 }
665
666 # use like this:
667 timeslice {
668 # The following is an endless loop that would normally
669 # monopolise the process. Since it runs in a timesliced
670 # environment, it will regularly cede to other threads.
671 while () { }
672 };
673
674
675=item killall
676
677Kills/terminates/cancels all coros except the currently running one.
678
679Note that while this will try to free some of the main interpreter
680resources if the calling coro isn't the main coro, but one
681cannot free all of them, so if a coro that is not the main coro
682calls this function, there will be some one-time resource leak.
683
684=cut
685
686sub killall {
687 for (Coro::State::list) {
688 $_->cancel
689 if $_ != $current && UNIVERSAL::isa $_, "Coro";
220 } 690 }
691}
221 692
222=item cede 693=back
223 694
224"Cede" to other coroutines. This function puts the current coroutine into the 695=head1 CORO OBJECT METHODS
225ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving up the
226current "timeslice" to other coroutines of the same or higher priority.
227 696
228=item terminate [arg...] 697These are the methods you can call on coro objects (or to create
698them).
229 699
230Terminates the current coroutine with the given status values (see L<cancel>). 700=over 4
701
702=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...]
703
704Create a new coro and return it. When the sub returns, the coro
705automatically terminates as if C<terminate> with the returned values were
706called. To make the coro run you must first put it into the ready
707queue by calling the ready method.
708
709See C<async> and C<Coro::State::new> for additional info about the
710coro environment.
231 711
232=cut 712=cut
233 713
234sub terminate { 714sub _coro_run {
235 $current->cancel (@_);
236}
237
238=back
239
240# dynamic methods
241
242=head2 COROUTINE METHODS
243
244These are the methods you can call on coroutine objects.
245
246=over 4
247
248=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...]
249
250Create a new coroutine and return it. When the sub returns the coroutine
251automatically terminates as if C<terminate> with the returned values were
252called. To make the coroutine run you must first put it into the ready queue
253by calling the ready method.
254
255Calling C<exit> in a coroutine will not work correctly, so do not do that.
256
257=cut
258
259sub _run_coro {
260 terminate &{+shift}; 715 terminate &{+shift};
261} 716}
262 717
263sub new {
264 my $class = shift;
265
266 $class->SUPER::new (\&_run_coro, @_)
267}
268
269=item $success = $coroutine->ready 718=item $success = $coro->ready
270 719
271Put the given coroutine into the ready queue (according to it's priority) 720Put the given coro into the end of its ready queue (there is one
272and return true. If the coroutine is already in the ready queue, do nothing 721queue for each priority) and return true. If the coro is already in
273and return false. 722the ready queue, do nothing and return false.
274 723
724This ensures that the scheduler will resume this coro automatically
725once all the coro of higher priority and all coro of the same
726priority that were put into the ready queue earlier have been resumed.
727
728=item $coro->suspend
729
730Suspends the specified coro. A suspended coro works just like any other
731coro, except that the scheduler will not select a suspended coro for
732execution.
733
734Suspending a coro can be useful when you want to keep the coro from
735running, but you don't want to destroy it, or when you want to temporarily
736freeze a coro (e.g. for debugging) to resume it later.
737
738A scenario for the former would be to suspend all (other) coros after a
739fork and keep them alive, so their destructors aren't called, but new
740coros can be created.
741
742=item $coro->resume
743
744If the specified coro was suspended, it will be resumed. Note that when
745the coro was in the ready queue when it was suspended, it might have been
746unreadied by the scheduler, so an activation might have been lost.
747
748To avoid this, it is best to put a suspended coro into the ready queue
749unconditionally, as every synchronisation mechanism must protect itself
750against spurious wakeups, and the one in the Coro family certainly do
751that.
752
753=item $state->is_new
754
755Returns true iff this Coro object is "new", i.e. has never been run
756yet. Those states basically consist of only the code reference to call and
757the arguments, but consumes very little other resources. New states will
758automatically get assigned a perl interpreter when they are transfered to.
759
760=item $state->is_zombie
761
762Returns true iff the Coro object has been cancelled, i.e.
