[ViewVC] Diff of: cvs/cvsroot/AnyEvent-MP/MP.pm

Comparing cvsroot/AnyEvent-MP/MP.pm (file contents):
Revision 1.33 by root, Wed Aug 5 22:40:51 2009 UTC vs.
Revision 1.52 by root, Fri Aug 14 15:13:20 2009 UTC

…		…
8		8
9	$NODE # contains this node's noderef	9	$NODE # contains this node's noderef
10	NODE # returns this node's noderef	10	NODE # returns this node's noderef
11	NODE $port # returns the noderef of the port	11	NODE $port # returns the noderef of the port
12		12
		13	$SELF # receiving/own port id in rcv callbacks
		14
		15	# initialise the node so it can send/receive messages
		16	initialise_node; # -OR-
		17	initialise_node "localhost:4040"; # -OR-
		18	initialise_node "slave/", "localhost:4040"
		19
		20	# ports are message endpoints
		21
		22	# sending messages
13	snd $port, type => data...;	23	snd $port, type => data...;
		24	snd $port, @msg;
		25	snd @msg_with_first_element_being_a_port;
14		26
15	$SELF # receiving/own port id in rcv callbacks	27	# creating/using ports, the simple way
		28	my $somple_port = port { my @msg = @_; 0 };
16		29
17	rcv $port, smartmatch => $cb->($port, @msg);	30	# creating/using ports, tagged message matching
18		31	my $port = port;
19	# examples:
20	rcv $port2, ping => sub { snd $_[0], "pong"; 0 };	32	rcv $port, ping => sub { snd $_[0], "pong"; 0 };
21	rcv $port1, pong => sub { warn "pong received\n" };	33	rcv $port, pong => sub { warn "pong received\n"; 0 };
22	snd $port2, ping => $port1;
23		34
24	# more, smarter, matches (_any_ is exported by this module)	35	# create a port on another node
25	rcv $port, [child_died => $pid] => sub { ...	36	my $port = spawn $node, $initfunc, @initdata;
26	rcv $port, [_any_, _any_, 3] => sub { .. $_[2] is 3	37
		38	# monitoring
		39	mon $port, $cb->(@msg) # callback is invoked on death
		40	mon $port, $otherport # kill otherport on abnormal death
		41	mon $port, $otherport, @msg # send message on death
		42
		43	=head1 CURRENT STATUS
		44
		45	AnyEvent::MP - stable API, should work
		46	AnyEvent::MP::Intro - outdated
		47	AnyEvent::MP::Kernel - WIP
		48	AnyEvent::MP::Transport - mostly stable
		49
		50	stay tuned.
27		51
28	=head1 DESCRIPTION	52	=head1 DESCRIPTION
29		53
30	This module (-family) implements a simple message passing framework.	54	This module (-family) implements a simple message passing framework.
31		55
…		…
35	For an introduction to this module family, see the L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro>	59	For an introduction to this module family, see the L<AnyEvent::MP::Intro>
36	manual page.	60	manual page.
37		61
38	At the moment, this module family is severly broken and underdocumented,	62	At the moment, this module family is severly broken and underdocumented,
39	so do not use. This was uploaded mainly to reserve the CPAN namespace -	63	so do not use. This was uploaded mainly to reserve the CPAN namespace -
40	stay tuned! The basic API should be finished, however.	64	stay tuned!
41		65
42	=head1 CONCEPTS	66	=head1 CONCEPTS
43		67
44	=over 4	68	=over 4
45		69
…		…
90		114
91	=cut	115	=cut
92		116
93	package AnyEvent::MP;	117	package AnyEvent::MP;
94		118
95	use AnyEvent::MP::Base;	119	use AnyEvent::MP::Kernel;
96		120
97	use common::sense;	121	use common::sense;
98		122
99	use Carp ();	123	use Carp ();
100		124
101	use AE ();	125	use AE ();
102		126
103	use base "Exporter";	127	use base "Exporter";
104		128
105	our $VERSION = '0.1';	129	our $VERSION = $AnyEvent::MP::Kernel::VERSION;
		130
106	our @EXPORT = qw(	131	our @EXPORT = qw(
107	NODE $NODE *SELF node_of _any_	132	NODE $NODE *SELF node_of _any_
108	resolve_node initialise_node	133	resolve_node initialise_node
109	snd rcv mon kil reg psub	134	snd rcv mon kil reg psub spawn
110	port	135	port
111	);	136	);
112		137
113	our $SELF;	138	our $SELF;
114		139
…		…
118	kil $SELF, die => $msg;	143	kil $SELF, die => $msg;
119	}	144	}
120		145
121	=item $thisnode = NODE / $NODE	146	=item $thisnode = NODE / $NODE
122		147
123	The C<NODE> function returns, and the C<$NODE> variable contains	148	The C<NODE> function returns, and the C<$NODE> variable contains the
124	the noderef of the local node. The value is initialised by a call	149	noderef of the local node. The value is initialised by a call to
125	to C<become_public> or C<become_slave>, after which all local port	150	C<initialise_node>.
