Subject: Re: select() vs poll vs Posix.4 Real Time (RT) signals paper
To: Mike Cheponis <mac@Wireless.Com>
From: Perry E. Metzger <perry@wasabisystems.com>
List: tech-kern
Date: 10/17/2001 16:44:23
Mike Cheponis <mac@Wireless.Com> writes:
> Interesting paper here:
> 
> http://www.hpl.hp.com/techreports/2000/HPL-2000-174.pdf
> 
> It measures linux, but draws some conclusions about how RT signals provide
> reduced server complexity, increased robustness under high load, and
> potentially increased throughput.
> 
> I apologize in advance if all this is already well-known.

There is much better literature out there, most of which says real
time signals are a very bad lose, and reduce robustness. See, for
example, some excellent papers on the subject done by Niels Provos.

You really want mechanisms like kqueue, which we're adding. RT signals
suck. We should add them, though, for API compatibility with software
that needs them.

Perry
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Perry E. Metzger		perry@wasabisystems.com
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