763it's resources freed because they were C<cancel>'ed, C<terminate>'d,
764C<safe_cancel>'ed or simply went out of scope.
765
766The name "zombie" stems from UNIX culture, where a process that has
767exited and only stores and exit status and no other resources is called a
768"zombie".
769
275=item $is_ready = $coroutine->is_ready 770=item $is_ready = $coro->is_ready
276 771
277Return wether the coroutine is currently the ready queue or not, 772Returns true iff the Coro object is in the ready queue. Unless the Coro
773object gets destroyed, it will eventually be scheduled by the scheduler.
278 774
775=item $is_running = $coro->is_running
776
777Returns true iff the Coro object is currently running. Only one Coro object
778can ever be in the running state (but it currently is possible to have
779multiple running Coro::States).
780
781=item $is_suspended = $coro->is_suspended
782
783Returns true iff this Coro object has been suspended. Suspended Coros will
784not ever be scheduled.
785
279=item $coroutine->cancel (arg...) 786=item $coro->cancel (arg...)
280 787
281Terminates the given coroutine and makes it return the given arguments as 788Terminates the given Coro thread and makes it return the given arguments as
282status (default: the empty list). 789status (default: an empty list). Never returns if the Coro is the
790current Coro.
283 791
284=cut 792This is a rather brutal way to free a coro, with some limitations - if
793the thread is inside a C callback that doesn't expect to be canceled,
794bad things can happen, or if the cancelled thread insists on running
795complicated cleanup handlers that rely on its thread context, things will
796not work.
285 797
286sub cancel { 798Any cleanup code being run (e.g. from C<guard> blocks) will be run without
287 my $self = shift; 799a thread context, and is not allowed to switch to other threads. On the
288 $self->{status} = [@_]; 800plus side, C<< ->cancel >> will always clean up the thread, no matter
289 push @destroy, $self; 801what. If your cleanup code is complex or you want to avoid cancelling a
290 $manager->ready; 802C-thread that doesn't know how to clean up itself, it can be better to C<<
291 &schedule if $current == $self; 803->throw >> an exception, or use C<< ->safe_cancel >>.
292}
293 804
294=item $coroutine->join 805The arguments to C<< ->cancel >> are not copied, but instead will
806be referenced directly (e.g. if you pass C<$var> and after the call
807change that variable, then you might change the return values passed to
808e.g. C<join>, so don't do that).
295 809
296Wait until the coroutine terminates and return any values given to the 810The resources of the Coro are usually freed (or destructed) before this
297C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called multiple times 811call returns, but this can be delayed for an indefinite amount of time, as
298from multiple coroutine. 812in some cases the manager thread has to run first to actually destruct the
813Coro object.
299 814
300=cut 815=item $coro->safe_cancel ($arg...)
301 816
302sub join { 817Works mostly like C<< ->cancel >>, but is inherently "safer", and
303 my $self = shift; 818consequently, can fail with an exception in cases the thread is not in a
304 unless ($self->{status}) { 819cancellable state.
305 push @{$self->{join}}, $current; 820
306 &schedule; 821This method works a bit like throwing an exception that cannot be caught
822- specifically, it will clean up the thread from within itself, so
823all cleanup handlers (e.g. C<guard> blocks) are run with full thread
824context and can block if they wish. The downside is that there is no
825guarantee that the thread can be cancelled when you call this method, and
826therefore, it might fail. It is also considerably slower than C<cancel> or
827C<terminate>.
828
829A thread is in a safe-cancellable state if it either hasn't been run yet,
830or it has no C context attached and is inside an SLF function.
831
832The latter two basically mean that the thread isn't currently inside a
833perl callback called from some C function (usually via some XS modules)
834and isn't currently executing inside some C function itself (via Coro's XS
835API).
836
837This call returns true when it could cancel the thread, or croaks with an
838error otherwise (i.e. it either returns true or doesn't return at all).