126	identifiers become invalid.
127		151
128	=item $noderef = node_of $port	152	=item $noderef = node_of $port
129		153
130	Extracts and returns the noderef from a portid or a noderef.	154	Extracts and returns the noderef from a port ID or a noderef.
		155
		156	=item initialise_node $noderef, $seednode, $seednode...
		157
		158	=item initialise_node "slave/", $master, $master...
		159
		160	Before a node can talk to other nodes on the network it has to initialise
		161	itself - the minimum a node needs to know is it's own name, and optionally
		162	it should know the noderefs of some other nodes in the network.
		163
		164	This function initialises a node - it must be called exactly once (or
		165	never) before calling other AnyEvent::MP functions.
		166
		167	All arguments (optionally except for the first) are noderefs, which can be
		168	either resolved or unresolved.
		169
		170	The first argument will be looked up in the configuration database first
		171	(if it is C<undef> then the current nodename will be used instead) to find
		172	the relevant configuration profile (see L<aemp>). If none is found then
		173	the default configuration is used. The configuration supplies additional
		174	seed/master nodes and can override the actual noderef.
		175
		176	There are two types of networked nodes, public nodes and slave nodes:
		177
		178	=over 4
		179
		180	=item public nodes
		181
		182	For public nodes, C<$noderef> (supplied either directly to
		183	C<initialise_node> or indirectly via a profile or the nodename) must be a
		184	noderef (possibly unresolved, in which case it will be resolved).
		185
		186	After resolving, the node will bind itself on all endpoints and try to
		187	connect to all additional C<$seednodes> that are specified. Seednodes are
		188	optional and can be used to quickly bootstrap the node into an existing
		189	network.
		190
		191	=item slave nodes
		192
		193	When the C<$noderef> (either as given or overriden by the config file)
		194	is the special string C<slave/>, then the node will become a slave
		195	node. Slave nodes cannot be contacted from outside and will route most of
		196	their traffic to the master node that they attach to.
		197
		198	At least one additional noderef is required (either by specifying it
		199	directly or because it is part of the configuration profile): The node
		200	will try to connect to all of them and will become a slave attached to the
		201	first node it can successfully connect to.
		202
		203	=back
		204
		205	This function will block until all nodes have been resolved and, for slave
		206	nodes, until it has successfully established a connection to a master
		207	server.
		208
		209	Example: become a public node listening on the guessed noderef, or the one
		210	specified via C<aemp> for the current node. This should be the most common
		211	form of invocation for "daemon"-type nodes.
		212
		213	initialise_node;
		214
		215	Example: become a slave node to any of the the seednodes specified via
		216	C<aemp>. This form is often used for commandline clients.
		217
		218	initialise_node "slave/";
		219
		220	Example: become a slave node to any of the specified master servers. This
		221	form is also often used for commandline clients.
		222
		223	initialise_node "slave/", "master1", "192.168.13.17", "mp.example.net";
		224
		225	Example: become a public node, and try to contact some well-known master
		226	servers to become part of the network.
		227
		228	initialise_node undef, "master1", "master2";
		229
		230	Example: become a public node listening on port C<4041>.
		231
		232	initialise_node 4041;
		233
		234	Example: become a public node, only visible on localhost port 4044.
		235
		236	initialise_node "localhost:4044";
131		237
132	=item $cv = resolve_node $noderef	238	=item $cv = resolve_node $noderef
133		239
134	Takes an unresolved node reference that may contain hostnames and	240	Takes an unresolved node reference that may contain hostnames and
135	abbreviated IDs, resolves all of them and returns a resolved node	241	abbreviated IDs, resolves all of them and returns a resolved node
…		…
172	=item snd $port, type => @data	278	=item snd $port, type => @data
173		279
174	=item snd $port, @msg	280	=item snd $port, @msg
175		281
176	Send the given message to the given port ID, which can identify either	282	Send the given message to the given port ID, which can identify either
177	a local or a remote port, and can be either a string or soemthignt hat	283	a local or a remote port, and must be a port ID.
178	stringifies a sa port ID (such as a port object :).
179		284
180	While the message can be about anything, it is highly recommended to use a	285	While the message can be about anything, it is highly recommended to use a
181	string as first element (a portid, or some word that indicates a request	286	string as first element (a port ID, or some word that indicates a request
182	type etc.).	287	type etc.).
