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Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 17:19:21 -0800
From: jehamby@lightside.com (Jake Hamby)
Message-Id: <199702210119.RAA00608@lightside.com>
To: hackers@freebsd.org
Subject: Alternatives to SYSV IPC?
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I have another programming question.  In addition to thread support, I need 
shared memory, message queues, and semaphores.  Sounds like a perfect match to 
SYSVSHM, SYSVMSG, and SYSVSEM, eh?

I don't have a problem with using these SYSV routines, and they are certainly 
portable enough, but I'm just concerned since they are not in widespread use.  I 
know you can use mmap() for shared memory, and the thread libraries have 
built-in semaphore support, but what about messages?  Sockets could be used, but 
they just provide an arbitrary stream of bytes, not discrete messages.  FIFOs 
have the same problem, and pollute the filename space (I have the same problem 
with using mmap() for shared memory).

Any comments you can make on pros and cons of the SYSV IPC routines, or if there 
is some legitimate alternative with similar functionality that I haven't thought 
of, I'd like to know about it.  Thanks in advance!

-- Jake