Multiple Read File Descriptors

Hi,

I'm working on a project that requires listening and processing messages from multiple external sources.

My application is written in C and running on a Linux Read Hat 9 machine.

I have successfully connected to one external source, but have a questions on how to connect and listen to more than one source without blocking each other.

Generally, how I connect to a source is like this:

Code:

---

fd_set rd1;
int hdle1 = setup(.....); //setup is a function in an API I'm using

FD_ZERO(&rd1);
FD_SET(hdle1, &rd1);

select(hdle+1, &rd1, NULL, NULL, NULL); //waiting

---

My question is, if I have have 2 hdles and use FD_SET() on rd1, will I be able to detect incoming data from both sources?

if so, will it create blocking on one of the sources if no data has been detected from the other source? (waiting on one source while the other one has data)

i.e.

Code:

---

fd_set rd1;
int hdle1 = setup(.....); //set up first source
int hdle2 = setup(.....); //set up second source

FD_ZERO(&rd1);
FD_SET(hdle1, &rd1); 
FD_SET(hdle2, &rd1);

select(hdle+2, &rd1, NULL, NULL, NULL); //waiting

---

Thanks in advance for your help! Any input is appreciated!

You'll get alot more responses in the "C Programming" forum...

Perhaps a PM will be kind enough to move your thread for you.

gg

This is the c programming forum isnt it?

See! The responses are picking up already!

Dohhh!

gg

Close

Code:

---

fd_set rd1;
int hdle1 = setup(.....); //set up first source
int hdle2 = setup(.....); //set up second source
int max = hdle1 > hdle2 ? hdle1 : hdle2;
int result;

FD_ZERO(&rd1);
FD_SET(hdle1, &rd1); 
FD_SET(hdle2, &rd1);
result = select(max+1, &rd1, NULL, NULL, NULL); //waiting

if ( FD_ISSET(hdle1, &rd1) ) {
  // go read from hdle1
}

---

Hi, Thanks for your help.

I tried to follow your advice, but I came across something strange.

Code:

---

fd_set rd1;
int hdle1 = setup(.....); //set up first source
int hdle2 = setup(.....); //set up second source
int max = hdle1 > hdle2 ? hdle1 : hdle2;
int result;

for(;;) {
FD_ZERO(&rd1);
FD_SET(hdle1, &rd1); 
FD_SET(hdle2, &rd1);
result = select(max+1, &rd1, NULL, NULL, NULL); //waiting

if ( FD_ISSET(hdle1, &rd1) ) {
  // go read from hdle1

}
}

---

Instead of waiting at the select statement for any incoming messages, it just goes in an infinite loop. What should happen is that each loop occurs whenever there is something on the select, but right now, the select is looping even though there is no incoming messages.

I printed out the result variable:
loop 1, result = 1
loop 2, result = 2
loop 3, result = 1
loop 4, result = 1
loop 5, result = 1 .......

Does anyone know what is happening?

If select is returning 1, then there is something that needs to be read, hdle2 apparently has something that needs to be read and you are not getting it if that is all of your code. Your loop is infinite because you never break;. You need to FD_ISSET(hdle2, &rd1).

Thanks, I got rid of the infinite loop problem....

but it seems like my program is only detecting a read on one of the file descriptors.

Code:

---

FD_ZERO(&rd1);
FD_SET(hdle1, &rd1); 
FD_SET(hdle2, &rd1);

for (;;) {
    result = select(max+1, &rd1, NULL, NULL, NULL); //waiting

    if (FD_ISSET(hdle1, &rd1) ) {
      .......
    }

    if (FD_ISSET(hdle2, &rd1)) {
      .......
    }
}

---

it is only detecting a read message in hdle2, even though there should be a message from hdle1. It seems like that the program only detects the last handle that is set, e.g. if I switch the FD_SET's around, it will only detect a read message in hdle1.

Is there a parameter that I should set? (I thought that the default number of FDs was 64)

FD_ZERO(&rd1);
FD_SET(hdle1, &rd1);
FD_SET(hdle2, &rd1);
Put these inside the loop, before you call select()

rd1 is modified by the select call to indicate what is available for reading - that's how the ISSET works.

That was the problem!!! Thanks for all your help!