path: root/info/cmdipc.texinfo

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@c %**start of header
@setfilename cmdipc.info
@settitle cmdipc
@afourpaper
@documentencoding UTF-8
@documentlanguage en
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@dircategory Interprocess communication
@direntry
* cmdipc: (cmdipc).                  System V and POSIX IPC from the command line
@end direntry


@copying
Copyright @copyright{} 2014 Mattias Andrée

@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled
``GNU Free Documentation License''.
@end quotation
@end copying

@ifnottex
@node Top
@top cmdipc -- System V and POSIX IPC from the command line
@insertcopying
@end ifnottex

@titlepage
@title cmdipc
@subtitle System V and POSIX IPC from the command line
@author by Mattias Andrée (maandree)

@page
@c @center `'
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage

@contents



@menu
* Overview::                        Brief overview of @command{cmdipc}.
* Invoking::                        Invocation of @command{cmdipc}.
* Message Queues::                  Using message queue
* Semaphores::                      Using semaphores
* Shared Memory::                   Using shared memory
* Mutexe::                          Using mutexe
* Conditions::                      Using conditions
* Barriers::                        Using barriers
* Shared Locks::                    Using shared locks
* Rendezvous::                      Using rendezvous
* GNU Free Documentation License::  Copying and sharing this manual.
@end menu



@node Overview
@chapter Overview

System V and POSIX interprocess communication
from the command line. In addition to the primities
shared memory, message queue and semaphores, this
tool can from these primitives construct mutexe,
conditions, barriers, shared locks and rendezvous.



@node Invoking
@chapter Invoking

@command{cmdipc} have support for eight types
of interprocess communication units: message
queues, semaphores, shared memory, mutexe
@footnote{Because of the nature of this program
mutexe are as bit degraded.}, conditions,
barrers, shared locks and rendezvous. These
are constructed from either the three System V
interprocess communication primitives: message
queues, semaphores and shared memory, or their
POSIX variants. The type of interprocess
communication unit to use is selected by the
follow options, to use the POSIX variant rather
than the System V variant add the option
@option{-P} (@option{--posix}).

@table @option
@item -Q
@itemx --mqueue
Message queue.

@item -S
@itemx --semaphore
Semaphore.

@item -M
@itemx --shm
Shared memory.

@item -X
@itemx --mutex
Mutually exclusive. (Mutex)

@item -C
@itemx --condition
Condition.

@item -B
@itemx --barrier
Barrier.

@item -L
@itemx --shared-lock
Shared lock.

@item -R
@itemx --rendezvous
Rendezvous.
@end table

To specify which instance of a unit to use,
specify its key (not ID) with the @option{-k}
(@option{--key}) option. If you do not have
a key, your only option is to create one, but
you can still create a unit with a specified
key. To create a unit use the option @option{-c}
(@option{--create}), this will be successful
even if the key is already in use, in which
case the unit will simply be opened. To fail
if the key is already in use, use the option
@option{-x} (@option{--exclusive}). @option{-x}
can be used with or without @option{-c}, it
is interpretation will does not depend on
@option{-c}, @option{-c} is implied by
@option{-x}. To remove a key, use the option
@option{-r} (@option{--remove}).

There are two additional options that are
recognised. These cannot be used with any
other optios.

@table @option
@item -h
@itemx --help
Print a list of all options.

@item -f
@itemx --ftok PATHNAME ID
Print a key derived from an existing
file and a project ID. The project ID
is a integer between the values 0 and
255, inclusively. The derived key is
probable to be non-unique. This is a
System V IPC function, and is not
available, and are not necessary, for
POSIX IPC.
@end table

The following options are recognised
for interprocess communication units.

@table @option
@item -n
@itemx --nonblocking
Fail with exit value 2 if the unit
is currently occupied and cannot be
used without waiting.
Not available for shared memory.

