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Revision 1.22 by root, Tue Aug 4 18:33:30 2009 UTC vs.
Revision 1.121 by root, Tue Feb 28 18:37:24 2012 UTC

1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3AnyEvent::MP - multi-processing/message-passing framework 3AnyEvent::MP - erlang-style multi-processing/message-passing framework
4 4
5=head1 SYNOPSIS 5=head1 SYNOPSIS
6 6
7 use AnyEvent::MP; 7 use AnyEvent::MP;
8 8
9 $NODE # contains this node's noderef 9 $NODE # contains this node's node ID
10 NODE # returns this node's noderef 10 NODE # returns this node's node ID
11 NODE $port # returns the noderef of the port
12 11
12 $SELF # receiving/own port id in rcv callbacks
13
14 # initialise the node so it can send/receive messages
15 configure;
16
17 # ports are message destinations
18
19 # sending messages
13 snd $port, type => data...; 20 snd $port, type => data...;
21 snd $port, @msg;
22 snd @msg_with_first_element_being_a_port;
14 23
15 $SELF # receiving/own port id in rcv callbacks 24 # creating/using ports, the simple way
25 my $simple_port = port { my @msg = @_ };
16 26
17 rcv $port, smartmatch => $cb->($port, @msg); 27 # creating/using ports, tagged message matching
18 28 my $port = port;
19 # examples:
20 rcv $port2, ping => sub { snd $_[0], "pong"; 0 }; 29 rcv $port, ping => sub { snd $_[0], "pong" };
21 rcv $port1, pong => sub { warn "pong received\n" }; 30 rcv $port, pong => sub { warn "pong received\n" };
22 snd $port2, ping => $port1;
23 31
24 # more, smarter, matches (_any_ is exported by this module) 32 # create a port on another node
25 rcv $port, [child_died => $pid] => sub { ... 33 my $port = spawn $node, $initfunc, @initdata;
26 rcv $port, [_any_, _any_, 3] => sub { .. $_[2] is 3 34
35 # destroy a port again
36 kil $port; # "normal" kill
37 kil $port, my_error => "everything is broken"; # error kill
38
39 # monitoring
40 mon $localport, $cb->(@msg) # callback is invoked on death
41 mon $localport, $otherport # kill otherport on abnormal death
42 mon $localport, $otherport, @msg # send message on death
43
44 # temporarily execute code in port context
45 peval $port, sub { die "kill the port!" };
46
47 # execute callbacks in $SELF port context
48 my $timer = AE::timer 1, 0, psub {
49 die "kill the port, delayed";
50 };
51
52=head1 CURRENT STATUS
53
54 bin/aemp - stable.
55 AnyEvent::MP - stable API, should work.
56 AnyEvent::MP::Intro - explains most concepts.
57 AnyEvent::MP::Kernel - mostly stable API.
58 AnyEvent::MP::Global - stable API.
27 59
28=head1 DESCRIPTION 60=head1 DESCRIPTION
29 61
30This module (-family) implements a simple message passing framework. 62This module (-family) implements a simple message passing framework.
31 63
32Despite its simplicity, you can securely message other processes running 64Despite its simplicity, you can securely message other processes running
33on the same or other hosts. 65on the same or other hosts, and you can supervise entities remotely.
34 66
35At the moment, this module family is severly brokena nd underdocumented, 67For an introduction to this module family, see the L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro>
36so do not use. This was uploaded mainly to reserve the CPAN namespace - 68manual page and the examples under F<eg/>.
37stay tuned!
38 69
39=head1 CONCEPTS 70=head1 CONCEPTS
40 71
41=over 4 72=over 4
42 73
43=item port 74=item port
44 75
45A port is something you can send messages to with the C<snd> function, and 76Not to be confused with a TCP port, a "port" is something you can send
46you can register C<rcv> handlers with. All C<rcv> handlers will receive 77messages to (with the C<snd> function).
47messages they match, messages will not be queued.
48 78
79Ports allow you to register C<rcv> handlers that can match all or just
80some messages. Messages send to ports will not be queued, regardless of
81anything was listening for them or not.
82
83Ports are represented by (printable) strings called "port IDs".
84
49=item port id - C<noderef#portname> 85=item port ID - C<nodeid#portname>
50 86
51A port id is always the noderef, a hash-mark (C<#>) as separator, followed 87A port ID is the concatenation of a node ID, a hash-mark (C<#>) as
52by a port name (a printable string of unspecified format). 88separator, and a port name (a printable string of unspecified format).
53 89
54=item node 90=item node
55 91
56A node is a single process containing at least one port - the node 92A node is a single process containing at least one port - the node port,
57port. You can send messages to node ports to let them create new ports, 93which enables nodes to manage each other remotely, and to create new
58among other things. 94ports.
59 95
60Initially, nodes are either private (single-process only) or hidden 96Nodes are either public (have one or more listening ports) or private
61(connected to a master node only). Only when they epxlicitly "become 97(no listening ports). Private nodes cannot talk to other private nodes
62public" can you send them messages from unrelated other nodes. 98currently, but all nodes can talk to public nodes.
63 99
64=item noderef - C<host:port,host:port...>, C<id@noderef>, C<id> 100Nodes is represented by (printable) strings called "node IDs".
65 101
102=item node ID - C<[A-Za-z0-9_\-.:]*>
103
66A noderef is a string that either uniquely identifies a given node (for 104A node ID is a string that uniquely identifies the node within a
67private and hidden nodes), or contains a recipe on how to reach a given 105network. Depending on the configuration used, node IDs can look like a
68node (for public nodes). 106hostname, a hostname and a port, or a random string. AnyEvent::MP itself
107doesn't interpret node IDs in any way except to uniquely identify a node.
108
109=item binds - C<ip:port>
110
111Nodes can only talk to each other by creating some kind of connection to
112each other. To do this, nodes should listen on one or more local transport
113endpoints - binds.
114
115Currently, only standard C<ip:port> specifications can be used, which
116specify TCP ports to listen on. So a bind is basically just a tcp socket
117in listening mode thta accepts conenctions form other nodes.
