JP2023020150A - Communication management program, information processing apparatus, and communication management method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication management program which increases communication speed by executing application processing and data transmission in a non-blocking manner, an information processing apparatus, and a communication management method.SOLUTION: A server device 1 comprises: buffering means 106 that accumulates one or more events in a non-blocking manner; flag management means 107 which sets a flag; socket write request means 102a which requests processing of the accumulated events; and callback processing means 102b which executes processing on receipt of a completion notification when the processing of the events is completed. The flag management means exclusively sets a flag at the timing of the start of processing of the events and releases the flag at the timing of the end of the callback processing means. Socket write means processes the events accumulated by the buffering means when the flag is set in response to a call at the timing of the end of accumulation to the buffering means 106 and the callback processing means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a communication management program, an information processing apparatus, and a communication management method.

As a conventional technique, an information processing apparatus has been proposed that transmits data by changing the buffer to be used according to the size of the data (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100003).

A CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the information processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 parallelizes an application task that occupies an application buffer area and a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)/IP (Internet Protocol) task that occupies a ring buffer area. execute The application task determines whether the size of the data stored in the application buffer area by the data generation process is equal to or less than a threshold value, and copies the data in the application buffer area to the ring buffer area when the determination result is positive. On the other hand, when the determination result is negative, the right to occupy the application buffer area is temporarily given to the TCP/IP task and the data transmission instruction is issued. The TCP/IP task transmits transmission data on the memory area it occupies in response to the data transmission instruction.

JP 2010-55214 A

However, when the amount of data to be transmitted is small, the information processing apparatus of Patent Document 1 transmits data using a ring buffer and performs application tasks in parallel. However, if the amount of data to be sent is large, the application task will be blocked and will not be processed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a communication management program, an information processing apparatus, and a communication management method that speed up communication by executing application processing and data transmission in a non-blocking manner.

One aspect of the present invention provides the following communication management program, information processing apparatus, and communication management method in order to achieve the above object.

[1] a computer,
buffering means for accumulating one or more events;
a processing means for processing the accumulated events;
act as a flag manager that accepts calls and sets flags exclusively,
The processing means includes processing request means for requesting event processing, and callback processing means for receiving a completion notification and executing when the event processing is completed,
The flag management means sets the flag exclusively at the timing of the start of event processing by the processing means, and cancels the flag at the timing of the end of the callback processing means,
The processing request means accepts a call at the timing of accumulation in the buffering means and the termination of the callback processing means, and if the flag is not set according to the flag of the flag management means, the process is not performed. A communication management program that terminates without any delay and processes the events accumulated by the buffering means when set.
[2] The communication management program according to [1], wherein the buffering means accumulates the event in a non-blocking queue.
[3] The communication management program according to [1] or [2], wherein the buffering means accumulates the event in a memory pool.
[4] The communication management program according to [1] or [2], wherein the buffering means accumulates the event in a ring buffer.
[5] buffering means for accumulating one or more events;
a processing means for processing the accumulated events;
a flag management means for accepting calls and setting flags exclusively,
The processing means includes processing request means for requesting event processing, and callback processing means for receiving a completion notification and executing when the event processing is completed,
The flag management means exclusively sets the flag at the timing of the start of event processing by the processing means, and cancels the flag at the timing of the end of event processing by the callback processing means,
The processing request means accepts a call at the timing of accumulation in the buffering means and the termination of the callback processing means, and if the flag is not set according to the flag of the flag management means, the process is not performed. an information processing device for processing the event accumulated by the buffering means when the event is terminated without being completed.
[6] a buffering step of non-blocking accumulation of one or more events;
a processing step of processing the accumulated events;
a flag management step for accepting and exclusively flagging calls;
The processing step includes a processing request step that requests processing of the event, and a callback processing step that is executed upon receiving a completion notification when processing of the event is completed,
The flag management step exclusively sets the flag at the timing of starting the processing of the event in the processing step, and cancels the flag at the timing of the end of processing the event in the callback processing step,
The process request step accepts a call at the timing of accumulation for the buffering step and the termination of the callback processing means, and if the flag is not set according to the flag of the flag management means, the process is not performed. a communication management method for processing the events accumulated by the buffering means when set.

According to the inventions according to claims 1, 5, and 6, application processing and data transmission can be executed in a non-blocking manner to speed up communication.
According to the second aspect of the invention, events can be accumulated in the non-blocking queue.
According to the third aspect of the invention, events can be accumulated in the memory pool.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, events can be accumulated in the ring buffer.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a server device according to the embodiment; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of data transmission/reception operations. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of data transmission operation. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the layer configuration. FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the socket write request means 102a. FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining an operation example of the callback processing means 102b.

[Embodiment]
(Configuration of communication management system)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication management system according to an embodiment.

This communication management system is configured by connecting a server device 1 as an information processing device and terminal devices 2a, 2b and 2c as clients so that they can communicate with each other via a network. Devices included in the communication management system may be personal computers, game terminals, clouds, and virtual machines. The network may be a LAN, the Internet, or a virtual network.

