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Diffstat (limited to 'system/doc/reference_manual/distributed.xml')
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1 files changed, 76 insertions, 44 deletions
diff --git a/system/doc/reference_manual/distributed.xml b/system/doc/reference_manual/distributed.xml index 88f98bc106..fb83e356f9 100644 --- a/system/doc/reference_manual/distributed.xml +++ b/system/doc/reference_manual/distributed.xml @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ <chapter> <header> <copyright> - <year>2003</year><year>2013</year> + <year>2003</year><year>2015</year> <holder>Ericsson AB. All Rights Reserved.</holder> </copyright> <legalnotice> @@ -36,22 +36,24 @@ runtime system is called a <em>node</em>. Message passing between processes at different nodes, as well as links and monitors, are transparent when pids are used. Registered names, however, are - local to each node. This means the node must be specified as well - when sending messages etc. using registered names.</p> + local to each node. This means that the node must be specified as well + when sending messages, and so on, using registered names.</p> <p>The distribution mechanism is implemented using TCP/IP sockets. - How to implement an alternative carrier is described in <em>ERTS User's Guide</em>.</p> + How to implement an alternative carrier is described in the + <seealso marker="erts:alt_dist">ERTS User's Guide</seealso>.</p> </section> <section> <title>Nodes</title> - <p>A <em>node</em> is an executing Erlang runtime system which has - been given a name, using the command line flag <c>-name</c> + <p>A <em>node</em> is an executing Erlang runtime system that has + been given a name, using the command-line flag <c>-name</c> (long names) or <c>-sname</c> (short names).</p> - <p>The format of the node name is an atom <c>name@host</c> where - <c>name</c> is the name given by the user and <c>host</c> is + <p>The format of the node name is an atom <c>name@host</c>. + <c>name</c> is the name given by the user. <c>host</c> is the full host name if long names are used, or the first part of the host name if short names are used. <c>node()</c> returns - the name of the node. Example:</p> + the name of the node.</p> + <p><em>Example:</em></p> <pre> % <input>erl -name dilbert</input> ([email protected])1> <input>node().</input> @@ -69,16 +71,16 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> <section> <title>Node Connections</title> <p>The nodes in a distributed Erlang system are loosely connected. - The first time the name of another node is used, for example if + The first time the name of another node is used, for example, if <c>spawn(Node,M,F,A)</c> or <c>net_adm:ping(Node)</c> is called, - a connection attempt to that node will be made.</p> + a connection attempt to that node is made.</p> <p>Connections are by default transitive. If a node A connects to - node B, and node B has a connection to node C, then node A will - also try to connect to node C. This feature can be turned off by - using the command line flag <c>-connect_all false</c>, see - <c>erl(1)</c>.</p> + node B, and node B has a connection to node C, then node A + also tries to connect to node C. This feature can be turned off by + using the command-line flag <c>-connect_all false</c>, see the + <seealso marker="erts:erl">erl(1)</seealso> manual page in ERTS.</p> <p>If a node goes down, all connections to that node are removed. - Calling <c>erlang:disconnect_node(Node)</c> will force disconnection + Calling <c>erlang:disconnect_node(Node)</c> forces disconnection of a node.</p> <p>The list of (visible) nodes currently connected to is returned by <c>nodes()</c>.</p> @@ -89,23 +91,24 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> <p>The Erlang Port Mapper Daemon <em>epmd</em> is automatically started at every host where an Erlang node is started. It is responsible for mapping the symbolic node names to machine - addresses. See <c>epmd(1)</c>.</p> + addresses. See the + <seealso marker="erts:epmd">epmd(1)</seealso> manual page in ERTS.</p> </section> <section> <title>Hidden Nodes</title> <p>In a distributed Erlang system, it is sometimes useful to connect to a node without also connecting to all other nodes. - An example could be some kind of O&M functionality used to - inspect the status of a system without disturbing it. For this - purpose, a <em>hidden node</em> may be used.</p> - <p>A hidden node is a node started with the command line flag + An example is some kind of O&M functionality used to + inspect the status of a system, without disturbing it. For this + purpose, a <em>hidden node</em> can be used.</p> + <p>A hidden node is a node started with the command-line flag <c>-hidden</c>. Connections between hidden nodes and other nodes are not transitive, they must be set up explicitly. Also, hidden nodes does not show up in the list of nodes returned by <c>nodes()</c>. Instead, <c>nodes(hidden)</c> or <c>nodes(connected)</c> must be used. This means, for example, - that the hidden node will not be added to the set of nodes that + that the hidden node is not added to the set of nodes that <c>global</c> is keeping track of.</p> <p>This feature was added in Erlang 5.0/OTP R7.</p> </section> @@ -114,9 +117,11 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> <title>C Nodes</title> <p>A <em>C node</em> is a C program written to act as a hidden node in a distributed Erlang system. The library <em>Erl_Interface</em> - contains functions for this purpose. Refer to the documentation - for Erl_Interface and <em>Interoperability Tutorial</em> for more - information about C nodes.</p> + contains functions for this purpose. For more information about + C nodes, see the <seealso marker="erl_interface:ei_users_guide"> + Erl_Interface</seealso> application and + <seealso marker="doc/tutorial:introduction#interoperability tutorial"> + Interoperability Tutorial.</seealso>.</p> </section> <section> @@ -125,7 +130,7 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> with each other. In a network of different Erlang nodes, it is built into the system at the lowest possible level. Each node has its own <em>magic cookie</em>, which is an Erlang atom.</p> - <p>When a nodes tries to connect to another node, the magic cookies + <p>When a node tries to connect to another node, the magic cookies are compared. If they do not match, the connected node rejects the connection.