118
119=item seed nodes
120
121When a node starts, it knows nothing about the network it is in - it
122needs to connect to at least one other node that is already in the
123network. These other nodes are called "seed nodes".
124
125Seed nodes themselves are not special - they are seed nodes only because
126some other node I<uses> them as such, but any node can be used as seed
127node for other nodes, and eahc node cna use a different set of seed nodes.
128
129In addition to discovering the network, seed nodes are also used to
130maintain the network - all nodes using the same seed node form are part of
131the same network. If a network is split into multiple subnets because e.g.
132the network link between the parts goes down, then using the same seed
133nodes for all nodes ensures that eventually the subnets get merged again.
134
135Seed nodes are expected to be long-running, and at least one seed node
136should always be available. They should also be relatively responsive - a
137seed node that blocks for long periods will slow down everybody else.
138
139For small networks, it's best if every node uses the same set of seed
140nodes. For large networks, it can be useful to specify "regional" seed
141nodes for most nodes in an area, and use all seed nodes as seed nodes for
142each other. What's important is that all seed nodes connections form a
143complete graph, so that the network cannot split into separate subnets
144forever.
145
146Seed nodes are represented by seed IDs.
147
148=item seed IDs - C<host:port>
149
150Seed IDs are transport endpoint(s) (usually a hostname/IP address and a
151TCP port) of nodes that should be used as seed nodes.
152
153=item global nodes
154
155An AEMP network needs a discovery service - nodes need to know how to
156connect to other nodes they only know by name. In addition, AEMP offers a
157distributed "group database", which maps group names to a list of strings
158- for example, to register worker ports.
159
160A network needs at least one global node to work, and allows every node to
161be a global node.
162
163Any node that loads the L<AnyEvent::MP::Global> module becomes a global
164node and tries to keep connections to all other nodes. So while it can
165make sense to make every node "global" in small networks, it usually makes
166sense to only make seed nodes into global nodes in large networks (nodes
167keep connections to seed nodes and global nodes, so makign them the same
168reduces overhead).
69 169
70=back 170=back
71 171
72=head1 VARIABLES/FUNCTIONS 172=head1 VARIABLES/FUNCTIONS
73 173
75 175
76=cut 176=cut
77 177
78package AnyEvent::MP; 178package AnyEvent::MP;
79 179
180use AnyEvent::MP::Config ();
80use AnyEvent::MP::Base; 181use AnyEvent::MP::Kernel;
182use AnyEvent::MP::Kernel qw(%NODE %PORT %PORT_DATA $UNIQ $RUNIQ $ID);
81 183
82use common::sense; 184use common::sense;
83 185
84use Carp (); 186use Carp ();
85 187
86use AE (); 188use AE ();
87 189
88use base "Exporter"; 190use base "Exporter";
89 191
90our $VERSION = '0.02'; 192our $VERSION = $AnyEvent::MP::Config::VERSION;
193
91our @EXPORT = qw( 194our @EXPORT = qw(
92 NODE $NODE *SELF node_of _any_ 195 NODE $NODE *SELF node_of after
93 become_slave become_public 196 configure
94 snd rcv mon kil reg psub 197 snd rcv mon mon_guard kil psub peval spawn cal
95 port 198 port
96); 199);
97 200
98our $SELF; 201our $SELF;
99 202
103 kil $SELF, die => $msg; 206 kil $SELF, die => $msg;
104} 207}
105 208
106=item $thisnode = NODE / $NODE 209=item $thisnode = NODE / $NODE
107 210
108The C<NODE> function returns, and the C<$NODE> variable contains 211The C<NODE> function returns, and the C<$NODE> variable contains, the node
109the noderef of the local node. The value is initialised by a call 212ID of the node running in the current process. This value is initialised by
110to C<become_public> or C<become_slave>, after which all local port 213a call to C<configure>.
111identifiers become invalid.
112 214
113=item $noderef = node_of $portid 215=item $nodeid = node_of $port
114 216
115Extracts and returns the noderef from a portid or a noderef. 217Extracts and returns the node ID from a port ID or a node ID.
218
219=item configure $profile, key => value...
220
221=item configure key => value...
222
223Before a node can talk to other nodes on the network (i.e. enter
224"distributed mode") it has to configure itself - the minimum a node needs
225to know is its own name, and optionally it should know the addresses of
226some other nodes in the network to discover other nodes.
227
228This function configures a node - it must be called exactly once (or
229never) before calling other AnyEvent::MP functions.
230
231The key/value pairs are basically the same ones as documented for the
232F<aemp> command line utility (sans the set/del prefix), with two additions:
233
234=over 4
235
236=item norc => $boolean (default false)
237
238If true, then the rc file (e.g. F<~/.perl-anyevent-mp>) will I<not>
239be consulted - all configuraiton options must be specified in the
240C<configure> call.
241
242=item force => $boolean (default false)
243
244IF true, then the values specified in the C<configure> will take
245precedence over any values configured via the rc file. The default is for
246the rc file to override any options specified in the program.
247
248=back
249
250=over 4
251
252=item step 1, gathering configuration from profiles
253
254The function first looks up a profile in the aemp configuration (see the
255L<aemp> commandline utility). The profile name can be specified via the
256named C<profile> parameter or can simply be the first parameter). If it is
257missing, then the nodename (F<uname -n>) will be used as profile name.
258
259The profile data is then gathered as follows:
260
261First, all remaining key => value pairs (all of which are conveniently
262undocumented at the moment) will be interpreted as configuration
263data. Then they will be overwritten by any values specified in the global
264default configuration (see the F<aemp> utility), then the chain of
265profiles chosen by the profile name (and any C<parent> attributes).
266
267That means that the values specified in the profile have highest priority
268and the values specified directly via C<configure> have lowest priority,
269and can only be used to specify defaults.
270
271If the profile specifies a node ID, then this will become the node ID of
272this process. If not, then the profile name will be used as node ID. The
273special node ID of C<anon/> will be replaced by a random node ID.