839
840Why the weird interface? Well, there are two common models on how and
841when to cancel things. In the first, you have the expectation that your
842coro thread can be cancelled when you want to cancel it - if the thread
843isn't cancellable, this would be a bug somewhere, so C<< ->safe_cancel >>
844croaks to notify of the bug.
845
846In the second model you sometimes want to ask nicely to cancel a thread,
847but if it's not a good time, well, then don't cancel. This can be done
848relatively easy like this:
849
850 if (! eval { $coro->safe_cancel }) {
851 warn "unable to cancel thread: $@";
307 } 852 }
308 wantarray ? @{$self->{status}} : $self->{status}[0];
309}
310 853
854However, what you never should do is first try to cancel "safely" and
855if that fails, cancel the "hard" way with C<< ->cancel >>. That makes
856no sense: either you rely on being able to execute cleanup code in your
857thread context, or you don't. If you do, then C<< ->safe_cancel >> is the
858only way, and if you don't, then C<< ->cancel >> is always faster and more
859direct.
860
861=item $coro->schedule_to
862
863Puts the current coro to sleep (like C<Coro::schedule>), but instead
864of continuing with the next coro from the ready queue, always switch to
865the given coro object (regardless of priority etc.). The readyness
866state of that coro isn't changed.
867
868This is an advanced method for special cases - I'd love to hear about any
869uses for this one.
870
871=item $coro->cede_to
872
873Like C<schedule_to>, but puts the current coro into the ready
874queue. This has the effect of temporarily switching to the given
875coro, and continuing some time later.
876
877This is an advanced method for special cases - I'd love to hear about any
878uses for this one.
879
880=item $coro->throw ([$scalar])
881
882If C<$throw> is specified and defined, it will be thrown as an exception
883inside the coro at the next convenient point in time. Otherwise
884clears the exception object.
885
886Coro will check for the exception each time a schedule-like-function
887returns, i.e. after each C<schedule>, C<cede>, C<< Coro::Semaphore->down
888>>, C<< Coro::Handle->readable >> and so on. Most of those functions (all
889that are part of Coro itself) detect this case and return early in case an
890exception is pending.
891
892The exception object will be thrown "as is" with the specified scalar in
893C<$@>, i.e. if it is a string, no line number or newline will be appended
894(unlike with C<die>).
895
896This can be used as a softer means than either C<cancel> or C<safe_cancel
897>to ask a coro to end itself, although there is no guarantee that the
898exception will lead to termination, and if the exception isn't caught it
899might well end the whole program.
900
901You might also think of C<throw> as being the moral equivalent of
902C<kill>ing a coro with a signal (in this case, a scalar).
903
904=item $coro->join
905
906Wait until the coro terminates and return any values given to the
907C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called concurrently
908from multiple threads, and all will be resumed and given the status
909return once the C<$coro> terminates.
910
911=item $coro->on_destroy (\&cb)
912
913Registers a callback that is called when this coro thread gets destroyed,
914that is, after it's resources have been freed but before it is joined. The
915callback gets passed the terminate/cancel arguments, if any, and I<must
916not> die, under any circumstances.
917
918There can be any number of C<on_destroy> callbacks per coro, and there is
919currently no way to remove a callback once added.
920
311=item $oldprio = $coroutine->prio ($newprio) 921=item $oldprio = $coro->prio ($newprio)
312 922
313Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the 923Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the
314coroutine. Higher priority coroutines get run before lower priority 924coro thread. Higher priority coro get run before lower priority
315coroutines. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3), 925coros. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3),
316that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio 926that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio
317to get then): 927to get then):
318 928
319 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN 929 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN
320 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4 930 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4
321 931
322 # set priority to HIGH 932 # set priority to HIGH
323 current->prio(PRIO_HIGH); 933 current->prio (PRIO_HIGH);
324 934
325The idle coroutine ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any 935The idle coro thread ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any
326existing coroutine. 936existing coro.
327 937
328Changing the priority of the current coroutine will take effect immediately, 938Changing the priority of the current coro will take effect immediately,
329but changing the priority of coroutines in the ready queue (but not 939but changing the priority of a coro in the ready queue (but not running)
330running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that 940will only take effect after the next schedule (of that coro). This is a
331coroutine). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version. 941bug that will be fixed in some future version.