The server device 1 is a server-type information processing device that operates in response to requests from terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c operated by an operator, and has a function for processing information within its main body. It includes electronic components such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), flash memory, volatile memory, and LAN board (wireless/wired). The server device 1 communicates with the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c to transmit and receive data, thereby synchronizing data handled on the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c, and is, for example, a game server. . The server device 1 frequently exchanges small-capacity data when performing a synchronous operation, but is not limited to this. Note that the server apparatus 1 may be configured by a plurality of clusters, and may be configured to execute distributed processing. Alternatively, it may be configured as a virtual machine in a cloud environment.

The terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c are terminal-type information processing devices that operate based on programs, and have electronic devices such as CPUs, HDDs, or flash memories that have functions for processing information in their main bodies. Have parts. The terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c operate, for example, based on a program such as MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game), sequentially output data to the server device 1 as a result of the operation, and output data from the server device 1 to other devices. It receives data as a result of terminal operations and synchronizes game objects frequently among the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c. Although the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c are depicted as three devices, they may be composed of a single device or two devices, or may be composed of four or more devices, preferably on the order of 1000 units. To provide a configuration capable of communication even when a terminal device is connected.

The network 4 is a communication network capable of high-speed communication, and is, for example, a wired or wireless communication network such as an intranet or LAN (Local Area Network).

As an example, in the communication management system of the present embodiment, a multiplayer game is executed in which a plurality of participants play an activity, such as a game, in a common virtual space. The server device 1 and the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c operate to synchronize information (synchronized objects) held as objects in each device as the game progresses. 1 provides a buffer between an application and a NIC (Network Interface Card) to speed up data communication, and controls the operation of data transfer between the application and the NIC. In other words, when a large number of requests to asynchronously write to shared resources (sockets and NICs) are generated by multiple processes and multiple threads, exclusive control is required to serialize data so that data is not mixed. In order to efficiently use the path (especially to improve throughput after the transmission path is congested with data), buffering is performed in a buffer, exclusive control (blocking) is performed on writing to the buffer, and data is written from the buffer. Write to the shared resource is controlled in a lock-free (non-blocking) manner by CAS (Compare and Swap) or the like. Details of the operation will be specifically described in an embodiment.

In addition, terms such as "object" used in the present embodiment are synonymous with synonyms used in, for example, Java (registered trademark), C++, C#, Python, JavaScript (registered trademark), Ruby, etc. However, hereinafter, classes and instantiated classes (instances) may be collectively referred to as "objects."

(Configuration of server device)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the server device 1 according to the embodiment. Although the implementation in the server device 1 will be described below, the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c may also have the same configuration.

The server device 1 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and includes a control unit 10 that controls each unit and executes various programs, and a storage unit 11 that is composed of a storage medium such as a flash memory and stores information. , a memory 12 configured from a volatile recording medium for temporarily storing information, and a communication section 13 for communicating with the outside via a network.

The control unit 10 functions as an OS execution means 100 (including JVM in the case of Java) by executing an OS (Operating System) 110, and by executing an application 112, an application execution means 103 and an application reading means. 104, functions as application writing means 105, and executes a communication management program 111 as a communication management program to perform socket reading means 101, socket writing means 102, buffering means 106 (receiving buffer 106a and transmitting buffer 106b). ), and functions as flag management means 107 and the like.

The OS executing means 100 (OS kernel) executes the OS 110 and provides each function of the OS 110 . The OS executing means 100 particularly controls the communication unit 13 (NIC) to transmit data to the network and receive data from the network. Note that when JAVA is used, the Java VM is also regarded as part of the OS and is executed by the OS execution means 100 .

The application execution means 103 executes the application 112 as a processing means, provides each function of the application 112, and processes a single thread or a plurality of threads during execution. Typically, each thread communicates through a single or multiple sockets (IP address and port number of the communication target program of the terminal device 2a, 2b, or 2c) respectively corresponding to single or multiple terminal devices. network communication (send/receive).

As a function of the application 112, the application reading unit 104 reads data of the receiving buffer 106a corresponding to the receiving socket (terminal device 2a, 2b, or 2c) for receiving processing of the thread.

The application writing means 105 writes the data generated as a result of the processing of the thread into the transmission buffer for transmission processing corresponding to the socket (terminal device 2a, 2b, or 2c) to be transmitted. The written data are added to the transmission buffer 106b in the order written. For example, when the game server performs relay processing of synchronization information for synchronization processing of game objects, the application writing means 105 receives synchronization information data from the terminal device 2a, processes the received data in a thread, and outputs the data to the terminal device. Synchronization information data is transmitted to the devices 2b and 2c. Application writing means 105 writes data to two transmission buffers 106b corresponding to two sockets corresponding to respective terminal devices.

As a function of the OS 110, the socket reading means 101 reads data received by a socket in communication with the network into a reception buffer 106a, which will be described later.

Socket writing means 102 as processing means functions as socket writing requesting means 102a and callback processing means 102b as processing requesting means.

6 and 7 are flowcharts for explaining examples of operations of the socket write request means 102a and the callback processing means 102b, respectively.