274
275=item step 2, bind listener sockets
276
277The next step is to look up the binds in the profile, followed by binding
278aemp protocol listeners on all binds specified (it is possible and valid
279to have no binds, meaning that the node cannot be contacted form the
280outside. This means the node cannot talk to other nodes that also have no
281binds, but it can still talk to all "normal" nodes).
282
283If the profile does not specify a binds list, then a default of C<*> is
284used, meaning the node will bind on a dynamically-assigned port on every
285local IP address it finds.
286
287=item step 3, connect to seed nodes
288
289As the last step, the seed ID list from the profile is passed to the
290L<AnyEvent::MP::Global> module, which will then use it to keep
291connectivity with at least one node at any point in time.
292
293=back
294
295Example: become a distributed node using the local node name as profile.
296This should be the most common form of invocation for "daemon"-type nodes.
297
298 configure
299
300Example: become an anonymous node. This form is often used for commandline
301clients.
302
303 configure nodeid => "anon/";
304
305Example: configure a node using a profile called seed, which is suitable
306for a seed node as it binds on all local addresses on a fixed port (4040,
307customary for aemp).
308
309 # use the aemp commandline utility
310 # aemp profile seed nodeid anon/ binds '*:4040'
311
312 # then use it
313 configure profile => "seed";
314
315 # or simply use aemp from the shell again:
316 # aemp run profile seed
317
318 # or provide a nicer-to-remember nodeid
319 # aemp run profile seed nodeid "$(hostname)"
116 320
117=item $SELF 321=item $SELF
118 322
119Contains the current port id while executing C<rcv> callbacks or C<psub> 323Contains the current port id while executing C<rcv> callbacks or C<psub>
120blocks. 324blocks.
121 325
122=item SELF, %SELF, @SELF... 326=item *SELF, SELF, %SELF, @SELF...
123 327
124Due to some quirks in how perl exports variables, it is impossible to 328Due to some quirks in how perl exports variables, it is impossible to
125just export C<$SELF>, all the symbols called C<SELF> are exported by this 329just export C<$SELF>, all the symbols named C<SELF> are exported by this
126module, but only C<$SELF> is currently used. 330module, but only C<$SELF> is currently used.
127 331
128=item snd $portid, type => @data 332=item snd $port, type => @data
129 333
130=item snd $portid, @msg 334=item snd $port, @msg
131 335
132Send the given message to the given port ID, which can identify either 336Send the given message to the given port, which can identify either a
133a local or a remote port, and can be either a string or soemthignt hat 337local or a remote port, and must be a port ID.
134stringifies a sa port ID (such as a port object :).
135 338
136While the message can be about anything, it is highly recommended to use a 339While the message can be almost anything, it is highly recommended to
137string as first element (a portid, or some word that indicates a request 340use a string as first element (a port ID, or some word that indicates a
138type etc.). 341request type etc.) and to consist if only simple perl values (scalars,
342arrays, hashes) - if you think you need to pass an object, think again.
139 343
140The message data effectively becomes read-only after a call to this 344The message data logically becomes read-only after a call to this
141function: modifying any argument is not allowed and can cause many 345function: modifying any argument (or values referenced by them) is
142problems. 346forbidden, as there can be considerable time between the call to C<snd>
347and the time the message is actually being serialised - in fact, it might
348never be copied as within the same process it is simply handed to the
349receiving port.
143 350
144The type of data you can transfer depends on the transport protocol: when 351The type of data you can transfer depends on the transport protocol: when
145JSON is used, then only strings, numbers and arrays and hashes consisting 352JSON is used, then only strings, numbers and arrays and hashes consisting
146of those are allowed (no objects). When Storable is used, then anything 353of those are allowed (no objects). When Storable is used, then anything
147that Storable can serialise and deserialise is allowed, and for the local 354that Storable can serialise and deserialise is allowed, and for the local
148node, anything can be passed. 355node, anything can be passed. Best rely only on the common denominator of
356these.
149 357
150=item kil $portid[, @reason] 358=item $local_port = port
151 359
152Kill the specified port with the given C<@reason>. 360Create a new local port object and returns its port ID. Initially it has
361no callbacks set and will throw an error when it receives messages.
153 362
154If no C<@reason> is specified, then the port is killed "normally" (linked 363=item $local_port = port { my @msg = @_ }
155ports will not be kileld, or even notified).
156 364
157Otherwise, linked ports get killed with the same reason (second form of 365Creates a new local port, and returns its ID. Semantically the same as
158C<mon>, see below). 366creating a port and calling C<rcv $port, $callback> on it.
159 367
160Runtime errors while evaluating C<rcv> callbacks or inside C<psub> blocks 368The block will be called for every message received on the port, with the
161will be reported as reason C<< die => $@ >>. 369global variable C<$SELF> set to the port ID. Runtime errors will cause the
370port to be C<kil>ed. The message will be passed as-is, no extra argument
371(i.e. no port ID) will be passed to the callback.
162 372
163Transport/communication errors are reported as C<< transport_error => 373If you want to stop/destroy the port, simply C<kil> it:
164$message >>.
165 374
166=item $guard = mon $portid, $cb->(@reason) 375 my $port = port {
376 my @msg = @_;
377 ...
378 kil $SELF;
379 };
167 380
168=item $guard = mon $portid, $otherport 381=cut
169 382
170=item $guard = mon $portid, $otherport, @msg 383sub rcv($@);
171 384
385sub _kilme {
386 die "received message on port without callback";
387}
388
389sub port(;&) {
390 my $id = "$UNIQ." . ++$ID;
391 my $port = "$NODE#$id";
392
393 rcv $port, shift || \&_kilme;
394
395 $port
396}
397
398=item rcv $local_port, $callback->(@msg)
399
400Replaces the default callback on the specified port. There is no way to
401remove the default callback: use C<sub { }> to disable it, or better
402C<kil> the port when it is no longer needed.