</p> <p>At start-up, a node has a random atom assigned as its magic @@ -141,8 +146,8 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> the local node assume that all other nodes have the same cookie <c>Cookie</c>.</p> <p>Thus, groups of users with identical cookie files get Erlang - nodes which can communicate freely and without interference from - the magic cookie system. Users who want run nodes on separate + nodes that can communicate freely and without interference from + the magic cookie system. Users who want to run nodes on separate file systems must make certain that their cookie files are identical on the different file systems.</p> <p>For a node <c>Node1</c> with magic cookie <c>Cookie</c> to be @@ -154,19 +159,25 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> <p>The default when a connection is established between two nodes, is to immediately connect all other visible nodes as well. This way, there is always a fully connected network. If there are - nodes with different cookies, this method might be inappropriate - and the command line flag <c>-connect_all false</c> must be set, - see <seealso marker="erts:erl">erl(1)</seealso>.</p> + nodes with different cookies, this method can be inappropriate + and the command-line flag <c>-connect_all false</c> must be set, + see the <seealso marker="erts:erl">erl(1)</seealso> + manual page in ERTS.</p> <p>The magic cookie of the local node is retrieved by calling <c>erlang:get_cookie()</c>.</p> </section> <section> <title>Distribution BIFs</title> - <p>Some useful BIFs for distributed programming, see - <c>erlang(3)</c> for more information:</p> + <p>Some useful BIFs for distributed programming + (for more information, see the <seealso marker="erts:erlang"> + erlang(3)</seealso> manual page in ERTS:</p> <table> <row> + <cell align="left" valign="middle"><em>BIF</em></cell> + <cell align="left" valign="middle"><em>Description</em></cell> + </row> + <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>erlang:disconnect_node(Node)</c></cell> <cell align="left" valign="middle">Forces the disconnection of a node.</cell> </row> @@ -180,7 +191,9 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> </row> <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>monitor_node(Node, true|false)</c></cell> - <cell align="left" valign="middle">Monitor the status of <c>Node</c>. A message<c>{nodedown, Node}</c> is received if the connection to it is lost.</cell> + <cell align="left" valign="middle">Monitors the status of + <c>Node</c>. A message<c>{nodedown, Node}</c> is received + if the connection to it is lost.</cell> </row> <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>node()</c></cell> @@ -196,11 +209,16 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> </row> <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>nodes(Arg)</c></cell> - <cell align="left" valign="middle">Depending on <c>Arg</c>, this function can return a list not only of visible nodes, but also hidden nodes and previously known nodes, etc.</cell> + <cell align="left" valign="middle">Depending on <c>Arg</c>, + this function can return a list not only of visible nodes, + but also hidden nodes and previously known nodes, and so on.</cell> </row> <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>erlang:set_cookie(Node, Cookie)</c></cell> - <cell align="left" valign="middle">Sets the magic cookie used when connecting to <c>Node</c>. If <c>Node</c> is the current node, <c>Cookie</c> will be used when connecting to all new nodes.</cell> + <cell align="left" valign="middle">Sets the magic cookie used + when connecting to <c>Node</c>. If <c>Node</c> is the + current node, <c>Cookie</c> is used when connecting to + all new nodes.</cell> </row> <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>spawn[_link|_opt](Node, Fun)</c></cell> @@ -210,18 +228,24 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>spawn[_link|opt](Node, Module, FunctionName, Args)</c></cell> <cell align="left" valign="middle">Creates a process at a remote node.</cell> </row> - <tcaption>Distribution BIFs.</tcaption> + <tcaption>Distribution BIFs</tcaption> </table> </section> <section> - <title>Distribution Command Line Flags</title> - <p>Examples of command line flags used for distributed programming, - see <c>erl(1)</c> for more information:</p> + <title>Distribution Command-Line Flags</title> + <p>Examples of command-line flags used for distributed programming + (for more information, see the <seealso marker="erts:erl">erl(1) + </seealso> manual page in ERTS:</p> <table> <row> + <cell align="left" valign="middle"><em>Command-Line Flag</em></cell> + <cell align="left" valign="middle"><em>Description</em></cell> + </row> + <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>-connect_all false</c></cell> - <cell align="left" valign="middle">Only explicit connection set-ups will be used.</cell> + <cell align="left" valign="middle">Only explicit connection + set-ups are used.</cell> </row> <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>-hidden</c></cell> @@ -239,16 +263,20 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>-sname Name</c></cell> <cell align="left" valign="middle">Makes a runtime system into a node, using short node names.</cell> </row> - <tcaption>Distribution Command Line Flags.</tcaption> + <tcaption>Distribution Command-Line Flags</tcaption> </table> </section> <section> <title>Distribution Modules</title> <p>Examples of modules useful for distributed programming:</p> - <p>In Kernel:</p> + <p>In the Kernel application:</p> <table> <row> + <cell align="left" valign="middle"><em>Module</em></cell> + <cell align="left" valign="middle"><em>Description</em></cell> + </row> + <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>global</c></cell> <cell align="left" valign="middle">A global name registration facility.</cell> </row> @@ -266,9 +294,13 @@ dilbert@uab</pre> </row> <tcaption>Kernel Modules Useful For Distribution.</tcaption> </table> - <p>In STDLIB:</p> + <p>In the STDLIB application:</p> <table> <row> + <cell align="left" valign="middle"><em>Module</em></cell> + <cell align="left" valign="middle"><em>Description</em></cell> + </row> + <row> <cell align="left" valign="middle"><c>slave</c></cell> <cell align="left" valign="middle">Start and control of slave nodes.</cell> </row> |