332 942
333=item $newprio = $coroutine->nice ($change) 943=item $newprio = $coro->nice ($change)
334 944
335Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e. 945Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e.
336higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix). 946higher values mean lower priority, just as in UNIX's nice command).
337 947
338=item $olddesc = $coroutine->desc ($newdesc) 948=item $olddesc = $coro->desc ($newdesc)
339 949
340Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this 950Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this
341coroutine. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a coroutine. 951coro thread. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a
952coro.
953
954This method simply sets the C<< $coro->{desc} >> member to the given
955string. You can modify this member directly if you wish, and in fact, this
956is often preferred to indicate major processing states that can then be
957seen for example in a L<Coro::Debug> session:
958
959 sub my_long_function {
960 local $Coro::current->{desc} = "now in my_long_function";
961 ...
962 $Coro::current->{desc} = "my_long_function: phase 1";
963 ...
964 $Coro::current->{desc} = "my_long_function: phase 2";
965 ...
966 }
342 967
343=cut 968=cut
344 969
345sub desc { 970sub desc {
346 my $old = $_[0]{desc}; 971 my $old = $_[0]{desc};
347 $_[0]{desc} = $_[1] if @_ > 1; 972 $_[0]{desc} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
348 $old; 973 $old;
349} 974}
350 975
976sub transfer {
977 require Carp;
978 Carp::croak ("You must not call ->transfer on Coro objects. Use Coro::State objects or the ->schedule_to method. Caught");
979}
980
351=back 981=back
352 982
353=head2 UTILITY FUNCTIONS 983=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
354 984
355=over 4 985=over 4
356 986
987=item Coro::nready
988
989Returns the number of coro that are currently in the ready state,
990i.e. that can be switched to by calling C<schedule> directory or
991indirectly. The value C<0> means that the only runnable coro is the
992currently running one, so C<cede> would have no effect, and C<schedule>
993would cause a deadlock unless there is an idle handler that wakes up some
994coro.
995
996=item my $guard = Coro::guard { ... }
997
998This function still exists, but is deprecated. Please use the
999C<Guard::guard> function instead.
1000
1001=cut
1002
1003BEGIN { *guard = \&Guard::guard }
1004
357=item unblock_sub { ... } 1005=item unblock_sub { ... }
358 1006
359This utility function takes a BLOCK or code reference and "unblocks" it, 1007This utility function takes a BLOCK or code reference and "unblocks" it,
360returning the new coderef. This means that the new coderef will return 1008returning a new coderef. Unblocking means that calling the new coderef
361immediately without blocking, returning nothing, while the original code 1009will return immediately without blocking, returning nothing, while the
362ref will be called (with parameters) from within its own coroutine. 1010original code ref will be called (with parameters) from within another
1011coro.
363 1012
364The reason this fucntion exists is that many event libraries (such as the 1013The reason this function exists is that many event libraries (such as
365venerable L<Event|Event> module) are not coroutine-safe (a weaker form 1014the venerable L<Event|Event> module) are not thread-safe (a weaker form
366of thread-safety). This means you must not block within event callbacks, 1015of reentrancy). This means you must not block within event callbacks,
367otherwise you might suffer from crashes or worse. 1016otherwise you might suffer from crashes or worse. The only event library
1017currently known that is safe to use without C<unblock_sub> is L<EV> (but
1018you might still run into deadlocks if all event loops are blocked).
1019
1020Coro will try to catch you when you block in the event loop
1021("FATAL:$Coro::IDLE blocked itself"), but this is just best effort and
1022only works when you do not run your own event loop.
368 1023
369This function allows your callbacks to block by executing them in another 1024This function allows your callbacks to block by executing them in another
370coroutine where it is safe to block. One example where blocking is handy 1025coro where it is safe to block. One example where blocking is handy
371is when you use the L<Coro::AIO|Coro::AIO> functions to save results to 1026is when you use the L<Coro::AIO|Coro::AIO> functions to save results to
372disk. 1027disk, for example.