First, the socket write request means 102a requests the flag management means 107 to check the state of the flag managed by the flag management means 107 (S10). (S12). When the flag is set, the socket write request means 102a next writes the data to be transmitted by communication with the network from the transmission buffer 106b to the socket, and requests the OS execution means 100 to process the event (S13). If the flag managed by the flag management means 107 is already set (S11; No), the process is terminated immediately. For ease of understanding, the flag checking S10/S11 and the flag changing S12 have been described as three separate blocks. When another thread is switched and interrupted, each of the plurality of threads sets a flag (S12), and the own thread executes event processing (S13) as if the flag was set. , the event processing (S13) may be executed multiple times, which is inconvenient. In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, a CAS (Compare and Swap) function provided by the flag management means 107 as described later is used instead of exclusively controlling the execution of the socket writing means 102a by blocking. , flag inspection (S10/S11) and change setting (S12) are executed by a single CPU instruction, and other threads are not executed between S11 and S12.

The callback processing unit 102b receives a completion notification from the OS execution unit 100 and executes (asynchronously) when the OS execution unit 100 completes processing of the write event of the socket write request unit 102a. The network transmission result executed by the OS executing means 100 is received (S20). If the transmission result is normal (S21; Yes), the callback processing means 102b removes the completed transmission from the transmission buffer (S22). Subsequently, the callback processing means 102b requests the flag management means 107 to clear the flag (S23). Subsequently, the callback processing means 102b confirms that there is data to be transmitted in the transmission buffer (S24). If the confirmation result is affirmative (if there is data in the transmission buffer) (S24; Yes), the callback processing means 102b calls the socket write request means 102a (S25). If the confirmation result is negative (S24; No), the callback processing means 102b terminates the process. If the transmission result is abnormal (S21; No), the callback processing means 102b performs exceptional processing (disconnection, etc.) such as disconnection of communication or timeout (S26).

Another implementation may be configured as follows. For example, the callback processing unit 102b receives a completion notification when the OS execution unit 100 completes the processing of the write event of the socket write request unit 102a (asynchronously) and receives the executed transmission result. If the transmission result is abnormal, perform exception processing such as disconnection or timeout (disconnection, etc.), and terminate. If the transmission result is normal, delete the completed transmission from the transmission buffer. Subsequently, the callback processing means 102b confirms that the transmission target data exists in the transmission buffer, and if the confirmation result is affirmative, calls the socket write request means 102a. If the confirmation result is negative, the flag management means 107 is requested to cancel the flag, and the process ends.

The buffering means 106 prepares two types of buffer areas in the memory 12, a receive buffer 106a and a transmit buffer 106b, both of which provide targets for reading and writing and manage data to be read and written. Reading and writing can be performed asynchronously by using buffers. The receiving buffer 106 a is written by the socket reading means 101 and read by the application reading means 104 . The transmission buffer 106b is written by the application writing means 105 and read by the socket writing means 102. FIG. The buffering means 106 (106a and 106b) reads and writes data in a non-blocking manner. It is inefficient for the CPU to allocate the memory required for the buffer each time it is executed. Spinning is common. It is also common to logically configure a ring buffer by combining these sub-blocks. A ring buffer 121 (a receiving ring buffer 121a as the receiving buffer 106a and a transmitting ring buffer 121b as the transmitting buffer 106b), which is a type of memory pool, is used as the buffer area here, but it is not necessarily a ring buffer. It is not necessary, and any buffer that can logically provide an infinite length buffer can be used. Preferably, a temporary storage area, such as a direct buffer, created in a memory area outside the heap area and capable of high-speed input/output is used. Here, a memory pool is defined as a large area allocated from free space in the main memory at the time of program startup, etc., in order to quickly and dynamically allocate the necessary memory area during the execution of a computer program. do.

The flag management means 107 manages flags atomically by means of, for example, CAS (Compare and Swap). Here, atomic refers to an indivisible operation. Specifically, one instruction compares the contents of a certain memory location with a specified value and, if they are equal, stores another specified value in that memory location. Refers to a special CPU instruction to perform. Specifically, the flag management unit 107 sets a flag exclusively at the timing when the OS execution unit 100 starts event processing in response to a request from the socket write request unit 102a, processing) to clear the flag. As described above, since the operation shown in FIG. 6 is performed, the socket write request means 102a and the callback processing means 102b are limited to one socket write request means 102a and one callback processing means 102b by the function of the flag management means 107. Concurrency is controlled to ensure consistency of write operations to sockets. If the flagged socket write request means 102a or the callback processing means 102b corresponding to the write request means 102a is in process, the second and subsequent calls to the socket write request means 102a are Since the flag cannot be set by itself while it is set, the process is interrupted and ends without writing to the OS execution means 100 (S11 in FIG. 6; No). Therefore, the socket write request means 102a executes non-blocking.

The storage unit 11 stores an OS 110, a communication management program 111, an application 112, and the like, which causes the control unit 10 to operate as each of the means 100 to 107 described above. It should be noted that the objects for functioning as the means 100 to 107 may be performed by appropriately replacing the OS 110, the communication management program 111, and the application 112. FIG. Also, the storage unit uses a relational database, a file system, or the like. For speeding up, an in-memory database such as Redis may be used or used together.

The memory 12 is controlled by buffering means 106 and other means (not shown) to temporarily store information.

