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author | William Joye <wjoye@cfa.harvard.edu> | 2018-12-19 21:30:31 (GMT) |
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committer | William Joye <wjoye@cfa.harvard.edu> | 2018-12-19 21:30:31 (GMT) |
commit | 21ae37c5a9db158c6c4d54a0fa75b8e0b526ebed (patch) | |
tree | 312b750afe3bdbe92b5727e2e552da8ed1751b7f /tcl8.6/pkgs/thread2.8.4/doc/tpool.man | |
parent | 50f1824860159ebdb3896e14647a4562edf658d2 (diff) | |
parent | 0587fffc5409653d44546dbcebc7a497954cbb46 (diff) | |
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Merge branch 'devel'
Diffstat (limited to 'tcl8.6/pkgs/thread2.8.4/doc/tpool.man')
-rw-r--r-- | tcl8.6/pkgs/thread2.8.4/doc/tpool.man | 225 |
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diff --git a/tcl8.6/pkgs/thread2.8.4/doc/tpool.man b/tcl8.6/pkgs/thread2.8.4/doc/tpool.man new file mode 100644 index 0000000..81122e2 --- /dev/null +++ b/tcl8.6/pkgs/thread2.8.4/doc/tpool.man @@ -0,0 +1,225 @@ +[comment {-*- tcl -*- doctools manpage}] +[manpage_begin tpool n 2.8] +[moddesc {Tcl Threading}] +[titledesc {Part of the Tcl threading extension implementing pools of worker threads.}] +[require Tcl 8.4] +[require Thread [opt 2.8]] + +[description] +This package creates and manages pools of worker threads. It allows you +to post jobs to worker threads and wait for their completion. The +threadpool implementation is Tcl event-loop aware. That means that any +time a caller is forced to wait for an event (job being completed or +a worker thread becoming idle or initialized), the implementation will +enter the event loop and allow for servicing of other pending file or +timer (or any other supported) events. + +[section COMMANDS] + +[list_begin definitions] + +[call [cmd tpool::create] [opt options]] + +This command creates new threadpool. It accepts several options as +key-value pairs. Options are used to tune some threadpool parameters. +The command returns the ID of the newly created threadpool. +[para] +Following options are supported: + +[list_begin options] + +[opt_def -minworkers [arg number]] +Minimum number of worker threads needed for this threadpool instance. +During threadpool creation, the implementation will create somany +worker threads upfront and will keep at least number of them alive +during the lifetime of the threadpool instance. +Default value of this parameter is 0 (zero). which means that a newly +threadpool will have no worker threads initially. All worker threads +will be started on demand by callers running [cmd tpool::post] command +and posting jobs to the job queue. + +[opt_def -maxworkers [arg number]] +Maximum number of worker threads allowed for this threadpool instance. +If a new job is pending and there are no idle worker threads available, +the implementation will try to create new worker thread. If the number +of available worker threads is lower than the given number, +new worker thread will start. The caller will automatically enter the +event loop and wait until the worker thread has initialized. If. however, +the number of available worker threads is equal to the given number, +the caller will enter the event loop and wait for the first worker thread +to get idle, thus ready to run the job. +Default value of this parameter is 4 (four), which means that the +threadpool instance will allow maximum of 4 worker threads running jobs +or being idle waiting for new jobs to get posted to the job queue. + +[opt_def -idletime [arg seconds]] +Time in seconds an idle worker thread waits for the job to get posted +to the job queue. If no job arrives during this interval and the time +expires, the worker thread will check the number of currently available +worker threads and if the number is higher than the number set by the +[option minthreads] option, it will exit. +If an [option exitscript] has been defined, the exiting worker thread +will first run the script and then exit. Errors from the exit script, +if any, are ignored. +[para] +The idle worker thread is not servicing the event loop. If you, however, +put the worker thread into the event loop, by evaluating the +[cmd vwait] or other related Tcl commands, the worker thread +will not be in the idle state, hence the idle timer will not be +taken into account. +Default value for this option is unspecified. + +[opt_def -initcmd [arg script]] +Sets a Tcl script used to initialize new worker thread. This is usually +used to load packages and commands in the worker, set default variables, +create namespaces, and such. If the passed script runs into a Tcl error, +the worker will not be created and the initiating command (either the +[cmd tpool::create] or [cmd tpool::post]) will throw error. +Default value for this option is unspecified, hence, the Tcl interpreter of +the worker thread will contain just the initial set of Tcl commands. + +[opt_def -exitcmd [arg script]] +Sets a Tcl script run when the idle worker thread exits. This is normally +used to cleanup the state of the worker thread, release reserved resources, +cleanup memory and such. +Default value for this option is unspecified, thus no Tcl script will run +on the worker thread exit. + +[list_end] + +[para] + +[call [cmd tpool::names]] + +This command returns a list of IDs of threadpools created with the +[cmd tpool::create] command. If no threadpools were found, the +command will return empty list. + +[call [cmd tpool::post] [opt -detached] [opt -nowait] [arg tpool] [arg script]] + +This command sends a [arg script] to the target [arg tpool] threadpool +for execution. The script will be executed in the first available idle +worker thread. If there are no idle worker threads available, the command +will create new one, enter the event loop and service events until the +newly created thread is initialized. If the current number of worker +threads is equal to the maximum number of worker threads, as defined +during the threadpool creation, the command will enter the event loop and +service events while waiting for one of the worker