373 1028
374In short: simply use C<unblock_sub { ... }> instead of C<sub { ... }> when 1029In short: simply use C<unblock_sub { ... }> instead of C<sub { ... }> when
375creating event callbacks that want to block. 1030creating event callbacks that want to block.
376 1031
1032If your handler does not plan to block (e.g. simply sends a message to
1033another coro, or puts some other coro into the ready queue), there is
1034no reason to use C<unblock_sub>.
1035
1036Note that you also need to use C<unblock_sub> for any other callbacks that
1037are indirectly executed by any C-based event loop. For example, when you
1038use a module that uses L<AnyEvent> (and you use L<Coro::AnyEvent>) and it
1039provides callbacks that are the result of some event callback, then you
1040must not block either, or use C<unblock_sub>.
1041
377=cut 1042=cut
378 1043
379our @unblock_pool;
380our @unblock_queue; 1044our @unblock_queue;
381our $UNBLOCK_POOL_SIZE = 2;
382 1045
383sub unblock_handler_ { 1046# we create a special coro because we want to cede,
384 while () { 1047# to reduce pressure on the coro pool (because most callbacks
385 my ($cb, @arg) = @{ delete $Coro::current->{arg} }; 1048# return immediately and can be reused) and because we cannot cede
386 $cb->(@arg); 1049# inside an event callback.
387
388 last if @unblock_pool >= $UNBLOCK_POOL_SIZE;
389 push @unblock_pool, $Coro::current;
390 schedule;
391 }
392}
393
394our $unblock_scheduler = async { 1050our $unblock_scheduler = new Coro sub {
395 while () { 1051 while () {
396 while (my $cb = pop @unblock_queue) { 1052 while (my $cb = pop @unblock_queue) {
397 my $handler = (pop @unblock_pool or new Coro \&unblock_handler_); 1053 &async_pool (@$cb);
398 $handler->{arg} = $cb; 1054
399 $handler->ready; 1055 # for short-lived callbacks, this reduces pressure on the coro pool
1056 # as the chance is very high that the async_poll coro will be back
1057 # in the idle state when cede returns
400 cede; 1058 cede;
401 } 1059 }
402 1060 schedule; # sleep well
403 schedule;
404 } 1061 }
405}; 1062};
1063$unblock_scheduler->{desc} = "[unblock_sub scheduler]";
406 1064
407sub unblock_sub(&) { 1065sub unblock_sub(&) {
408 my $cb = shift; 1066 my $cb = shift;
409 1067
410 sub { 1068 sub {
411 push @unblock_queue, [$cb, @_]; 1069 unshift @unblock_queue, [$cb, @_];
412 $unblock_scheduler->ready; 1070 $unblock_scheduler->ready;
413 } 1071 }
414} 1072}
415 1073
1074=item $cb = rouse_cb
1075
1076Create and return a "rouse callback". That's a code reference that,
1077when called, will remember a copy of its arguments and notify the owner
1078coro of the callback.
1079
1080See the next function.
1081
1082=item @args = rouse_wait [$cb]
1083
1084Wait for the specified rouse callback (or the last one that was created in
1085this coro).
1086
1087As soon as the callback is invoked (or when the callback was invoked
1088before C<rouse_wait>), it will return the arguments originally passed to
1089the rouse callback. In scalar context, that means you get the I<last>
1090argument, just as if C<rouse_wait> had a C<return ($a1, $a2, $a3...)>
1091statement at the end.
1092
1093See the section B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK> for an actual usage example.
1094
416=back 1095=back
417 1096
418=cut 1097=cut
419 1098
1099for my $module (qw(Channel RWLock Semaphore SemaphoreSet Signal Specific)) {
1100 my $old = defined &{"Coro::$module\::new"} && \&{"Coro::$module\::new"};
1101
1102 *{"Coro::$module\::new"} = sub {
1103 require "Coro/$module.pm";
1104
1105 # some modules have their new predefined in State.xs, some don't
1106 *{"Coro::$module\::new"} = $old
1107 if $old;
1108
1109 goto &{"Coro::$module\::new"};
1110 };
1111}
1112
4201; 11131;
421 1114
1115=head1 HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK
1116
1117It is very common for a coro to wait for some callback to be
1118called. This occurs naturally when you use coro in an otherwise
1119event-based program, or when you use event-based libraries.