Note that the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c have the same configuration as the server device 1, but also have an operation unit and a display unit. A description of the parts that have the same configuration as the server device 1 will be omitted.

(Operation of information processing device)
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described separately for (1) basic operation and (2) data transmission operation.

(1) Basic Operation As an example, multiple users participate in the same virtual space in order to synchronize multiple game objects and share the experience (game play) in the same virtual space (room). The game progresses in each of the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c, and the server device 1 does not progress the game and only performs the synchronous operation of the objects, or the server device 1 also progresses the game. good.

Upon receiving a room participation request, the participant management means (not shown) of the server device 1 sends a participation request associated with the room ID in the storage unit 11 to the participant along with the user ID, user name, socket ID, participation date and time. recorded in the user management information.

During game play, the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c sequentially generate, update, and delete a plurality of objects (characters, weapons, items, etc.) as the programs are executed. When proceeding with the game, the server device 1 accepts and processes object operation requests from the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c, and notifies the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c of the processing results so that the objects can be processed. Synchronize. When the game is not progressing, the server device 1 performs a relay operation for synchronizing the objects in the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c. In the relay operation, the server device 1 transmits and receives a plurality of objects. In any case, the server device receives from the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c information regarding the operations of the plurality of objects operated by each of them, and transmits information regarding the manipulation of the plurality of objects corresponding to the terminal devices to be synchronized. . Although the size of individual object operation information is small, frequent data synchronization (at least about 20 to 30 times per second) is required to achieve smooth object drawing in each of the terminal devices 2a, 2b, and 2c. If there are many objects to be synchronized in a sophisticated game, or if there are many terminal devices to be synchronized such as MMOG, the number of sending and receiving packets for synchronization processed by the server will be huge like streaming sending and receiving due to combinatorial explosion. sell. In recent years, the speed of CPU and memory has increased significantly, but network bandwidth, throughput and latency with individual terminals have physical and distance restrictions, and there are trends such as mobile usage patterns, so the speed increase is more gradual. is. Therefore, network transmission/reception tends to become a bottleneck in server processing. The present invention realizes efficient use of network transmission, a method of using a NIC level that is always processing and has as little idle time as possible, and an implementation using Java, in particular, that improves socket utilization during transmission. The details of the transmission/reception operation of the server device 1 will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of data transmission/reception operations.

First, when the server device 1 receives data from the network 4, the socket reading means 101 receives data from the source 131 of the network 4 via the channel 130, and the socket reading means 101 reads the socket corresponding to the channel (with an IP address corresponding to the receiving terminal device). port) and writes it to the position of the write pointer in the reception ring buffer 121a. The data is added to receive ring buffer 121a. Separate buffers are prepared for each channel or socket. A channel/socket is used for both transmission and reception, and one channel/socket is prepared for each corresponding terminal device (a specific program with which the terminal device communicates). One application buffer is shown in the drawing, but in practice, it is managed separately for transmission and reception. The ring buffer 121 is managed as one pool for all channels, and although one is shown in the figure, the ring buffer 121 manages independent pointers for each channel and for transmission and reception separately. , and separate reception ring buffer 121a and transmission ring buffer 121b for each channel.

Next, the application reading means 104 reads the data of the reception ring buffer 121 a corresponding to the receiving terminal device (channel or socket) from the position of the read pointer and writes it to the application buffer 120 . Data is retrieved from the receive ring buffer 121a and removed from the receive ring buffer 121a. Here, the application buffer 120 is independently managed by the application and not provided by the buffering means 106 . The app buffer is provided by another buffering means. For example, OS functions (normal memory allocation, memory release) may provide app buffers. In order to reuse the memory and improve the efficiency of memory management, another buffering means may be configured so as to provide a function equivalent to the buffering means 106 to provide an application buffer.

The application execution unit 103 reads data from the application buffer 120 and processes it in a thread.

When transmitting data processed by the thread of the application execution unit 103 to the network 4 , the application execution unit 103 writes the data processed by the thread into the application buffer 120 .

Next, the application writing means 105 writes the write pointer of the transmission ring buffer 121b corresponding to the destination terminal device, more precisely, the channel or socket, according to the destination terminal device for which the data in the application buffer 120 is intended. write to the position of As a result, the data is added to the transmission ring buffer 121b. After the data is written, the write pointer is advanced to move to the position next to the write end position. When the application writing means 105 writes data next time, the write pointer after movement is used, so the data to be written next time is added after the data written this time. On the other hand, the data in the application buffer 120 becomes unnecessary after being copied to the transmission ring buffer 121, and the application executing means 103 can reuse this buffer area. The transmission ring buffer 121b is prepared for each channel or socket.

Next, the socket writing means 102 reads the data from the position of the read pointer of the transmission ring buffer 121b to the position just before the position of the write pointer, and writes it to the channel 130 by the socket. Data is transmitted to source 131 via channel 130 . The read pointer advances by the number of bytes successfully transmitted and moves to the location next to the data that has been successfully transmitted. At this time, the data is taken out from the transmission ring buffer 121b, and the OS executing means 100 performs transmission processing as a transmission object, and the data that has been transmitted (all or part of the data taken out) is excluded from the transmission ring buffer 121b. be done. Data for which transmission has not been completed continues to remain in the transmission ring buffer 121b. Here, all the data accumulated in the transmission ring buffer 121b is transmitted at once, but if the data accumulated in the transmission ring buffer 121b becomes huge, the limitation of the OS transmission function call is considered. For example, instead of reading all at once, only a part of the data may be read and transmitted.

