[Gluster-devel] Gluster internals

[Ian Latter]

>     1) What is the difference between STACK_WIND
>         and STACK_WIND_COOKIE?  I.e. I've only
>         ever used STACK_WIND, when should I use
>         it versus the other?
> 
> STACK_WIND_COOKIE is used when we need to 'tie' the call
> wound with its corresponding callback. You can see this
> variant being used extensively in cluster xlators where it
> is used to identify the callback with the subvolume no. it
> is coming from.  

Ok - thanks.  I will take a closer look at the examples for
this .. this may help me ...



>     2) Is there a way to write linearly within a single
>         function within Gluster (or is there a reason
>         why I wouldn't want to do that)?  
> 
> 
> RE 2: 
> 
>   This may stem from my lack of understanding 
> of the broader Gluster internals.  I am performing 
> multiple fops per fop, which is creating structural
> inelegances in the code that make me think I'm
> heading down the wrong rabbit hole.  I want to 
> say;
> 
>    read() {
>      // pull in other content
>      while(want more) {
>        _lookup()
>        _open()
>        _read()
>        _close()
>      }
>      return iovec
>   }
> 
> 
> But the way I've understood the Gluster internal
> structure is that I need to operate in a chain of
> related functions;
> 
>   _read_lookup_cbk_open_cbk_read_cbk() {
>        wind _close()
>   }
> 
>   _read_lookup_cbk_open_cbk() {
>        wind _read()
>        add to local->iovec
>   }
> 
>   _lookup_cbk() {
>        wind _open()
>   }
> 
>   read() {
>      while(want more) {
>        wind _lookup()
>      }
>      return local->iovec
>   }
> 
> 
> 
> Am I missing something - or is there a nicer way of 
> doing this?
> 
> The above method you are trying to use is the "continuation passing style" that 
> is extensively used in afr-inode-read.c and afr-transaction.c to perform multiple
> internal fops on the trigger of a single fop from the application. cluster/afr may
> give you some ideas on how you could structure it if you like that more.

These may have been where I got that code style from
originally .. I will go back to these two programs, thanks 
for the reference.  I'm currently working my way through
the afr-heal programs ..


> The other method I can think of (not sure if it would suit your needs)
> is to use the syncop framework (see libglusterfs/src/syncop.c).
> This allows one to make a 'synchronous' glusterfs fop. inside a xlator.
> The downside is that you can only make one call at a time. This may not
> be acceptable for cluster xlators (ie, xlator with more than one child xlator).

In the syncop framework, how much gets affected when I
use it in my xlator.  Does it mean that there's only one call 
at a time in the whole xlator (so the current write will stop
all other reads) or is the scope only the fop (so that within
this write, my child->fops are serial, but neighbouring reads
on my xlator will continue in other threads)?  And does that 
then restrict what can go above and below my xlator?  I
mean that my xlator isn't a cluster xlator but I would like it
to be able to be used on top of (or underneath) a cluster
xlator, will that no longer be possible?



> Hope that helps,
> krish 

Thanks Krish, every bit helps!




--
Ian Latter
Late night coder ..
http://midnightcode.org/