1120
1121These typically register a callback for some event, and call that callback
1122when the event occured. In a coro, however, you typically want to
1123just wait for the event, simplyifying things.
1124
1125For example C<< AnyEvent->child >> registers a callback to be called when
1126a specific child has exited:
1127
1128 my $child_watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub { ... });
1129
1130But from within a coro, you often just want to write this:
1131
1132 my $status = wait_for_child $pid;
1133
1134Coro offers two functions specifically designed to make this easy,
1135C<rouse_cb> and C<rouse_wait>.
1136
1137The first function, C<rouse_cb>, generates and returns a callback that,
1138when invoked, will save its arguments and notify the coro that
1139created the callback.
1140
1141The second function, C<rouse_wait>, waits for the callback to be called
1142(by calling C<schedule> to go to sleep) and returns the arguments
1143originally passed to the callback.
1144
1145Using these functions, it becomes easy to write the C<wait_for_child>
1146function mentioned above:
1147
1148 sub wait_for_child($) {
1149 my ($pid) = @_;
1150
1151 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => rouse_cb);
1152
1153 my ($rpid, $rstatus) = rouse_wait;
1154 $rstatus
1155 }
1156
1157In the case where C<rouse_cb> and C<rouse_wait> are not flexible enough,
1158you can roll your own, using C<schedule> and C<ready>:
1159
1160 sub wait_for_child($) {
1161 my ($pid) = @_;
1162
1163 # store the current coro in $current,
1164 # and provide result variables for the closure passed to ->child
1165 my $current = $Coro::current;
1166 my ($done, $rstatus);
1167
1168 # pass a closure to ->child
1169 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
1170 $rstatus = $_[1]; # remember rstatus
1171 $done = 1; # mark $rstatus as valid
1172 $current->ready; # wake up the waiting thread
1173 });
1174
1175 # wait until the closure has been called
1176 schedule while !$done;
1177
1178 $rstatus
1179 }
1180
1181
422=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS 1182=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS
423 1183
424 - you must make very sure that no coro is still active on global 1184=over 4
425 destruction. very bad things might happen otherwise (usually segfaults).
426 1185
1186=item fork with pthread backend
1187
1188When Coro is compiled using the pthread backend (which isn't recommended
1189but required on many BSDs as their libcs are completely broken), then
1190coro will not survive a fork. There is no known workaround except to
1191fix your libc and use a saner backend.
1192
1193=item perl process emulation ("threads")
1194
427 - this module is not thread-safe. You should only ever use this module 1195This module is not perl-pseudo-thread-safe. You should only ever use this
428 from the same thread (this requirement might be losened in the future 1196module from the first thread (this requirement might be removed in the
429 to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow 1197future to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow
430 this). 1198this). I recommend disabling thread support and using processes, as having
1199the windows process emulation enabled under unix roughly halves perl
1200performance, even when not used.
1201
1202Attempts to use threads created in another emulated process will crash
1203("cleanly", with a null pointer exception).
1204
1205=item coro switching is not signal safe
1206
1207You must not switch to another coro from within a signal handler (only
1208relevant with %SIG - most event libraries provide safe signals), I<unless>
1209you are sure you are not interrupting a Coro function.
1210
1211That means you I<MUST NOT> call any function that might "block" the
1212current coro - C<cede>, C<schedule> C<< Coro::Semaphore->down >> or
1213anything that calls those. Everything else, including calling C<ready>,
1214works.
1215
1216=back
1217
1218
1219=head1 WINDOWS PROCESS EMULATION
1220
1221A great many people seem to be confused about ithreads (for example, Chip
1222Salzenberg called me unintelligent, incapable, stupid and gullible,
1223while in the same mail making rather confused statements about perl
1224ithreads (for example, that memory or files would be shared), showing his
1225lack of understanding of this area - if it is hard to understand for Chip,
1226it is probably not obvious to everybody).