A case in which data processed by the thread of the application execution means 103 is transmitted from the OS execution means 100 to the network 4 will be described in detail below.

(2) Data Transmission Operation FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of data transmission operation.

The application execution means 103, for example, processes data by a plurality of threads 1 and 2, and transmits data A and data B as processing results to the same terminal device (more precisely, the same socket or channel). Then, the application writing means 105 writes to the transmission ring buffer 121b corresponding to the socket for communication to the destination terminal. It is assumed that processing of threads 1 and 2 occurs asynchronously. Application writing means 105 performs blocking control so that data A and data B are written at maximum one data per channel, and application writing means 105 writes data A of thread 1 to transmission ring buffer 121b. During this time, the write processing of data B of thread 2 is made to wait. Similarly, while the application writing means 105 is writing the data B of the thread 2 to the transmission ring buffer 121b, the thread 1 waits for the data C writing process. Writing to the transmission ring buffer 121b starts from the position of the write pointer, and when writing ends, the write pointer is moved next to the write end position. For the sake of simplicity of explanation, if a non-blocking buffer is adopted as the transmission buffer 106b that performs blocking control so that write operations between threads are not mixed in the transmission ring buffer 121b, then the application writing means 105 work efficiently.

Next, the socket write request means 102a refers to the CAS flag of the flag management means 107. If the flag is not set, the socket write request means 102a sets the flag and calls the OS system call (for example, AsynchronousSocketChannel.write() of JAVA). , the data accumulated in the transmission ring buffer 121b (the data from the read pointer to the point immediately before the write pointer at the time of calling) is transmitted. At this point, only data A is stored in the transmission ring buffer 121b. The socket write request means 102a requests the OS execution means 100 (OS kernel) to write the data A in the transmission ring buffer 121, and completes (1).

Next, the OS kernel 100 determines the appropriate size of the data A (the size is, for example, the network-dependent maximum packet size MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit, for Ethernet, the MTU is 1500 bytes) and various protocol headers. Typically, in the case of TCP/IP on Ethernet, it is divided into MSS (Maximum Segment Size) 1460 bytes obtained by subtracting 20 bytes of TCP header and 20 bytes of IP header) and transmitted to network 4 as data A1 and A2. do. If data B is written from the application writing means 105 to the transmission ring buffer 121b during the event processing of the OS kernel 100, the transmission ring buffer 121b will not be able to store the data B even while the OS kernel 100 is reading. is accumulated non-blocking. Application writing means 105 continues to call socket write request means 102a, but socket write request means 102a is processing data A and the CAS flag of flag management means 107 is set. The process ends immediately in a non-blocking manner without transmitting data B (2). Thread 2 can execute the next process without waiting for completion of the relatively long network transmission process (event process of OS kernel 100). At this point, data B is added to the transmission ring buffer 121b, and data A and data B are present.

Next, when the transmission of data A is completed, the OS kernel 100 activates the callback processing means 102b and notifies the transmission completion. The callback processing means 102b confirms the number of bytes that have been transmitted. In this case, the transmission of the entire data A has been completed. Exclude from ring buffer 121b. Next, the callback processing means 102b clears the CAS flag of the flag management means 107. FIG. At this point, the transmission ring buffer 121b has data A removed and only data B exists. Next, callback processing means 102b determines whether there is still data to be transmitted in transmission ring buffer 121b (if the read pointer and write pointer match, there is no data to be transmitted). If there is data to be sent, the socket write request means 102a is called. If there is no data to send, terminate. In this case, since the data B already exists in the transmission ring buffer 121b, the socket write request means 102a is called (3).

Next, the socket write request means 102a requests the flag management means 107 to refer to the CAS flag. Since the flag is not set, the flag is set and an OS system call (AsynchronousSocketChannel.write()) is called. and transmits the data accumulated in the transmission ring buffer 121b (the data from the read pointer to the point immediately before the write pointer at the time of calling). At this point, only data B is accumulated in the transmission ring buffer 121b. The socket write request means 102a requests the OS kernel 100 to write the data B in the transmission ring buffer 121b, and terminates.

Next, the OS kernel 100 divides the data B into appropriate sizes and transmits them to the network 4 as data B1, B2 and B3. During event processing of the OS kernel 100, when data C is written from the application writing means 105 to the transmission ring buffer 121b, the transmission ring buffer 121b accumulates the data C in a non-blocking manner and calls the socket write request means 102a. The write means 102 is processing the data B requested to the OS by the immediately preceding socket write request means 102a, and since the CAS flag of the flag management means 107 is set, the socket write request means 102a does not send the data C. Terminate immediately without requesting the OS kernel 100 (4). Similarly, when data D is written from the application writing means 105 to the ring buffer 121, the ring buffer 121 accumulates the data D in a non-blocking manner and calls the socket write request means 102a. Since the CAS flag of the flag management means 107 is set during the processing of B, the socket write request means 102a immediately terminates without transmitting the data D (5). At this point, data B, data C, and data D are stored in order in the transmission ring buffer 121b.