403
404The global C<$SELF> (exported by this module) contains C<$port> while
405executing the callback. Runtime errors during callback execution will
406result in the port being C<kil>ed.
407
408The default callback received all messages not matched by a more specific
409C<tag> match.
410
411=item rcv $local_port, tag => $callback->(@msg_without_tag), ...
412
413Register (or replace) callbacks to be called on messages starting with the
414given tag on the given port (and return the port), or unregister it (when
415C<$callback> is C<$undef> or missing). There can only be one callback
416registered for each tag.
417
418The original message will be passed to the callback, after the first
419element (the tag) has been removed. The callback will use the same
420environment as the default callback (see above).
421
422Example: create a port and bind receivers on it in one go.
423
424 my $port = rcv port,
425 msg1 => sub { ... },
426 msg2 => sub { ... },
427 ;
428
429Example: create a port, bind receivers and send it in a message elsewhere
430in one go:
431
432 snd $otherport, reply =>
433 rcv port,
434 msg1 => sub { ... },
435 ...
436 ;
437
438Example: temporarily register a rcv callback for a tag matching some port
439(e.g. for an rpc reply) and unregister it after a message was received.
440
441 rcv $port, $otherport => sub {
442 my @reply = @_;
443
444 rcv $SELF, $otherport;
445 };
446
447=cut
448
449sub rcv($@) {
450 my $port = shift;
451 my ($nodeid, $portid) = split /#/, $port, 2;
452
453 $NODE{$nodeid} == $NODE{""}
454 or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on local ports, caught";
455
456 while (@_) {
457 if (ref $_[0]) {
458 if (my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid}) {
459 "AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self
460 or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
461
462 $self->[0] = shift;
463 } else {
464 my $cb = shift;
465 $PORT{$portid} = sub {
466 local $SELF = $port;
467 eval { &$cb }; _self_die if $@;
468 };
469 }
470 } elsif (defined $_[0]) {
471 my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid} ||= do {
472 my $self = bless [$PORT{$portid} || sub { }, { }, $port], "AnyEvent::MP::Port";
473
474 $PORT{$portid} = sub {
475 local $SELF = $port;
476
477 if (my $cb = $self->[1]{$_[0]}) {
478 shift;
479 eval { &$cb }; _self_die if $@;
480 } else {
481 &{ $self->[0] };
482 }
483 };
484
485 $self
486 };
487
488 "AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self
489 or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
490
491 my ($tag, $cb) = splice @_, 0, 2;
492
493 if (defined $cb) {
494 $self->[1]{$tag} = $cb;
495 } else {
496 delete $self->[1]{$tag};
497 }
498 }
499 }
500
501 $port
502}
503
504=item peval $port, $coderef[, @args]
505
506Evaluates the given C<$codref> within the contetx of C<$port>, that is,
507when the code throews an exception the C<$port> will be killed.
508
509Any remaining args will be passed to the callback. Any return values will
510be returned to the caller.
511
512This is useful when you temporarily want to execute code in the context of
513a port.
514
515Example: create a port and run some initialisation code in it's context.
516
517 my $port = port { ... };
518
519 peval $port, sub {
520 init
521 or die "unable to init";
522 };
523
524=cut
525
526sub peval($$) {
527 local $SELF = shift;
528 my $cb = shift;
529
530 if (wantarray) {
531 my @res = eval { &$cb };
532 _self_die if $@;
533 @res
534 } else {
535 my $res = eval { &$cb };
536 _self_die if $@;
537 $res
538 }
539}
540
541=item $closure = psub { BLOCK }
542
543Remembers C<$SELF> and creates a closure out of the BLOCK. When the
544closure is executed, sets up the environment in the same way as in C<rcv>
545callbacks, i.e. runtime errors will cause the port to get C<kil>ed.
546
547The effect is basically as if it returned C<< sub { peval $SELF, sub {
548BLOCK }, @_ } >>.
549
550This is useful when you register callbacks from C<rcv> callbacks:
551
552 rcv delayed_reply => sub {
553 my ($delay, @reply) = @_;
554 my $timer = AE::timer $delay, 0, psub {
555 snd @reply, $SELF;
556 };
557 };
558
559=cut
560
561sub psub(&) {
562 my $cb = shift;
563
564 my $port = $SELF
565 or Carp::croak "psub can only be called from within rcv or psub callbacks, not";
566
567 sub {
568 local $SELF = $port;
569
570 if (wantarray) {
571 my @res = eval { &$cb };
572 _self_die if $@;
573 @res
574 } else {
575 my $res = eval { &$cb };
576 _self_die if $@;
577 $res
578 }
579 }
580}
581
582=item $guard = mon $port, $cb->(@reason) # call $cb when $port dies
583
584=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport # kill $rcvport when $port dies
585
586=item $guard = mon $port # kill $SELF when $port dies
587
588=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport, @msg # send a message when $port dies
589
172Monitor the given port and do something when the port is killed. 590Monitor the given port and do something when the port is killed or
591messages to it were lost, and optionally return a guard that can be used
592to stop monitoring again.
173 593
174In the first form, the callback is simply called with any number 594In the first form (callback), the callback is simply called with any
175of C<@reason> elements (no @reason means that the port was deleted 595number of C<@reason> elements (no @reason means that the port was deleted
176"normally"). Note also that I<< the callback B<must> never die >>, so use 596"normally"). Note also that I<< the callback B<must> never die >>, so use
177C<eval> if unsure. 597C<eval> if unsure.
178 598
179In the second form, the other port will be C<kil>'ed with C<@reason>, iff 599In the second form (another port given), the other port (C<$rcvport>)
180a @reason was specified, i.e. on "normal" kils nothing happens, while 600will be C<kil>'ed with C<@reason>, if a @reason was specified, i.e. on
181under all other conditions, the other port is killed with the same reason. 601"normal" kils nothing happens, while under all other conditions, the other
602port is killed with the same reason.
182 603
604The third form (kill self) is the same as the second form, except that
605C<$rvport> defaults to C<$SELF>.
