Channel

#include \(<\tilde{ }\)/actor/channel/Channel.h\(>\)

class Channel

Channel is an abstract class, i.e. no instances of Channel should exist. A Channel is a point of communication in a program, a mailbox to/from which data enters/leaves a program. Channels are objects through which the objects in the current processes address space can interact with objects in another processes address space. A channel in one process space is associated with a channel in the address space of another process space. The interaction is in the form of data sent between the two processes along the connection line. // Constructor

// Destructor

// Public Methods

Does nothing.

Does nothing. Provided so that a subclasses destructor will be invoked.

When creating remote actors the channels created in the actor space need to know how to contact the shadows channels. This information is provided in the string returned from this method. It is used by the machine broker when starting the remote process. It places this information as the last arguments to the program.

A method invoked in the local address space by a shadow object. The method is to be invoked concurrently with a setUpShadow() invocation on a channel object in all the remote actor processes.

virtual int setUpActor(void) =0;

A method invoked in the remote address space by the actor. The method is invoked concurrently with a corresponding setUpShadow() invocation on a channel in a local actor process by the shadow object that created the running actor process. If the method fails returns a negative number. For actors with only one Channel this should cause the termination of the actor.

virtual int setNextAddress(ChannelAddress &theNextAddress) =0;

A method invoked to set specify the next address that the next messages to be sent if sendMessage() or received if recvMessage() is invoked with a null pointer.

To return the next available database tag, must be an integer value greater than \(0\), \(0\) is used my the objects to check if they have yet been assigned a database tag. The method defined for the Channel base class always returns \(0\), only database channel objects need worry about assigning unique integer values.

To send the object theObject and the commit tag commitTag to a remote Channel whose address is given by theAddress. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel sends to the Channel with the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.

To receive the object theObject with the commit tag commitTag from a remote Channel whose address is given by theAddress. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel receives from the Channel with the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.

A method which is invoked to send the data in the Message object theMessage to another Channel object. The object will obtain the data and size of the data to be sent by invoking getData() and getSize() on theMessage. The channel object is then responsible for sending that data to the remote channel address given by theAddress. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel sends to the Channel with the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.

A method which is invoked to send the data in the Message object theMessage to another Channel object. The object will obtain the the size of the data that is being received by invoking getSize() on theMessage. The channel object is then responsible for receiving that amount of data from the channel whose address is given by theAddress. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel receives from the Channel with the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.

A method for sending a Matrix theMatrix to a remote Channel, whose address is given by theAddress, with the integer identifiers dbTag and commitTag. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel sends to the Channel with the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.

A method for receiving a Matrix theMatrix from a remote Channel, whose address is given by theAddress, with the integer identifiers dbTag and commitTag. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel receives from the Channel at the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.

A method for sending a Vector theVector to a remote Channel, whose address is given by theAddress, with the integer identifiers dbTag and commitTag. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel sends to the Channel with the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.

A method for receiving a Vector theVector from a remote Channel, whose address is given by theAddress, with the integer identifiers dbTag and commitTag. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel receives from the Channel at the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.

A method for sending a ID theID to a remote Channel, whose address is given by theAddress, with the integer identifiers dbTag and commitTag. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel sends to the Channel with the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.

A method for receiving a ID theID from a remote Channel, whose address is given by theAddress, with the integer identifiers dbTag and commitTag. If theAddress is \(0\), the Channel receives from the Channel at the address last set in a send..(), recv..(), or setNextAddress() operation. To return \(0\) if successful, a negative number if not.