183		288
184	The message data effectively becomes read-only after a call to this	289	The message data effectively becomes read-only after a call to this
185	function: modifying any argument is not allowed and can cause many	290	function: modifying any argument is not allowed and can cause many
186	problems.	291	problems.
…		…
191	that Storable can serialise and deserialise is allowed, and for the local	296	that Storable can serialise and deserialise is allowed, and for the local
192	node, anything can be passed.	297	node, anything can be passed.
193		298
194	=item $local_port = port	299	=item $local_port = port
195		300
196	Create a new local port object that can be used either as a pattern	301	Create a new local port object and returns its port ID. Initially it has
197	matching port ("full port") or a single-callback port ("miniport"),	302	no callbacks set and will throw an error when it receives messages.
198	depending on how C<rcv> callbacks are bound to the object.
199		303
200	=item $port = port { my @msg = @_; $finished }	304	=item $local_port = port { my @msg = @_ }
201		305
202	Creates a "miniport", that is, a very lightweight port without any pattern	306	Creates a new local port, and returns its ID. Semantically the same as
203	matching behind it, and returns its ID. Semantically the same as creating
204	a port and calling C<rcv $port, $callback> on it.	307	creating a port and calling C<rcv $port, $callback> on it.
205		308
206	The block will be called for every message received on the port. When the	309	The block will be called for every message received on the port, with the
207	callback returns a true value its job is considered "done" and the port	310	global variable C<$SELF> set to the port ID. Runtime errors will cause the
208	will be destroyed. Otherwise it will stay alive.	311	port to be C<kil>ed. The message will be passed as-is, no extra argument
		312	(i.e. no port ID) will be passed to the callback.
209		313
210	The message will be passed as-is, no extra argument (i.e. no port id) will	314	If you want to stop/destroy the port, simply C<kil> it:
211	be passed to the callback.
212		315
213	If you need the local port id in the callback, this works nicely:	316	my $port = port {
214		317	my @msg = @_;
215	my $port; $port = port {	318	...
216	snd $otherport, reply => $port;	319	kil $SELF;
217	};	320	};
218		321
219	=cut	322	=cut
220		323
221	sub rcv($@);	324	sub rcv($@);
		325
		326	sub _kilme {
		327	die "received message on port without callback";
		328	}
222		329
223	sub port(;&) {	330	sub port(;&) {
224	my $id = "$UNIQ." . $ID++;	331	my $id = "$UNIQ." . $ID++;
225	my $port = "$NODE#$id";	332	my $port = "$NODE#$id";
226		333
227	if (@_) {	334	rcv $port, shift \|\| \&_kilme;
228	rcv $port, shift;
229	} else {
230	$PORT{$id} = sub { }; # nop
231	}
232		335
233	$port	336	$port
234	}	337	}
235		338
236	=item reg $port, $name
237
238	Registers the given port under the name C<$name>. If the name already
239	exists it is replaced.
240
241	A port can only be registered under one well known name.
242
243	A port automatically becomes unregistered when it is killed.
244
245	=cut
246
247	sub reg(@) {
248	my ($port, $name) = @_;
249
250	$REG{$name} = $port;
251	}
252
253	=item rcv $port, $callback->(@msg)	339	=item rcv $local_port, $callback->(@msg)
254		340
255	Replaces the callback on the specified miniport (after converting it to	341	Replaces the default callback on the specified port. There is no way to
256	one if required).	342	remove the default callback: use C<sub { }> to disable it, or better
257		343	C<kil> the port when it is no longer needed.
258	=item rcv $port, tagstring => $callback->(@msg), ...
259
260	=item rcv $port, $smartmatch => $callback->(@msg), ...
261
262	=item rcv $port, [$smartmatch...] => $callback->(@msg), ...
263
264	Register callbacks to be called on matching messages on the given full
265	port (after converting it to one if required).
266
267	The callback has to return a true value when its work is done, after
268	which is will be removed, or a false value in which case it will stay
269	registered.
270		344
271	The global C<$SELF> (exported by this module) contains C<$port> while	345	The global C<$SELF> (exported by this module) contains C<$port> while
272	executing the callback.	346	executing the callback. Runtime errors during callback execution will
		347	result in the port being C<kil>ed.
273		348
274	Runtime errors wdurign callback execution will result in the port being	349	The default callback received all messages not matched by a more specific
275	C<kil>ed.	350	C<tag> match.
276		351
277	If the match is an array reference, then it will be matched against the	352	=item rcv $local_port, tag => $callback->(@msg_without_tag), ...
278	first elements of the message, otherwise only the first element is being
279	matched.
280		353
281	Any element in the match that is specified as C<_any_> (a function	354	Register callbacks to be called on messages starting with the given tag on
282	exported by this module) matches any single element of the message.	355	the given port (and return the port), or unregister it (when C<$callback>
		356	is C<$undef>).