threads to become idle. +If the optional [opt -nowait] argument is given, the command will not wait +for one idle worker. It will just place the job in the pool's job queue +and return immediately. +[para] +The command returns the ID of the posted job. This ID is used for subsequent +[cmd tpool::wait], [cmd tpool::get] and [cmd tpool::cancel] commands to wait +for and retrieve result of the posted script, or cancel the posted job +respectively. If the optional [opt -detached] argument is specified, the +command will post a detached job. A detached job can not be cancelled or +waited upon and is not identified by the job ID. +[para] +If the threadpool [arg tpool] is not found in the list of active +thread pools, the command will throw error. The error will also be triggered +if the newly created worker thread fails to initialize. + +[call [cmd tpool::wait] [arg tpool] [arg joblist] [opt varname]] + +This command waits for one or many jobs, whose job IDs are given in the +[arg joblist] to get processed by the worker thread(s). If none of the +specified jobs are ready, the command will enter the event loop, service +events and wait for the first job to get ready. +[para] +The command returns the list of completed job IDs. If the optional variable +[opt varname] is given, it will be set to the list of jobs in the +[arg joblist] which are still pending. If the threadpool [arg tpool] +is not found in the list of active thread pools, the command will throw error. + +[call [cmd tpool::cancel] [arg tpool] [arg joblist] [opt varname]] + +This command cancels the previously posted jobs given by the [arg joblist] +to the pool [arg tpool]. Job cancellation succeeds only for job still +waiting to be processed. If the job is already being executed by one of +the worker threads, the job will not be cancelled. +The command returns the list of cancelled job IDs. If the optional variable +[opt varname] is given, it will be set to the list of jobs in the +[arg joblist] which were not cancelled. If the threadpool [arg tpool] +is not found in the list of active thread pools, the command will throw error. + +[call [cmd tpool::get] [arg tpool] [arg job]] + +This command retrieves the result of the previously posted [arg job]. +Only results of jobs waited upon with the [cmd tpool::wait] command +can be retrieved. If the execution of the script resulted in error, +the command will throw the error and update the [var errorInfo] and +[var errorCode] variables correspondingly. If the pool [arg tpool] +is not found in the list of threadpools, the command will throw error. +If the job [arg job] is not ready for retrieval, because it is currently +being executed by the worker thread, the command will throw error. + +[call [cmd tpool::preserve] [arg tpool]] + +Each call to this command increments the reference counter of the +threadpool [arg tpool] by one (1). Command returns the value of the +reference counter after the increment. +By incrementing the reference counter, the caller signalizes that +he/she wishes to use the resource for a longer period of time. + +[call [cmd tpool::release] [arg tpool]] + +Each call to this command decrements the reference counter of the +threadpool [arg tpool] by one (1).Command returns the value of the +reference counter after the decrement. +When the reference counter reaches zero (0), the threadpool [arg tpool] +is marked for termination. You should not reference the threadpool +after the [cmd tpool::release] command returns zero. The [arg tpool] +handle goes out of scope and should not be used any more. Any following +reference to the same threadpool handle will result in Tcl error. + +[call [cmd tpool::suspend] [arg tpool]] + +Suspends processing work on this queue. All pool workers are paused +but additional work can be added to the pool. Note that adding the +additional work will not increase the number of workers dynamically +as the pool processing is suspended. Number of workers is maintained +to the count that was found prior suspending worker activity. +If you need to assure certain number of worker threads, use the +[option minworkers] option of the [cmd tpool::create] command. + +[call [cmd tpool::resume] [arg tpool]] + +Resume processing work on this queue. All paused (suspended) +workers are free to get work from the pool. Note that resuming pool +operation will just let already created workers to proceed. +It will not create additional worker threads to handle the work +posted to the pool's work queue. + +[list_end] + + +[section DISCUSSION] + +Threadpool is one of the most common threading paradigm when it comes +to server applications handling a large number of relatively small tasks. +A very simplistic model for building a server application would be to +create a new thread each time a request arrives and service the request +in the new thread. One of the disadvantages of this approach is that +the overhead of creating a new thread for each request is significant; +a server that created a new thread for each request would spend more time +and consume more system resources in creating and destroying threads than +in processing actual user requests. In addition to the overhead of +creating and destroying threads, active threads consume system resources. +Creating too many threads can cause the system to run out of memory or +trash due to excessive memory consumption. +[para] +A thread pool offers a solution to both the problem of thread life-cycle +overhead and the problem of resource trashing. By reusing threads for +multiple tasks, the thread-creation overhead is spread over many tasks. +As a bonus, because the thread already exists when a request arrives, +the delay introduced by thread creation is eliminated. Thus, the request +can be serviced immediately. Furthermore, by properly tuning the number +of threads in the thread pool, resource thrashing may also be eliminated +by forcing any request to wait until a thread is available to process it. + +[see_also tsv ttrace thread] + +[keywords thread threadpool] + +[manpage_end] |