Next, when the transmission of data B is completed, the OS kernel 100 activates the callback processing means 102b and notifies the transmission completion. The callback processing means 102b first confirms that the number of transmission completion bytes is the entire data B, and then sets the read pointer of the transmission ring buffer 121b to the position next to the data B (the head of the data C in this case). Moving. At this time, the transmission ring buffer 121b stores data C and data D with data B excluded. Callback processing means 102b then clears the CAS flag of flag management means 107, and then confirms that transmission ring buffer 121b is not empty (data C and data D are accumulated in this case). After confirmation, the socket write request means 102a is called.

Next, the socket write request means 102a refers to the CAS flag of the flag management means 107. Since the flag is not set, the socket write request means 102a sets the flag, calls the OS system call (AsynchronousSocketChannel.write()), and The data C and data D in the buffer 121b are written to the OS kernel 100 (6).

Next, the OS kernel 100 divides the data C and data D into appropriate sizes and transmits them to the network 4 as data C1, C2, C3, . When data E is written from the application writing means 105 to the transmission ring buffer 121b during event processing of the OS kernel 100, the transmission ring buffer 121b accumulates the data E in a non-blocking manner. Since the CAS flag of the management means 107 is set, the socket write request means 102a terminates without transmitting the data E (7). Similarly, when data F is written from the application writing means 105 to the transmission ring buffer 121b, the transmission ring buffer 121b accumulates the data F in a non-blocking manner (8). At this point, the transmission ring buffer 121b has accumulated data C, data D, data E, and data F. FIG.

Next, when the transmission of data C is completed, the OS kernel 100 does not complete the processing of data D this time, but activates the callback processing means 102b and notifies the completion of transmission. In general, the OS system call (AsynchronousSocketChannel.write()) does not always guarantee to complete the transmission of all requested data. Therefore, confirmation of the number of bytes that have been transmitted is essential. In this example, the end of transmission of the entire data C was accidentally notified. It is purely accidental that the data C is completely sent, and there is a case where the transmission of the data C is ended while a part of the data C is left. For example, transmission of C1 and C2 may be completed and C3 may be left, or transmission of the first half of C3 in addition to C1 and C2 may be completed and the latter half of C3 may be left. The callback processing means 102b first confirms the number of bytes that have been transmitted. In this case, only data C has been completely transmitted. moves to the head position of data D). At this point, data C is excluded from the transmission ring buffer 121b. are accumulating. The callback processing means 102b then clears the CAS flag of the flag management means 107. FIG. In this case, the callback processing means 102b calls the socket write request means 102a because the data to be transmitted (data D, data E, and data F in this case) exists in the transmission ring buffer 121b.

Next, the socket write request means 102a refers to the CAS flag of the flag management means 107. Since the flag is not set, the socket write request means 102a sets the flag, calls the OS system call (AsynchronousSocketChannel.write()), and A write request is issued to the OS kernel 100 for all the data DEF in the buffer 121b (9).

Next, the OS kernel 100 divides the data DEF into appropriate sizes and transmits them to the network 4 as data D1, D2, .

Next, when the OS kernel 100 happens to complete the transmission of only the data D, it activates the callback processing means 102b and notifies the transmission completion. When the callback processing means 102b confirms the number of transmitted bytes, it happens that only D has been successfully transmitted. is released, and since the transmission ring buffer is not empty, the socket write request means 102a is called.

Next, the socket write request means 102a refers to the CAS flag of the flag management means 107. Since the flag is not set, the socket write request means 102a sets the flag, calls the OS system call (AsynchronousSocketChannel.write()), and writes to the ring buffer. The OS kernel 100 is requested to write the data EF of 121 (10).

Next, the OS kernel 100 divides the data EF into appropriate sizes and transmits them to the network 4 as data E, F1 and F2.

Next, when the transmission of the data EF is completed, the OS kernel 100 activates the callback processing means 102b and notifies the transmission completion. The callback processing means 102b confirms the number of bytes that have been transmitted, moves the read pointer of the transmission ring buffer 121b to the position next to the data F, and clears the CAS flag of the flag management means 107. FIG. The callback processing means 102b terminates the processing when the transmission ring buffer 121b becomes empty (the read pointer and the write pointer match).

In the above examples, for ease of explanation, the data AF are illustrated as large pieces of data each transmitted as one or more network packets. When the game server transmits and receives object synchronization information like streaming, the size of each piece of data is very small compared to the network transmission packet size. Sent as a send packet. Therefore, the non-blocking socket writing means by CAS has a significantly smaller overhead than the case of using the OS lock function, and also puts a plurality of data together in a continuous block, or a plurality of data. By collectively sending the data with one OS transmission request, the transmission channel can be efficiently operated without interruption, which is particularly useful in a mode of use such as streaming.