283		357
284	While not required, it is highly recommended that the first matching	358	The original message will be passed to the callback, after the first
285	element is a string identifying the message. The one-string-only match is	359	element (the tag) has been removed. The callback will use the same
286	also the most efficient match (by far).	360	environment as the default callback (see above).
		361
		362	Example: create a port and bind receivers on it in one go.
		363
		364	my $port = rcv port,
		365	msg1 => sub { ... },
		366	msg2 => sub { ... },
		367	;
		368
		369	Example: create a port, bind receivers and send it in a message elsewhere
		370	in one go:
		371
		372	snd $otherport, reply =>
		373	rcv port,
		374	msg1 => sub { ... },
		375	...
		376	;
287		377
288	=cut	378	=cut
289		379
290	sub rcv($@) {	380	sub rcv($@) {
291	my $port = shift;	381	my $port = shift;
292	my ($noderef, $portid) = split /#/, $port, 2;	382	my ($noderef, $portid) = split /#/, $port, 2;
293		383
294	($NODE{$noderef} \|\| add_node $noderef) == $NODE{""}	384	($NODE{$noderef} \|\| add_node $noderef) == $NODE{""}
295	or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on local ports, caught";	385	or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on local ports, caught";
296		386
297	if (@_ == 1) {	387	while (@_) {
		388	if (ref $_[0]) {
		389	if (my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid}) {
		390	"AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self
		391	or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
		392
		393	$self->[2] = shift;
		394	} else {
298	my $cb = shift;	395	my $cb = shift;
299	delete $PORT_DATA{$portid};
300	$PORT{$portid} = sub {	396	$PORT{$portid} = sub {
301	local $SELF = $port;	397	local $SELF = $port;
302	eval {	398	eval { &$cb }; _self_die if $@;
303	&$cb	399	};
304	and kil $port;
305	};	400	}
306	_self_die if $@;	401	} elsif (defined $_[0]) {
307	};
308	} else {
309	my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid} \|\|= do {	402	my $self = $PORT_DATA{$portid} \|\|= do {
310	my $self = bless {	403	my $self = bless [$PORT{$port} \|\| sub { }, { }, $port], "AnyEvent::MP::Port";
311	id => $port,
312	}, "AnyEvent::MP::Port";
313		404
314	$PORT{$portid} = sub {	405	$PORT{$portid} = sub {
315	local $SELF = $port;	406	local $SELF = $port;
316		407
317	eval {
318	for (@{ $self->{rc0}{$_[0]} }) {	408	if (my $cb = $self->[1]{$_[0]}) {
319	$_ && &{$_->[0]}	409	shift;
320	&& undef $_;	410	eval { &$cb }; _self_die if $@;
321	}	411	} else {
322
323	for (@{ $self->{rcv}{$_[0]} }) {
324	$_ && [@_[1 .. @{$_->[1]}]] ~~ $_->[1]
325	&& &{$_->[0]}	412	&{ $self->[0] };
326	&& undef $_;
327	}
328
329	for (@{ $self->{any} }) {
330	$_ && [@_[0 .. $#{$_->[1]}]] ~~ $_->[1]
331	&& &{$_->[0]}
332	&& undef $_;
333	}	413	}
334	};	414	};
335	_self_die if $@;	415
		416	$self
336	};	417	};
337		418
338	$self
339	};
340
341	"AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self	419	"AnyEvent::MP::Port" eq ref $self
342	or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";	420	or Carp::croak "$port: rcv can only be called on message matching ports, caught";
343		421
344	while (@_) {
345	my ($match, $cb) = splice @_, 0, 2;	422	my ($tag, $cb) = splice @_, 0, 2;
346		423
347	if (!ref $match) {	424	if (defined $cb) {
348	push @{ $self->{rc0}{$match} }, [$cb];	425	$self->[1]{$tag} = $cb;
349	} elsif (("ARRAY" eq ref $match && !ref $match->[0])) {
350	my ($type, @match) = @$match;
351	@match
352	? push @{ $self->{rcv}{$match->[0]} }, [$cb, \@match]
353	: push @{ $self->{rc0}{$match->[0]} }, [$cb];
354	} else {	426	} else {
355	push @{ $self->{any} }, [$cb, $match];	427	delete $self->[1]{$tag};
356	}	428	}
357	}	429	}
358	}	430	}
359		431
360	$port	432	$port
…		…
398	}	470	}
399	}	471	}
400		472
401	=item $guard = mon $port, $cb->(@reason)	473	=item $guard = mon $port, $cb->(@reason)
402		474
403	=item $guard = mon $port, $otherport	475	=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport
404		476
		477	=item $guard = mon $port
		478
405	=item $guard = mon $port, $otherport, @msg	479	=item $guard = mon $port, $rcvport, @msg
406		480
407	Monitor the given port and do something when the port is killed.	481	Monitor the given port and do something when the port is killed or
		482	messages to it were lost, and optionally return a guard that can be used
		483	to stop monitoring again.