1227
1228What follows is an ultra-condensed version of my talk about threads in
1229scripting languages given on the perl workshop 2009:
1230
1231The so-called "ithreads" were originally implemented for two reasons:
1232first, to (badly) emulate unix processes on native win32 perls, and
1233secondly, to replace the older, real thread model ("5.005-threads").
1234
1235It does that by using threads instead of OS processes. The difference
1236between processes and threads is that threads share memory (and other
1237state, such as files) between threads within a single process, while
1238processes do not share anything (at least not semantically). That
1239means that modifications done by one thread are seen by others, while
1240modifications by one process are not seen by other processes.
1241
1242The "ithreads" work exactly like that: when creating a new ithreads
1243process, all state is copied (memory is copied physically, files and code
1244is copied logically). Afterwards, it isolates all modifications. On UNIX,
1245the same behaviour can be achieved by using operating system processes,
1246except that UNIX typically uses hardware built into the system to do this
1247efficiently, while the windows process emulation emulates this hardware in
1248software (rather efficiently, but of course it is still much slower than
1249dedicated hardware).
1250
1251As mentioned before, loading code, modifying code, modifying data
1252structures and so on is only visible in the ithreads process doing the
1253modification, not in other ithread processes within the same OS process.
1254
1255This is why "ithreads" do not implement threads for perl at all, only
1256processes. What makes it so bad is that on non-windows platforms, you can
1257actually take advantage of custom hardware for this purpose (as evidenced
1258by the forks module, which gives you the (i-) threads API, just much
1259faster).
1260
1261Sharing data is in the i-threads model is done by transfering data
1262structures between threads using copying semantics, which is very slow -
1263shared data simply does not exist. Benchmarks using i-threads which are
1264communication-intensive show extremely bad behaviour with i-threads (in
1265fact, so bad that Coro, which cannot take direct advantage of multiple
1266CPUs, is often orders of magnitude faster because it shares data using
1267real threads, refer to my talk for details).
1268
1269As summary, i-threads *use* threads to implement processes, while
1270the compatible forks module *uses* processes to emulate, uhm,
1271processes. I-threads slow down every perl program when enabled, and
1272outside of windows, serve no (or little) practical purpose, but
1273disadvantages every single-threaded Perl program.
1274
1275This is the reason that I try to avoid the name "ithreads", as it is
1276misleading as it implies that it implements some kind of thread model for
1277perl, and prefer the name "windows process emulation", which describes the
1278actual use and behaviour of it much better.
431 1279
432=head1 SEE ALSO 1280=head1 SEE ALSO
433 1281
1282Event-Loop integration: L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>.
1283
1284Debugging: L<Coro::Debug>.
1285
434Support/Utility: L<Coro::Cont>, L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::State>, L<Coro::Util>. 1286Support/Utility: L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Util>.
435 1287
436Locking/IPC: L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Semaphore>, L<Coro::SemaphoreSet>, L<Coro::RWLock>. 1288Locking and IPC: L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Semaphore>,
1289L<Coro::SemaphoreSet>, L<Coro::RWLock>.
437 1290
438Event/IO: L<Coro::Timer>, L<Coro::Event>, L<Coro::Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>, L<Coro::Select>. 1291I/O and Timers: L<Coro::Timer>, L<Coro::Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>, L<Coro::AIO>.
439 1292
440Embedding: L<Coro:MakeMaker> 1293Compatibility with other modules: L<Coro::LWP> (but see also L<AnyEvent::HTTP> for
1294a better-working alternative), L<Coro::BDB>, L<Coro::Storable>,
1295L<Coro::Select>.
1296
1297XS API: L<Coro::MakeMaker>.
1298
1299Low level Configuration, Thread Environment, Continuations: L<Coro::State>.
441 1300
442=head1 AUTHOR 1301=head1 AUTHOR
443 1302
444 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1303 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
445 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1304 http://home.schmorp.de/

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