(Effect of Embodiment)
According to the above embodiment, the transmission ring buffer 121b is provided between the application writing means 105 and the socket writing means 102, and the transmission ring buffer 121b accumulates the data written by the application writing means 105 in a non-blocking manner. , the write operation of the socket write request means 102a is executed according to the CAS flag, the CAS flag is managed by the flag management means 107, the flag is set when the socket write request means 102a starts writing, and the OS execution means 100 The flag is cleared by the callback processing means 102b upon receiving the event processing completion notification, so that the writing operation of the application writing means 105 does not directly affect the transmission event processing operation of the OS execution means 100. (The waiting time for the application writing means 105 and the OS execution means 100 to correspond to each other is eliminated, and the number of calls for each is reduced.), application processing and data transmission are executed in a non-blocking manner for high-speed communication. can be In particular, transmission processing to the network, which takes a relatively long time, is performed with a short wait time (latency), continuous processing as much as possible, and non-blocking, giving priority to network transmission processing, increasing transmission throughput, and asynchronous transmission ( Application processing can be executed during the waiting time for NIO) processing.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the layer configuration.

For example, the present application describes an example in which a buffer (a) is provided between the application layer (application 112) and the presentation layer and session layer (communication management program 111) among the seven layers of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model. As described above, the buffers (b) to (e) may be provided at different positions in different layer configurations (a) to (e).

Here, in order to increase the transmission throughput, it is necessary to wait in the layer related to transmission in the lower layer, and in order to prevent latency in the lower layer, requests and calls to the lower layer must be lock-free (non-blocking) for the upper application. is desirable. Since some kind of aggregation occurs from the upper level to the lower level, in a multitasking environment, some kind of exclusive control is usually required so that the data of each thread is not mixed. A lock-free algorithm is desirable because the use of the OS "lock (mutex)" for exclusive control increases the processing load. In particular, in the case of a game server that transmits a large amount of packets for synchronization at different frequencies, such as streaming, it is not desirable to lock each packet transmission. Since the exclusive control of the OS cannot be used in Woo, it is necessary to independently perform exclusive control by the application.

In the case of a (this embodiment), data is sequentially transmitted to a TCP or UDP (User Datagram Protocol) channel created by Java VM (virtual OS). Exclusive control is required when multiple threads use the same channel. In the case of RUDP (Reliable User Datagram Protocol), an application that uses UDP sockets must independently create a reliability assurance layer such as ACK (acknowledgement) and retransmission.

In the case of B, the difference from A is whether it is a virtual OS or a Native OS.

In the case of c, stateless (connectionless) UDP is feasible. It is usually not possible to directly call the layers inside the OS, so the feasibility is low, but it is possible if there is a configuration for direct calling. A plurality of application programs and threads need to aggregate all communications to a plurality of transmission destinations (terminal devices) sharing the NIC.

In the case of D, the speed can be increased by bypassing the protocol stack of the OS. You need to create your own protocol stack. (For example, DPDK (Data Plane Development Kit) or the like can be used. https://www.dpdk.org/). NIC drivers are not NDIS, they are specialized and are usually dependent on a particular NIC product. In the case of UDP, it may be possible to send directly as a datagram without going through a socket. It is usually not possible to directly call the internal layer of the OS, so the feasibility is low, but it is possible if there is a dedicated NIC driver like DPDK. C. Similarly, multiple application programs and threads need to aggregate all communications to multiple transmission destinations (terminal devices) that share the NIC.

In the case of E, since the application is completely hardware-dependent, it is used for non-special purposes such as embedded systems. C. Similarly, multiple application programs and threads need to aggregate all communications to multiple transmission destinations (terminal devices) that share the NIC.

Next, each buffer (a) to (e) will be explained.

In the case of (a), as a general usage, it is limited to JAVA and independent of the OS, and is aggregated so as not to mix multithreaded application packets (application transmission units) in units of sockets.

In the case of (b), the general usage is language-dependent and OS-dependent, and is the same as (a). (a) In the case of via, the parameters may be passed through as they are, and in the case of distributed writing, if the transmission byte buffers are in a continuous area, they may be optimized by combining them into one transmission buffer. Here, distributed writing means, for example, Java's AsynchronousSocketChannel. A function of write( ) that specifies multiple buffers in which one or more variable-length data blocks are grouped and requests transmission.

In the case of (c), the work is usually done inside the OS and in the OS kernel, and the application handles it cross-sectionally and aggregates it for each protocol. Note that it is necessary to add a protocol header. When data is written to a TCP socket, the data stream state for each connection and the boundary of the transmission unit of application packets are irrelevant. It is divided into appropriate sizes and passed to the protocol driver. At that time, there is a possibility that data copying or repacking may occur. Since UDP sockets are connectionless, data written to a socket is transmitted without buffering and is not sent all at once. When sending a plurality of data collectively by RUDP, they are collectively written before being written to the UDP socket.

In the case of (d), the work is usually done by the protocol driver inside the OS, and the application handles it cross-sectionally and aggregates various protocols for each NIC. Note that it is necessary to add a protocol header. Aggregate all data for each NIC, combining and splitting each packet and adding protocol headers.

In the case of (e), it becomes work inside the NIC. Processing such as division, combination, and compression according to the network type, addition of a header, etc., conversion to an electrical signal corresponding to the bit string, and transmission to the communication line.