408		484
		485	C<mon> effectively guarantees that, in the absence of hardware failures,
		486	that after starting the monitor, either all messages sent to the port
		487	will arrive, or the monitoring action will be invoked after possible
		488	message loss has been detected. No messages will be lost "in between"
		489	(after the first lost message no further messages will be received by the
		490	port). After the monitoring action was invoked, further messages might get
		491	delivered again.
		492
409	In the first form, the callback is simply called with any number	493	In the first form (callback), the callback is simply called with any
410	of C<@reason> elements (no @reason means that the port was deleted	494	number of C<@reason> elements (no @reason means that the port was deleted
411	"normally"). Note also that I<< the callback B<must> never die >>, so use	495	"normally"). Note also that I<< the callback B<must> never die >>, so use
412	C<eval> if unsure.	496	C<eval> if unsure.
413		497
414	In the second form, the other port will be C<kil>'ed with C<@reason>, iff	498	In the second form (another port given), the other port (C<$rcvport>)
415	a @reason was specified, i.e. on "normal" kils nothing happens, while	499	will be C<kil>'ed with C<@reason>, iff a @reason was specified, i.e. on
416	under all other conditions, the other port is killed with the same reason.	500	"normal" kils nothing happens, while under all other conditions, the other
		501	port is killed with the same reason.
417		502
		503	The third form (kill self) is the same as the second form, except that
		504	C<$rvport> defaults to C<$SELF>.
		505
418	In the last form, a message of the form C<@msg, @reason> will be C<snd>.	506	In the last form (message), a message of the form C<@msg, @reason> will be
		507	C<snd>.
		508
		509	As a rule of thumb, monitoring requests should always monitor a port from
		510	a local port (or callback). The reason is that kill messages might get
		511	lost, just like any other message. Another less obvious reason is that
		512	even monitoring requests can get lost (for exmaple, when the connection
		513	to the other node goes down permanently). When monitoring a port locally
		514	these problems do not exist.
419		515
420	Example: call a given callback when C<$port> is killed.	516	Example: call a given callback when C<$port> is killed.
421		517
422	mon $port, sub { warn "port died because of <@_>\n" };	518	mon $port, sub { warn "port died because of <@_>\n" };
423		519
424	Example: kill ourselves when C<$port> is killed abnormally.	520	Example: kill ourselves when C<$port> is killed abnormally.
425		521
426	mon $port, $self;	522	mon $port;
427		523
428	Example: send us a restart message another C<$port> is killed.	524	Example: send us a restart message when another C<$port> is killed.
429		525
430	mon $port, $self => "restart";	526	mon $port, $self => "restart";
431		527
432	=cut	528	=cut
433		529
434	sub mon {	530	sub mon {
435	my ($noderef, $port) = split /#/, shift, 2;	531	my ($noderef, $port) = split /#/, shift, 2;
436		532
437	my $node = $NODE{$noderef} \|\| add_node $noderef;	533	my $node = $NODE{$noderef} \|\| add_node $noderef;
438		534
439	my $cb = shift;	535	my $cb = @_ ? shift : $SELF \|\| Carp::croak 'mon: called with one argument only, but $SELF not set,';
440		536
441	unless (ref $cb) {	537	unless (ref $cb) {
442	if (@_) {	538	if (@_) {
443	# send a kill info message	539	# send a kill info message
444	my (@msg) = ($cb, @_);	540	my (@msg) = ($cb, @_);
…		…
475	=cut	571	=cut
476		572
477	sub mon_guard {	573	sub mon_guard {
478	my ($port, @refs) = @_;	574	my ($port, @refs) = @_;
479		575
		576	#TODO: mon-less form?
		577
480	mon $port, sub { 0 && @refs }	578	mon $port, sub { 0 && @refs }
481	}	579	}
482		580
483	=item lnk $port1, $port2
484
485	Link two ports. This is simply a shorthand for:
486
487	mon $port1, $port2;
488	mon $port2, $port1;
489
490	It means that if either one is killed abnormally, the other one gets
491	killed as well.
492
493	=item kil $port[, @reason]	581	=item kil $port[, @reason]
494		582
495	Kill the specified port with the given C<@reason>.	583	Kill the specified port with the given C<@reason>.
496		584
497	If no C<@reason> is specified, then the port is killed "normally" (linked	585	If no C<@reason> is specified, then the port is killed "normally" (linked
…		…
504	will be reported as reason C<< die => $@ >>.	592	will be reported as reason C<< die => $@ >>.
