Re: [boost] Channel (distributed message passing and event dispatching) redesigned and implemented in boost

From: Dmitry Smirnov (basilisk_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-09-28 05:24:02

Hi!
I wrote similar library for my own purposes and will make review of your 
library as soon as I can. You can see attached code, unfortunately I 
made all comments in russian (as my company demands) but there is using 
example in the end of main header messagetransfer.h.

Best Regards,
Dmitry Smirnov
========================
Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Yigong Liu wrote:
> Last night i sent out this email as reply to some old email. I didnot see it
> appearing in my gmail mbox this morning. So i am resending it and  hoping to
> get more comments on design. Sorry for the duplication.
> Channel is a Namespace based C++ template framework for distributed message
> passing and event dispatching. It is redesigned and reimplemented based on
> Boost. Initial design document and major framework code is available from
> sourceforge:
> http://channel.sourceforge.net/boost_channel/doc/design.html
> http://sourceforge.net/projects/channel
> Coding and testing is done in linux (Fedora Core 3 &4). Havent try it on
> Windows yet. Comments and corrections on the design are highly appreciated.
> Attached please find a introduction of the library.
> Thanks
> Yigong
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> In Unix and most OSes, file systems allow applications to identify, bind to
> and operate on system resources and entities (devices, files,...) using a
> "name" (path name) in a hierarchical namespace (directory system) which is
> different  from variables and pointers in flat address space.
> In Boost.Signal and libsigc++, callbacks/slots objects can be connected
> explicitly to specific signals objects to allow synchronous event
> dispatching.
> Channel is a C++ template library to provide namespaces for asynchronous,
> distributed message passing and event dispatching. Message senders and
> receivers bind to names in namespace; binding and matching rules decide
> which senders will bind to which receivers; then message passing and event
> dispatching could happen among bound senders and receivers.
> Channel's signature:
>     template <
>       typename idtype,
>       typename platform_type = boost_platform,
>       typename synchpolicy = mt_synch<platform_type>,
>       typename executor_type = abstract_executor,
>       typename name_space =
> linear_name_space<idtype,executor_type,synchpolicy>,
>       typename dispatcher = broadcast_dispatcher<name_space,platform_type>
>     >
>     class channel;
> Various namespaces (linear/hierarchical/associative) can be used for
> different applications. For example, we can use integer ids as names to send
> messages in linear namespace or we can use path name ids to send messages in
> hierarchical namespace; User can configure namespace easily by setting a
> channel template parameter.
> Channel's other major components are dispatchers; which dispatch
> messages/events from senders to bounded receivers. Dispatcher is also a
> channel template parameter. The design of dispatchers can vary in several
> dimensions:
> 
>    - how msgs move: push or pull;
>    - how callbacks executed: synchronous or asynchronous.
> 
> Sample dispatchers includes : synchronous broadcast dispatcher, buffered
> asynchronous dispatchers,...
> Namespace and dispatchers are orthogonal; they can mix and match together
> freely; just as STL algorithms can be used with any STL containers by means
> of the iterator range concept, Namespace and dispatchers can be used
> together because of the name binding set concept.
> By combining different namespace and dispatching policies, we can achieve
> various models:
> 
>    - synchronous event dispatching
>    - associative space model similar to tuple space
>    - asynchronous messaging model similar to Microsoft CCR (Concurrency
>    Coordination Runtime)
> 
> Similar to distributed files systems, distributed channels can be connected
> or "mounted" to allow transparent distributed message passing. Filters and
> translators are used to control namespace changes.
> Channel is built on top of Boost facilities:
> 
>    - boost::shared_ptr for message/event data life-time management
>    - boost::bind, boost::function for callback
>    - boost::thread for synchronization
>    - boost::serialization for message marshaling/demarshaling
>    - Boost.Asio and Boost.Shmem are used to build transports among remote
>    channels.
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