606
183In the last form, a message of the form C<@msg, @reason> will be C<snd>. 607In the last form (message), a message of the form C<@msg, @reason> will be
608C<snd>.
609
610Monitoring-actions are one-shot: once messages are lost (and a monitoring
611alert was raised), they are removed and will not trigger again.
612
613As a rule of thumb, monitoring requests should always monitor a port from
614a local port (or callback). The reason is that kill messages might get
615lost, just like any other message. Another less obvious reason is that
616even monitoring requests can get lost (for example, when the connection
617to the other node goes down permanently). When monitoring a port locally
618these problems do not exist.
619
620C<mon> effectively guarantees that, in the absence of hardware failures,
621after starting the monitor, either all messages sent to the port will
622arrive, or the monitoring action will be invoked after possible message
623loss has been detected. No messages will be lost "in between" (after
624the first lost message no further messages will be received by the
625port). After the monitoring action was invoked, further messages might get
626delivered again.
627
628Inter-host-connection timeouts and monitoring depend on the transport
629used. The only transport currently implemented is TCP, and AnyEvent::MP
630relies on TCP to detect node-downs (this can take 10-15 minutes on a
631non-idle connection, and usually around two hours for idle connections).
632
633This means that monitoring is good for program errors and cleaning up
634stuff eventually, but they are no replacement for a timeout when you need
635to ensure some maximum latency.
184 636
185Example: call a given callback when C<$port> is killed. 637Example: call a given callback when C<$port> is killed.
186 638
187 mon $port, sub { warn "port died because of <@_>\n" }; 639 mon $port, sub { warn "port died because of <@_>\n" };
188 640
189Example: kill ourselves when C<$port> is killed abnormally. 641Example: kill ourselves when C<$port> is killed abnormally.
190 642
191 mon $port, $self; 643 mon $port;
192 644
193Example: send us a restart message another C<$port> is killed. 645Example: send us a restart message when another C<$port> is killed.
194 646
195 mon $port, $self => "restart"; 647 mon $port, $self => "restart";
196 648
197=cut 649=cut
198 650
199sub mon { 651sub mon {
200 my ($noderef, $port, $cb) = ((split /#/, shift, 2), shift); 652 my ($nodeid, $port) = split /#/, shift, 2;
201 653
202 my $node = $NODE{$noderef} || add_node $noderef; 654 my $node = $NODE{$nodeid} || add_node $nodeid;
203 655
204 #TODO: ports must not be references 656 my $cb = @_ ? shift : $SELF || Carp::croak 'mon: called with one argument only, but $SELF not set,';
205 if (!ref $cb or "AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $cb) { 657
658 unless (ref $cb) {
206 if (@_) { 659 if (@_) {
207 # send a kill info message 660 # send a kill info message
208 my (@msg) = ($cb, @_); 661 my (@msg) = ($cb, @_);
209 $cb = sub { snd @msg, @_ }; 662 $cb = sub { snd @msg, @_ };
210 } else { 663 } else {
215 } 668 }
216 669
217 $node->monitor ($port, $cb); 670 $node->monitor ($port, $cb);
218 671
219 defined wantarray 672 defined wantarray
220 and AnyEvent::Util::guard { $node->unmonitor ($port, $cb) } 673 and ($cb += 0, AnyEvent::Util::guard { $node->unmonitor ($port, $cb) })
221} 674}
222 675
223=item $guard = mon_guard $port, $ref, $ref... 676=item $guard = mon_guard $port, $ref, $ref...
224 677
225Monitors the given C<$port> and keeps the passed references. When the port 678Monitors the given C<$port> and keeps the passed references. When the port
226is killed, the references will be freed. 679is killed, the references will be freed.
227 680
228Optionally returns a guard that will stop the monitoring. 681Optionally returns a guard that will stop the monitoring.
229 682
230This function is useful when you create e.g. timers or other watchers and 683This function is useful when you create e.g. timers or other watchers and
231want to free them when the port gets killed: 684want to free them when the port gets killed (note the use of C<psub>):
232 685
233 $port->rcv (start => sub { 686 $port->rcv (start => sub {
234 my $timer; $timer = mon_guard $port, AE::timer 1, 1, sub { 687 my $timer; $timer = mon_guard $port, AE::timer 1, 1, psub {
235 undef $timer if 0.9 < rand; 688 undef $timer if 0.9 < rand;
236 }); 689 });
237 }); 690 });
238 691
239=cut 692=cut
240 693
241sub mon_guard { 694sub mon_guard {
242 my ($port, @refs) = @_; 695 my ($port, @refs) = @_;
243 696
697 #TODO: mon-less form?
698
244 mon $port, sub { 0 && @refs } 699 mon $port, sub { 0 && @refs }
245} 700}
246 701
247=item $local_port = port 702=item kil $port[, @reason]
248 703
249Create a new local port object that supports message matching. 704Kill the specified port with the given C<@reason>.
250 705
251=item $portid = port { my @msg = @_; $finished } 706If no C<@reason> is specified, then the port is killed "normally" -
707monitor callback will be invoked, but the kil will not cause linked ports
708(C<mon $mport, $lport> form) to get killed.
252 709
253Creates a "mini port", that is, a very lightweight port without any 710If a C<@reason> is specified, then linked ports (C<mon $mport, $lport>
254pattern matching behind it, and returns its ID. 711form) get killed with the same reason.
255 712
256The block will be called for every message received on the port. When the 713Runtime errors while evaluating C<rcv> callbacks or inside C<psub> blocks
257callback returns a true value its job is considered "done" and the port 714will be reported as reason C<< die => $@ >>.
258will be destroyed. Otherwise it will stay alive.
259 715
260The message will be passed as-is, no extra argument (i.e. no port id) will 716Transport/communication errors are reported as C<< transport_error =>
261be passed to the callback. 717$message >>.
262 718
263If you need the local port id in the callback, this works nicely: 719=cut
264 720
265 my $port; $port = miniport { 721=item $port = spawn $node, $initfunc[, @initdata]
266 snd $otherport, reply => $port; 722
723Creates a port on the node C<$node> (which can also be a port ID, in which
724case it's the node where that port resides).