505		593
506	Transport/communication errors are reported as C<< transport_error =>	594	Transport/communication errors are reported as C<< transport_error =>
507	$message >>.	595	$message >>.
508		596
509	=back
510
511	=head1 FUNCTIONS FOR NODES
512
513	=over 4
514
515	=item initialise_node $noderef, $seednode, $seednode...
516
517	=item initialise_node "slave/", $master, $master...
518
519	Initialises a node - must be called exactly once before calling other
520	AnyEvent::MP functions when talking to other nodes is required.
521
522	All arguments are noderefs, which can be either resolved or unresolved.
523
524	There are two types of networked nodes, public nodes and slave nodes:
525
526	=over 4
527
528	=item public nodes
529
530	For public nodes, C<$noderef> must either be a (possibly unresolved)
531	noderef, in which case it will be resolved, or C<undef> (or missing), in
532	which case the noderef will be guessed.
533
534	Afterwards, the node will bind itself on all endpoints and try to connect
535	to all additional C<$seednodes> that are specified. Seednodes are optional
536	and can be used to quickly bootstrap the node into an existing network.
537
538	=item slave nodes
539
540	When the C<$noderef> is the special string C<slave/>, then the node will
541	become a slave node. Slave nodes cannot be contacted from outside and will
542	route most of their traffic to the master node that they attach to.
543
544	At least one additional noderef is required: The node will try to connect
545	to all of them and will become a slave attached to the first node it can
546	successfully connect to.
547
548	=back
549
550	This function will block until all nodes have been resolved and, for slave
551	nodes, until it has successfully established a connection to a master
552	server.
553
554	Example: become a public node listening on the default node.
555
556	initialise_node;
557
558	Example: become a public node, and try to contact some well-known master
559	servers to become part of the network.
560
561	initialise_node undef, "master1", "master2";
562
563	Example: become a public node listening on port C<4041>.
564
565	initialise_node 4041;
566
567	Example: become a public node, only visible on localhost port 4044.
568
569	initialise_node "locahost:4044";
570
571	Example: become a slave node to any of the specified master servers.
572
573	initialise_node "slave/", "master1", "192.168.13.17", "mp.example.net";
574
575	=cut	597	=cut
		598
		599	=item $port = spawn $node, $initfunc[, @initdata]
		600
		601	Creates a port on the node C<$node> (which can also be a port ID, in which
		602	case it's the node where that port resides).
		603
		604	The port ID of the newly created port is return immediately, and it is
		605	permissible to immediately start sending messages or monitor the port.
		606
		607	After the port has been created, the init function is
		608	called. This function must be a fully-qualified function name
		609	(e.g. C<MyApp::Chat::Server::init>). To specify a function in the main
		610	program, use C<::name>.
		611
		612	If the function doesn't exist, then the node tries to C<require>
		613	the package, then the package above the package and so on (e.g.
		614	C<MyApp::Chat::Server>, C<MyApp::Chat>, C<MyApp>) until the function
		615	exists or it runs out of package names.
		616
		617	The init function is then called with the newly-created port as context
		618	object (C<$SELF>) and the C<@initdata> values as arguments.
		619
		620	A common idiom is to pass your own port, monitor the spawned port, and
		621	in the init function, monitor the original port. This two-way monitoring
		622	ensures that both ports get cleaned up when there is a problem.
		623
		624	Example: spawn a chat server port on C<$othernode>.
		625
		626	# this node, executed from within a port context:
		627	my $server = spawn $othernode, "MyApp::Chat::Server::connect", $SELF;
		628	mon $server;
		629
		630	# init function on C<$othernode>
		631	sub connect {
		632	my ($srcport) = @_;
		633
		634	mon $srcport;
		635
		636	rcv $SELF, sub {
		637	...