@item -b
@itemx --timeout SECONDS
Not available for shared memory.
Fail with exit value 2 if the unit
is currently occupied and cannot be
used without waiting for at most
@code{SECONDS} seconds.

@item -m
@itemx --mode OCTAL
Permission bits for the created
unit.
@end table




@node Message Queues
@chapter Message Queues

Message queues are primitives and play well
with other programs. Use of message queues
are indicated by the @option{-Q} option.
Message queues is a way to send short messages
between program.

The key for a System V message queue is an
integer, and the key for a POSIX message queue
is an ASCII string with NUL or slash between
1 character and 254 characters long prefixed
with a slash.

Recognised options for System V message queues:

@table @option
@item -s
@itemx --size SIZE
The size of the queue. This is the total
length of all message that can be fit into
the queue before it starts blocking.

@item -t
@itemx --type TYPE
When sending, a positive integer of the
type associated with the message.

When receiving, this allows you to
control which types of messages are
received. Zero means that any type is
accepted, a positive value means that
only the indicated type is allowed.
If the value is negative, the first
message of the lowest type that is
at most the absolute value of the
specifed value is received.
@end table

Recognised options for POSIX message queues:

@table @option
@item -s
@itemx --size SIZE
The maximum size of messages in the queue.

@item -z
@itemx --spool SIZE
The size of the queue. This is the number
of messages that can be fit into the queue
before it starts blocking.

@item -p
@itemx --priority NASTYNESS
The priority allows you to order messages
in the queue. The highest priority message
is received first. By default, messages
are sent at the lowest priority, that is
zero.
@end table

To receive a message, add the verb
@option{receive}. To send a message,
add the verb @option{send} followed
by the message to send.



@node Semaphores
@chapter Semaphores

Semaphores are primitives and play well
with other programs. Use of semaphores
are indicated by the @option{-S} option.
Semaphores are primitive concurrency units
that be used for many different things.
Basically, a semaphore is an atomic counter
that is never allowed to go below zero.

The key for a System V semaphores is an
integer, and the key for a POSIX semaphores
is an ASCII string with NUL or slash between
1 character and 254 characters long prefixed
with a slash.

The following options are recognised
for semaphores:

@table @option
@item -i
@itemx --initial VALUE
You can select the value a semaphore should
have when it is created. By default the value
is zero.

@item -d
@itemx --delta DIFFERENCE
When increasing or decreasing the value of
the semaphore @option{--delta} can be used
to select how much the value should change
with. By default this is 1. Semaphores are
atomic, you are guaranteed to either change
the value exactly as much as specified or
not all at.
@end table

The verbs @option{v} and @option{p} are
used to increase or decrease the value of
the semaphore, respectively. You can also
set the exact value of the semaphore with
the @option{set} verb which should be
followed directly by the desired value.
To read the current value use the verb
@option{read}. @option{p} will block if
the value of the semaphore would otherwise
go below zero. You can also wait for the
value of the semaphore to reach zero
by using the @option{z} verb. POSIX
semaphores does not have built in support
for @option{z}, therefore when POSIX
semaphores are used, the semaphore will
be used as a spinlock. Keep in mind that
spinlock are often suboptimal and it can
miss that the semaphore's value reaches
zero if it for a very short amount of
time.



@node Shared Memory
@chapter Shared Memory

Shared memory are primitives and play well
with other programs. Use of shared memory
are indicated by the @option{-M} option.
Shared memory is a form of abstract file
that can be used to store raw data between
programs. It is highly recommended to create
shared memory before any program starts
using it.

The key for a System V shared memory is an
integer, and the key for a POSIX shared memory
is an ASCII string with NUL or slash between
1 character and 254 characters long prefixed
with a slash.

The following options are recognised
for shared memory:

@table @option
@item -s
@itemx --size
When you create a shared memory you
most specify how large, in bytes, the
memory allocation should be. KB, MB,
etc. are not recognised, only bytes.