725
726The port ID of the newly created port is returned immediately, and it is
727possible to immediately start sending messages or to monitor the port.
728
729After the port has been created, the init function is called on the remote
730node, in the same context as a C<rcv> callback. This function must be a
731fully-qualified function name (e.g. C<MyApp::Chat::Server::init>). To
732specify a function in the main program, use C<::name>.
733
734If the function doesn't exist, then the node tries to C<require>
735the package, then the package above the package and so on (e.g.
736C<MyApp::Chat::Server>, C<MyApp::Chat>, C<MyApp>) until the function
737exists or it runs out of package names.
738
739The init function is then called with the newly-created port as context
740object (C<$SELF>) and the C<@initdata> values as arguments. It I<must>
741call one of the C<rcv> functions to set callbacks on C<$SELF>, otherwise
742the port might not get created.
743
744A common idiom is to pass a local port, immediately monitor the spawned
745port, and in the remote init function, immediately monitor the passed
746local port. This two-way monitoring ensures that both ports get cleaned up
747when there is a problem.
748
749C<spawn> guarantees that the C<$initfunc> has no visible effects on the
750caller before C<spawn> returns (by delaying invocation when spawn is
751called for the local node).
752
753Example: spawn a chat server port on C<$othernode>.
754
755 # this node, executed from within a port context:
756 my $server = spawn $othernode, "MyApp::Chat::Server::connect", $SELF;
757 mon $server;
758
759 # init function on C<$othernode>
760 sub connect {
761 my ($srcport) = @_;
762
763 mon $srcport;
764
765 rcv $SELF, sub {
766 ...
767 };
768 }
769
770=cut
771
772sub _spawn {
773 my $port = shift;
774 my $init = shift;
775
776 # rcv will create the actual port
777 local $SELF = "$NODE#$port";
778 eval {
779 &{ load_func $init }
267 }; 780 };
781 _self_die if $@;
782}
268 783
269=cut 784sub spawn(@) {
785 my ($nodeid, undef) = split /#/, shift, 2;
270 786
271sub port(;&) {
272 my $id = "$UNIQ." . $ID++; 787 my $id = "$RUNIQ." . ++$ID;
273 my $port = "$NODE#$id";
274 788
275 if (@_) { 789 $_[0] =~ /::/
276 my $cb = shift; 790 or Carp::croak "spawn init function must be a fully-qualified name, caught";
277 $PORT{$id} = sub { 791
278 local $SELF = $port; 792 snd_to_func $nodeid, "AnyEvent::MP::_spawn" => $id, @_;
279 eval { 793
280 &$cb 794 "$nodeid#$id"
281 and kil $id; 795}
282 }; 796
283 _self_die if $@; 797
798=item after $timeout, @msg
799
800=item after $timeout, $callback
801
802Either sends the given message, or call the given callback, after the
803specified number of seconds.
804
805This is simply a utility function that comes in handy at times - the
806AnyEvent::MP author is not convinced of the wisdom of having it, though,
807so it may go away in the future.
808
809=cut
810
811sub after($@) {
812 my ($timeout, @action) = @_;
813
814 my $t; $t = AE::timer $timeout, 0, sub {
815 undef $t;
816 ref $action[0]
817 ? $action[0]()
818 : snd @action;
819 };
820}
821
822=item cal $port, @msg, $callback[, $timeout]
823
824A simple form of RPC - sends a message to the given C<$port> with the
825given contents (C<@msg>), but adds a reply port to the message.
826
827The reply port is created temporarily just for the purpose of receiving
828the reply, and will be C<kil>ed when no longer needed.
829
830A reply message sent to the port is passed to the C<$callback> as-is.
831
832If an optional time-out (in seconds) is given and it is not C<undef>,
833then the callback will be called without any arguments after the time-out
834elapsed and the port is C<kil>ed.
835
836If no time-out is given (or it is C<undef>), then the local port will
837monitor the remote port instead, so it eventually gets cleaned-up.
838
839Currently this function returns the temporary port, but this "feature"
840might go in future versions unless you can make a convincing case that
841this is indeed useful for something.
842
843=cut
844
845sub cal(@) {
846 my $timeout = ref $_[-1] ? undef : pop;
847 my $cb = pop;
848
849 my $port = port {
850 undef $timeout;
851 kil $SELF;
852 &$cb;
853 };
854
855 if (defined $timeout) {
856 $timeout = AE::timer $timeout, 0, sub {
857 undef $timeout;
858 kil $port;
859 $cb->();
284 }; 860 };
285 } else { 861 } else {
286 my $self = bless { 862 mon $_[0], sub {
287 id => "$NODE#$id", 863 kil $port;
288 }, "AnyEvent::MP::Port"; 864 $cb->();
289
290 $PORT_DATA{$id} = $self;
291 $PORT{$id} = sub {
292 local $SELF = $port;
293
294 eval {
295 for (@{ $self->{rc0}{$_[0]} }) {
296 $_ && &{$_->[0]}
297 && undef $_;
298 }
299
300 for (@{ $self->{rcv}{$_[0]} }) {
301 $_ && [@_[1 .. @{$_->[1]}]] ~~ $_->[1]
302 && &{$_->[0]}
303 && undef $_;
304 }
305
306 for (@{ $self->{any} }) {
307 $_ && [@_[0 .. $#{$_->[1]}]] ~~ $_->[1]
308 && &{$_->[0]}
309 && undef $_;
310 }
311 };
312 _self_die if $@;
313 }; 865 };
314 } 866 }
315 867
868 push @_, $port;
869 &snd;
870
316 $port 871 $port
317} 872}
318 873
319=item reg $portid, $name
320
321Registers the given port under the name C<$name>. If the name already
322exists it is replaced.
323
324A port can only be registered under one well known name.
325
326A port automatically becomes unregistered when it is killed.