		638	};
		639	}
		640
		641	=cut
		642
		643	sub _spawn {
		644	my $port = shift;
		645	my $init = shift;
		646
		647	local $SELF = "$NODE#$port";
		648	eval {
		649	&{ load_func $init }
		650	};
		651	_self_die if $@;
		652	}
		653
		654	sub spawn(@) {
		655	my ($noderef, undef) = split /#/, shift, 2;
		656
		657	my $id = "$RUNIQ." . $ID++;
		658
		659	$_[0] =~ /::/
		660	or Carp::croak "spawn init function must be a fully-qualified name, caught";
		661
		662	($NODE{$noderef} \|\| add_node $noderef)
		663	->send (["", "AnyEvent::MP::_spawn" => $id, @_]);
		664
		665	"$noderef#$id"
		666	}
576		667
577	=back	668	=back
578		669
579	=head1 NODE MESSAGES	670	=head1 NODE MESSAGES
580		671
…		…
622		713
623	=back	714	=back
624		715
625	=head1 AnyEvent::MP vs. Distributed Erlang	716	=head1 AnyEvent::MP vs. Distributed Erlang
626		717
627	AnyEvent::MP got lots of its ideas from distributed erlang (erlang node	718	AnyEvent::MP got lots of its ideas from distributed Erlang (Erlang node
628	== aemp node, erlang process == aemp port), so many of the documents and	719	== aemp node, Erlang process == aemp port), so many of the documents and
629	programming techniques employed by erlang apply to AnyEvent::MP. Here is a	720	programming techniques employed by Erlang apply to AnyEvent::MP. Here is a
630	sample:	721	sample:
631		722
632	http://www.erlang.se/doc/programming_rules.shtml	723	http://www.Erlang.se/doc/programming_rules.shtml
633	http://erlang.org/doc/getting_started/part_frame.html # chapters 3 and 4	724	http://Erlang.org/doc/getting_started/part_frame.html # chapters 3 and 4
634	http://erlang.org/download/erlang-book-part1.pdf # chapters 5 and 6	725	http://Erlang.org/download/Erlang-book-part1.pdf # chapters 5 and 6
635	http://erlang.org/download/armstrong_thesis_2003.pdf # chapters 4 and 5	726	http://Erlang.org/download/armstrong_thesis_2003.pdf # chapters 4 and 5
636		727
637	Despite the similarities, there are also some important differences:	728	Despite the similarities, there are also some important differences:
638		729
639	=over 4	730	=over 4
640		731
…		…
645	convenience functionality.	736	convenience functionality.
646		737
647	This means that AEMP requires a less tightly controlled environment at the	738	This means that AEMP requires a less tightly controlled environment at the
648	cost of longer node references and a slightly higher management overhead.	739	cost of longer node references and a slightly higher management overhead.
649		740
		741	=item Erlang has a "remote ports are like local ports" philosophy, AEMP
		742	uses "local ports are like remote ports".
		743
		744	The failure modes for local ports are quite different (runtime errors
		745	only) then for remote ports - when a local port dies, you I<know> it dies,
		746	when a connection to another node dies, you know nothing about the other
		747	port.
		748
		749	Erlang pretends remote ports are as reliable as local ports, even when
		750	they are not.
		751
		752	AEMP encourages a "treat remote ports differently" philosophy, with local
		753	ports being the special case/exception, where transport errors cannot
		754	occur.
		755
650	=item * Erlang uses processes and a mailbox, AEMP does not queue.	756	=item * Erlang uses processes and a mailbox, AEMP does not queue.
651		757
652	Erlang uses processes that selctively receive messages, and therefore	758	Erlang uses processes that selectively receive messages, and therefore
653	needs a queue. AEMP is event based, queuing messages would serve no useful	759	needs a queue. AEMP is event based, queuing messages would serve no
654	purpose.	760	useful purpose. For the same reason the pattern-matching abilities of
		761	AnyEvent::MP are more limited, as there is little need to be able to
		762	filter messages without dequeing them.
655		763
656	(But see L<Coro::MP> for a more erlang-like process model on top of AEMP).	764	(But see L<Coro::MP> for a more Erlang-like process model on top of AEMP).
657		765
658	=item * Erlang sends are synchronous, AEMP sends are asynchronous.	766	=item * Erlang sends are synchronous, AEMP sends are asynchronous.
659		767
660	Sending messages in erlang is synchronous and blocks the process. AEMP	768	Sending messages in Erlang is synchronous and blocks the process (and
661	sends are immediate, connection establishment is handled in the	769	so does not need a queue that can overflow). AEMP sends are immediate,
662	background.	770	connection establishment is handled in the background.
663		771
664	=item * Erlang can silently lose messages, AEMP cannot.	772	=item * Erlang suffers from silent message loss, AEMP does not.
665		773
666	Erlang makes few guarantees on messages delivery - messages can get lost	774	Erlang makes few guarantees on messages delivery - messages can get lost
667	without any of the processes realising it (i.e. you send messages a, b,	775	without any of the processes realising it (i.e. you send messages a, b,
668	and c, and the other side only receives messages a and c).	776	and c, and the other side only receives messages a and c).
669		777
670	AEMP guarantees correct ordering, and the guarantee that there are no	778	AEMP guarantees correct ordering, and the guarantee that there are no
671	holes in the message sequence.	779	holes in the message sequence.
672		780
673	=item * In erlang, processes can be declared dead and later be found to be	781	=item * In Erlang, processes can be declared dead and later be found to be
674	alive.	782	alive.
675		783
676	In erlang it can happen that a monitored process is declared dead and	784	In Erlang it can happen that a monitored process is declared dead and
677	linked processes get killed, but later it turns out that the process is	785	linked processes get killed, but later it turns out that the process is
678	still alive - and can receive messages.	786	still alive - and can receive messages.