Although the functions of the means 100 to 107 of the control unit 10 are implemented by programs in the above embodiment, all or part of the means may be implemented by hardware such as ASIC. Also, the program used in the above embodiment can be stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and provided. In addition, replacement, deletion, addition, etc., of the steps described in the above embodiment are possible without changing the gist of the present invention. Also, the function of each means may be appropriately combined with other means, or may be separated into a plurality of means.

Reference Signs List 1: server devices 2a, 2b, 2c: terminal device 4: network 10: control unit 11: storage unit 12: memory 13: communication unit 100: OS execution means (OS kernel)
101: socket reading means 102: socket writing means 102a: socket writing request means 102b: callback processing means 103: application executing means 104: application reading means 105: application writing means 106: buffering means 107: flag management means 111: communication management program 112: application 120: application buffer 121: ring buffer 130: channel 131: source

[1] a computer,
buffering means for accumulating one or more events;
a processing means for processing the accumulated events;
act as a flag manager that accepts calls and sets flags exclusively,
The processing means includes processing request means for requesting event processing, and callback processing means for receiving a completion notification and executing when the event processing is completed,
The flag management means sets the flag exclusively at the timing of the start of event processing by the processing means, and cancels the flag at the timing of the end of the callback processing means,
The processing request means accepts a call at the timing of accumulation in the buffering means and the termination of the callback processing means, and if the flag is not set according to the flag of the flag management means, the process is not performed. A communication management program that terminates without any delay and processes the events accumulated by the buffering means when set.
[2] The communication management program according to [1], wherein the buffering means accumulates the event in a non-blocking queue.
[3] The communication management program according to [1] or [2], wherein the buffering means accumulates the event in a memory pool.
[4] The communication management program according to [1] or [2], wherein the buffering means accumulates the event in a ring buffer.
[5] buffering means for accumulating one or more events;
a processing means for processing the accumulated events;
a flag management means for accepting calls and setting flags exclusively,
The processing means includes processing request means for requesting event processing, and callback processing means for receiving a completion notification and executing when the event processing is completed,
The flag management means exclusively sets the flag at the timing of the start of event processing by the processing means, and cancels the flag at the timing of the end of event processing by the callback processing means,
The processing request means accepts a call at the timing of accumulation in the buffering means and the termination of the callback processing means, and if the flag is not set according to the flag of the flag management means, the process is not performed. an information processing device for processing the event accumulated by the buffering means when the event is terminated without being completed.
[6] In a computer that processes information,
a buffering step of non-blocking accumulation of one or more events;
a processing step of processing the accumulated events;
a flag management step for accepting and exclusively flagging calls;
The processing step includes a processing request step that requests processing of the event, and a callback processing step that is executed upon receiving a completion notification when processing of the event is completed,
The flag management step exclusively sets the flag at the timing of starting the processing of the event in the processing step, and cancels the flag at the timing of the end of the processing of the event in the callback processing step,
The process request step receives a call at the timing of the end of the accumulation in the buffering step and the callback processing step , and if the flag is not set according to the flag of the flag management step , the process is not performed. and, if set, processing the events accumulated by the buffering step .

Claims (6)

the computer,
buffering means for accumulating one or more events;
a processing means for processing the accumulated events;
act as a flag manager that accepts calls and sets flags exclusively,
The processing means includes processing request means for requesting event processing, and callback processing means for receiving a completion notification and executing when the event processing is completed,
The flag management means sets the flag exclusively at the timing of the start of event processing by the processing means, and cancels the flag at the timing of the end of the callback processing means,
The processing request means accepts a call at the timing of accumulation in the buffering means and the termination of the callback processing means, and if the flag is not set according to the flag of the flag management means, the process is not performed. A communication management program that terminates without any delay and processes the events accumulated by the buffering means when set. 2. The communication management program according to claim 1, wherein said buffering means accumulates said events in a non-blocking queue. 3. The communication management program according to claim 1, wherein said buffering means stores said event in a memory pool. 3. The communication management program according to claim 1, wherein said buffering means accumulates said events in a ring buffer. buffering means for accumulating one or more events;
a processing means for processing the accumulated events;
a flag management means for accepting calls and setting flags exclusively,
The processing means includes processing request means for requesting event processing, and callback processing means for receiving a completion notification and executing when the event processing is completed,
The flag management means exclusively sets the flag at the timing of the start of event processing by the processing means, and cancels the flag at the timing of the end of event processing by the callback processing means,
The processing request means accepts a call at the timing of accumulation in the buffering means and the termination of the callback processing means, and if the flag is not set according to the flag of the flag management means, the process is not performed. an information processing device for processing the event accumulated by the buffering means when the event is terminated without being completed. a buffering step of non-blocking accumulation of one or more events;
a processing step of processing the accumulated events;
a flag management step for accepting and exclusively flagging calls;
The processing step includes a processing request step that requests processing of the event, and a callback processing step that is executed upon receiving a completion notification when processing of the event is completed,
The flag management step exclusively sets the flag at the timing of starting the processing of the event in the processing step, and cancels the flag at the timing of the end of processing the event in the callback processing step,
The process request step accepts a call at the timing of accumulation for the buffering step and the termination of the callback processing means, and if the flag is not set according to the flag of the flag management means, the process is not performed. a communication management method for processing the events accumulated by the buffering means when set.

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