327
328=cut
329
330sub reg(@) {
331 my ($portid, $name) = @_;
332
333 $REG{$name} = $portid;
334}
335
336=item rcv $portid, tagstring => $callback->(@msg), ...
337
338=item rcv $portid, $smartmatch => $callback->(@msg), ...
339
340=item rcv $portid, [$smartmatch...] => $callback->(@msg), ...
341
342Register callbacks to be called on matching messages on the given port.
343
344The callback has to return a true value when its work is done, after
345which is will be removed, or a false value in which case it will stay
346registered.
347
348The global C<$SELF> (exported by this module) contains C<$portid> while
349executing the callback.
350
351Runtime errors wdurign callback execution will result in the port being
352C<kil>ed.
353
354If the match is an array reference, then it will be matched against the
355first elements of the message, otherwise only the first element is being
356matched.
357
358Any element in the match that is specified as C<_any_> (a function
359exported by this module) matches any single element of the message.
360
361While not required, it is highly recommended that the first matching
362element is a string identifying the message. The one-string-only match is
363also the most efficient match (by far).
364
365=cut
366
367sub rcv($@) {
368 my ($noderef, $port) = split /#/, shift, 2;
369
370 ($NODE{$noderef} || add_node $noderef) == $NODE{""}
371 or Carp::croak "$noderef#$port: rcv can only be called on local ports, caught";
372
373 my $self = $PORT_DATA{$port}
374 or Carp::croak "$noderef#$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
375
376 "AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self
377 or Carp::croak "$noderef#$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
378
379 while (@_) {
380 my ($match, $cb) = splice @_, 0, 2;
381
382 if (!ref $match) {
383 push @{ $self->{rc0}{$match} }, [$cb];
384 } elsif (("ARRAY" eq ref $match && !ref $match->[0])) {
385 my ($type, @match) = @$match;
386 @match
387 ? push @{ $self->{rcv}{$match->[0]} }, [$cb, \@match]
388 : push @{ $self->{rc0}{$match->[0]} }, [$cb];
389 } else {
390 push @{ $self->{any} }, [$cb, $match];
391 }
392 }
393}
394
395=item $closure = psub { BLOCK }
396
397Remembers C<$SELF> and creates a closure out of the BLOCK. When the
398closure is executed, sets up the environment in the same way as in C<rcv>
399callbacks, i.e. runtime errors will cause the port to get C<kil>ed.
400
401This is useful when you register callbacks from C<rcv> callbacks:
402
403 rcv delayed_reply => sub {
404 my ($delay, @reply) = @_;
405 my $timer = AE::timer $delay, 0, psub {
406 snd @reply, $SELF;
407 };
408 };
409
410=cut
411
412sub psub(&) {
413 my $cb = shift;
414
415 my $port = $SELF
416 or Carp::croak "psub can only be called from within rcv or psub callbacks, not";
417
418 sub {
419 local $SELF = $port;
420
421 if (wantarray) {
422 my @res = eval { &$cb };
423 _self_die if $@;
424 @res
425 } else {
426 my $res = eval { &$cb };
427 _self_die if $@;
428 $res
429 }
430 }
431}
432
433=back 874=back
434 875
435=head1 FUNCTIONS FOR NODES 876=head1 AnyEvent::MP vs. Distributed Erlang
877
878AnyEvent::MP got lots of its ideas from distributed Erlang (Erlang node
879== aemp node, Erlang process == aemp port), so many of the documents and
880programming techniques employed by Erlang apply to AnyEvent::MP. Here is a
881sample:
882
883 http://www.erlang.se/doc/programming_rules.shtml
884 http://erlang.org/doc/getting_started/part_frame.html # chapters 3 and 4
885 http://erlang.org/download/erlang-book-part1.pdf # chapters 5 and 6
886 http://erlang.org/download/armstrong_thesis_2003.pdf # chapters 4 and 5
887
888Despite the similarities, there are also some important differences:
436 889
437=over 4 890=over 4
438 891
439=item become_public endpoint... 892=item * Node IDs are arbitrary strings in AEMP.
440 893
441Tells the node to become a public node, i.e. reachable from other nodes. 894Erlang relies on special naming and DNS to work everywhere in the same
895way. AEMP relies on each node somehow knowing its own address(es) (e.g. by
896configuration or DNS), and possibly the addresses of some seed nodes, but
897will otherwise discover other nodes (and their IDs) itself.
442 898
443If no arguments are given, or the first argument is C<undef>, then 899=item * Erlang has a "remote ports are like local ports" philosophy, AEMP
444AnyEvent::MP tries to bind on port C<4040> on all IP addresses that the 900uses "local ports are like remote ports".
445local nodename resolves to.
446 901
447Otherwise the first argument must be an array-reference with transport 902The failure modes for local ports are quite different (runtime errors
448endpoints ("ip:port", "hostname:port") or port numbers (in which case the 903only) then for remote ports - when a local port dies, you I<know> it dies,
449local nodename is used as hostname). The endpoints are all resolved and 904when a connection to another node dies, you know nothing about the other
450will become the node reference. 905port.
451 906
452=cut 907Erlang pretends remote ports are as reliable as local ports, even when
908they are not.
909
910AEMP encourages a "treat remote ports differently" philosophy, with local
911ports being the special case/exception, where transport errors cannot
912occur.
913
914=item * Erlang uses processes and a mailbox, AEMP does not queue.
915
916Erlang uses processes that selectively receive messages out of order, and
917therefore needs a queue. AEMP is event based, queuing messages would serve
918no useful purpose. For the same reason the pattern-matching abilities
919of AnyEvent::MP are more limited, as there is little need to be able to
920filter messages without dequeuing them.
921
922This is not a philosophical difference, but simply stems from AnyEvent::MP
923being event-based, while Erlang is process-based.
924
925You cna have a look at L<Coro::MP> for a more Erlang-like process model on
926top of AEMP and Coro threads.
927
928=item * Erlang sends are synchronous, AEMP sends are asynchronous.