@item -l
@itemx --length
When you read shared memory you can
specift how many bytes should be read.
If this is left unspecified the entire
shared memory, starting at the the
selected offset, will be read.

@item -o
@itemx --offset
When reading and writing shared memory,
you specify how many bytes into the
memory that the reading or writing should
take place. By default the offset is zero.
@end table

To read the shared memory, use the verb
@option{read}. To write, use the verb
@option{write} followed by the data to
write to the memory.



@node Mutexe
@chapter Mutexe

Mutexe are implemented using semaphores.
Actually, because of inherit limitations,
mutexe are binary semaphores. These are
fairly primitive and should hopefully
interoperate nicely with other programs.
A mutex, with the limitations we have,
is a construct that lets you enter are
guarded state that not be entered again,
even recursively, before it has been left.

The key for a ``System V'' mutex is an
integer, and the key for a ``POSIX'' mutex
is an ASCII string with NUL or slash between
1 character and 254 characters long prefixed
with a slash.

To enter a guarded state with a mutex,
use the verb @option{enter}. Then leave
it with @option{leave}.



@node Conditions
@chapter Conditions

A condition is a mutex with support for
signalling. They are implemented using
three semaphores. Just like with mutexe,
you enter and leave guarded states with
conditions. But conditions also allow
to temporarily leave this state and
wait for a signal continue and the
re-enter the guarded state when it is
not occupied. A signal, called
notification, can only be sent from
within a guarded state.

The key for a ``System V'' condition is a
integer-trio delimited by full stops. The
key for a ``POSIX'' condition is a
juxtaposition of three an ASCII strings:
no NUL or slash, between 1 character and
254 characters long, and prefixed with a
slash.

To enter a guarded state with a condition,
use the verb @option{enter}. Then leave
it with @option{leave}. The verbs
@option{wait}, @option{notify} and
@option{broadcast} can only be used
after @option{enter} has been used but
before @option{leave}. @option{wait}
temporarily leaves the guarded state
and wait for a notification. A notification
can be sent with @option{notify}.
@option{notify} will send a notify to
exactly one waiting peer. If there is
not peer waiting, the notification will
be stored for the next time @option{wait}
is used. @option{notify} cannot block.
If you want to send a signal to currently
waiting peers you can instead use the
verb @option{broadcast}. Alternatively
you can use @option{notify all} (two
command line arguments) perform a
@option{broadcast} if there are any
waiting peers, and otherwise @option{wait}.



@node Barriers
@chapter Barriers



@node Shared Locks
@chapter Shared Locks

A shared lock is a mutex support for
two types of locks: shared and exclusive.
They are implemented using three semaphores.
Mutexe are can be reduced from shared lock
by only using exclusive locking. Exclusive
locking allows only on program to enter
a guarded state. Shared locks introduce
shared locking works the same why but any
number of programs can be in this state
concurrently. The purpose of the shared
locking is to block exclusive locking.
If you for example are reading and writing
to a file or shared memory, you would
apply an exclusive lock if you want to
be able to modify the content of the
memory and a shared lock if you only
which to be able to read it. This
guarantees both that two processes will
edit the memory at the same time and
cause corruption, and that not process
will modify the memory while another
process is reading it, while allowing
multiple processes to read the memory
at the same time..

The key for a ``System V'' shared lock is
a integer-trio delimited by full stops.
The key for a ``POSIX'' shared lock is a
juxtaposition of three an ASCII strings:
no NUL or slash, between 1 character and
254 characters long, and prefixed with a
slash.

There are four verbs for shared locks:

@table @option
@item shared lock
Apply shared locking.

@item exclusive lock
Apply exclusive locking.

@item shared unlock
Release shared locking.

@item exclusive unlock
Release exclusive locking.
@end table



@node Rendezvous
@chapter Rendezvous



@node GNU Free Documentation License
@appendix GNU Free Documentation License
@include fdl.texinfo

@bye