679		787
680	In AEMP, when port monitoring detects a port as dead, then that port will	788	In AEMP, when port monitoring detects a port as dead, then that port will
681	eventually be killed - it cannot happen that a node detects a port as dead	789	eventually be killed - it cannot happen that a node detects a port as dead
682	and then later sends messages to it, finding it is still alive.	790	and then later sends messages to it, finding it is still alive.
683		791
684	=item * Erlang can send messages to the wrong port, AEMP does not.	792	=item * Erlang can send messages to the wrong port, AEMP does not.
685		793
686	In erlang it is quite possible that a node that restarts reuses a process	794	In Erlang it is quite likely that a node that restarts reuses a process ID
687	ID known to other nodes for a completely different process, causing	795	known to other nodes for a completely different process, causing messages
688	messages destined for that process to end up in an unrelated process.	796	destined for that process to end up in an unrelated process.
689		797
690	AEMP never reuses port IDs, so old messages or old port IDs floating	798	AEMP never reuses port IDs, so old messages or old port IDs floating
691	around in the network will not be sent to an unrelated port.	799	around in the network will not be sent to an unrelated port.
692		800
693	=item * Erlang uses unprotected connections, AEMP uses secure	801	=item * Erlang uses unprotected connections, AEMP uses secure
…		…
697	securely authenticate nodes.	805	securely authenticate nodes.
698		806
699	=item * The AEMP protocol is optimised for both text-based and binary	807	=item * The AEMP protocol is optimised for both text-based and binary
700	communications.	808	communications.
701		809
702	The AEMP protocol, unlike the erlang protocol, supports both	810	The AEMP protocol, unlike the Erlang protocol, supports both
703	language-independent text-only protocols (good for debugging) and binary,	811	language-independent text-only protocols (good for debugging) and binary,
704	language-specific serialisers (e.g. Storable).	812	language-specific serialisers (e.g. Storable).
705		813
706	It has also been carefully designed to be implementable in other languages	814	It has also been carefully designed to be implementable in other languages
707	with a minimum of work while gracefully degrading fucntionality to make the	815	with a minimum of work while gracefully degrading fucntionality to make the
708	protocol simple.	816	protocol simple.
709		817
		818	=item * AEMP has more flexible monitoring options than Erlang.
		819
		820	In Erlang, you can chose to receive I<all> exit signals as messages
		821	or I<none>, there is no in-between, so monitoring single processes is
		822	difficult to implement. Monitoring in AEMP is more flexible than in
		823	Erlang, as one can choose between automatic kill, exit message or callback
		824	on a per-process basis.
		825
		826	=item * Erlang tries to hide remote/local connections, AEMP does not.
		827
		828	Monitoring in Erlang is not an indicator of process death/crashes,
		829	as linking is (except linking is unreliable in Erlang).
		830
		831	In AEMP, you don't "look up" registered port names or send to named ports
		832	that might or might not be persistent. Instead, you normally spawn a port
		833	on the remote node. The init function monitors the you, and you monitor
		834	the remote port. Since both monitors are local to the node, they are much
		835	more reliable.
		836
		837	This also saves round-trips and avoids sending messages to the wrong port
		838	(hard to do in Erlang).
		839
		840	=back
		841
		842	=head1 RATIONALE
		843
		844	=over 4
		845
		846	=item Why strings for ports and noderefs, why not objects?
		847
		848	We considered "objects", but found that the actual number of methods
		849	thatc an be called are very low. Since port IDs and noderefs travel over
		850	the network frequently, the serialising/deserialising would add lots of
		851	overhead, as well as having to keep a proxy object.
		852
		853	Strings can easily be printed, easily serialised etc. and need no special
		854	procedures to be "valid".
		855
		856	And a a miniport consists of a single closure stored in a global hash - it
		857	can't become much cheaper.
		858
		859	=item Why favour JSON, why not real serialising format such as Storable?
		860
		861	In fact, any AnyEvent::MP node will happily accept Storable as framing
		862	format, but currently there is no way to make a node use Storable by
		863	default.
		864
		865	The default framing protocol is JSON because a) JSON::XS is many times
		866	faster for small messages and b) most importantly, after years of
		867	experience we found that object serialisation is causing more problems
		868	than it gains: Just like function calls, objects simply do not travel
		869	easily over the network, mostly because they will always be a copy, so you
		870	always have to re-think your design.
		871
		872	Keeping your messages simple, concentrating on data structures rather than
		873	objects, will keep your messages clean, tidy and efficient.
		874
710	=back	875	=back
711		876
712	=head1 SEE ALSO	877	=head1 SEE ALSO
713		878
714	L<AnyEvent>.	879	L<AnyEvent>.

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Revision 1.52 by root, Fri Aug 14 15:13:20 2009 UTC