929
930Sending messages in Erlang is synchronous and blocks the process until
931a conenction has been established and the message sent (and so does not
932need a queue that can overflow). AEMP sends return immediately, connection
933establishment is handled in the background.
934
935=item * Erlang suffers from silent message loss, AEMP does not.
936
937Erlang implements few guarantees on messages delivery - messages can get
938lost without any of the processes realising it (i.e. you send messages a,
939b, and c, and the other side only receives messages a and c).
940
941AEMP guarantees (modulo hardware errors) correct ordering, and the
942guarantee that after one message is lost, all following ones sent to the
943same port are lost as well, until monitoring raises an error, so there are
944no silent "holes" in the message sequence.
945
946If you want your software to be very reliable, you have to cope with
947corrupted and even out-of-order messages in both Erlang and AEMP. AEMP
948simply tries to work better in common error cases, such as when a network
949link goes down.
950
951=item * Erlang can send messages to the wrong port, AEMP does not.
952
953In Erlang it is quite likely that a node that restarts reuses an Erlang
954process ID known to other nodes for a completely different process,
955causing messages destined for that process to end up in an unrelated
956process.
957
958AEMP does not reuse port IDs, so old messages or old port IDs floating
959around in the network will not be sent to an unrelated port.
960
961=item * Erlang uses unprotected connections, AEMP uses secure
962authentication and can use TLS.
963
964AEMP can use a proven protocol - TLS - to protect connections and
965securely authenticate nodes.
966
967=item * The AEMP protocol is optimised for both text-based and binary
968communications.
969
970The AEMP protocol, unlike the Erlang protocol, supports both programming
971language independent text-only protocols (good for debugging), and binary,
972language-specific serialisers (e.g. Storable). By default, unless TLS is
973used, the protocol is actually completely text-based.
974
975It has also been carefully designed to be implementable in other languages
976with a minimum of work while gracefully degrading functionality to make the
977protocol simple.
978
979=item * AEMP has more flexible monitoring options than Erlang.
980
981In Erlang, you can chose to receive I<all> exit signals as messages or
982I<none>, there is no in-between, so monitoring single Erlang processes is
983difficult to implement.
984
985Monitoring in AEMP is more flexible than in Erlang, as one can choose
986between automatic kill, exit message or callback on a per-port basis.
987
988=item * Erlang tries to hide remote/local connections, AEMP does not.
989
990Monitoring in Erlang is not an indicator of process death/crashes, in the
991same way as linking is (except linking is unreliable in Erlang).
992
993In AEMP, you don't "look up" registered port names or send to named ports
994that might or might not be persistent. Instead, you normally spawn a port
995on the remote node. The init function monitors you, and you monitor the
996remote port. Since both monitors are local to the node, they are much more
997reliable (no need for C<spawn_link>).
998
999This also saves round-trips and avoids sending messages to the wrong port
1000(hard to do in Erlang).
453 1001
454=back 1002=back
455 1003
456=head1 NODE MESSAGES 1004=head1 RATIONALE
457
458Nodes understand the following messages sent to them. Many of them take
459arguments called C<@reply>, which will simply be used to compose a reply
460message - C<$reply[0]> is the port to reply to, C<$reply[1]> the type and
461the remaining arguments are simply the message data.
462 1005
463=over 4 1006=over 4
464 1007
465=cut 1008=item Why strings for port and node IDs, why not objects?
466 1009
467=item lookup => $name, @reply 1010We considered "objects", but found that the actual number of methods
1011that can be called are quite low. Since port and node IDs travel over
1012the network frequently, the serialising/deserialising would add lots of
1013overhead, as well as having to keep a proxy object everywhere.
468 1014
469Replies with the port ID of the specified well-known port, or C<undef>. 1015Strings can easily be printed, easily serialised etc. and need no special
1016procedures to be "valid".
470 1017
471=item devnull => ... 1018And as a result, a port with just a default receiver consists of a single
1019code reference stored in a global hash - it can't become much cheaper.
472 1020
473Generic data sink/CPU heat conversion. 1021=item Why favour JSON, why not a real serialising format such as Storable?
474 1022
475=item relay => $port, @msg 1023In fact, any AnyEvent::MP node will happily accept Storable as framing
1024format, but currently there is no way to make a node use Storable by
1025default (although all nodes will accept it).
476 1026
477Simply forwards the message to the given port. 1027The default framing protocol is JSON because a) JSON::XS is many times
1028faster for small messages and b) most importantly, after years of
1029experience we found that object serialisation is causing more problems
1030than it solves: Just like function calls, objects simply do not travel
1031easily over the network, mostly because they will always be a copy, so you
1032always have to re-think your design.
478 1033
479=item eval => $string[ @reply] 1034Keeping your messages simple, concentrating on data structures rather than
480 1035objects, will keep your messages clean, tidy and efficient.
481Evaluates the given string. If C<@reply> is given, then a message of the
482form C<@reply, $@, @evalres> is sent.
483
484Example: crash another node.
485
486 snd $othernode, eval => "exit";
487
488=item time => @reply
489
490Replies the the current node time to C<@reply>.
491
492Example: tell the current node to send the current time to C<$myport> in a
493C<timereply> message.
494
495 snd $NODE, time => $myport, timereply => 1, 2;
496 # => snd $myport, timereply => 1, 2, <time>
497 1036
498=back 1037=back
499 1038
500=head1 SEE ALSO 1039=head1 SEE ALSO
1040
1041L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro> - a gentle introduction.
1042
1043L<AnyEvent::MP::Kernel> - more, lower-level, stuff.
1044
1045L<AnyEvent::MP::Global> - network maintenance and port groups, to find
1046your applications.
1047
1048L<AnyEvent::MP::DataConn> - establish data connections between nodes.
1049
1050L<AnyEvent::MP::LogCatcher> - simple service to display log messages from
1051all nodes.
501 1052
502L<AnyEvent>. 1053L<AnyEvent>.
503 1054
504=head1 AUTHOR 1055=head1 AUTHOR
505 1056

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