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     MPX(2)                                                     MPX(2)

     NAME
          mpx - create and manipulate multiplexed files

     SYNOPSIS
          mpx(name, access) char *name;

          join(fd, xd)

          chan(xd)

          extract(i, xd)

          attach(i, xd)

          detach(i, xd)

          connect(fd, cd, end)

          npgrp(i, xd, pgrp)

          ckill(i, xd, signal)

          #include <sys/mx.h>
          mpxcall(cmd, vec)
          int *vec;

     DESCRIPTION
          mpxcall(cmd, vec) is the system call shared by the library
          routines described below.  Cmd selects a command using val-
          ues defined in <sys/mx.h>. Vec is the address of a structure
          containing the arguments for the command.

          mpx(name, access)

          Mpx creates and opens the file name with access permission
          access (see creat(2)) and returns a file descriptor avail-
          able for reading and writing.  A -1 is returned if the file
          cannot be created, if name already exists, or if the file
          table or other operating system data structures are full.
          The file descriptor is required for use with other routines.

          If name designates a null string, a file descriptor is
          returned as described but no entry is created in the file
          system.

          Once created an mpx file may be opened (see open(2)) by any
          process.  This provides a form of interprocess communication
          whereby a process B can `call' process A by opening an mpx
          file created by A.  To B, the file is ordinary with one
          exception: the connect primitive could be applied to it.

     MPX(2)                                                     MPX(2)

          Otherwise the functions described below are used only in
          process A and descendants that inherit the open mpx file.

          When a process opens an mpx file, the owner of the file
          receives a control message when the file is next read.  The
          method for `answering' this kind of call involves using
          attach and detach as described in more detail below.

          Once B has opened A's mpx file it is said to have a channel
          to A.  A channel is a pair of data streams: in this case,
          one from B to A and the other from A to B.  Several pro-
          cesses may open the same mpx file yielding multiple channels
          within the one mpx file.  By accessing the appropriate chan-
          nel, A can communicate with B and any others.  When A reads
          (see read(2)) from the mpx file data written to A by the
          other processes appears in A's buffer using a record format
          described in mpxio(5). When A writes (see write(2)) on its
          mpx file the data must be formatted in a similar way.

          The following commands are used to manipulate mpx files and
          channels.

               join- adds a new channel on an mpx file to an open file
               F.  I/O on the new channel is I/O on F.
               chan- creates a new channel.
               extract- file descriptor maintenance.
               connect- similar to join except that the open file F is
               connected to an existing channel.
               attach and detach- used with call protocol.
               npgrp- manipulates process group numbers so that a
               channel can act as a control terminal (see tty(4)).
               ckill- send signal (see signal(2)) to process group
               through channel.

          A maximum of 15 channels may be connected to an mpx file.
          They are numbered 0 through 14.  Join may be used to make
          one mpx file appear as a channel on another mpx file.  A
          hierarchy or tree of mpx files may be set up in this way.
          In this case one of the mpx files must be the root of a tree
          where the other mpx files are interior nodes.  The maximum
          depth of such a tree is 4.

          An index is a 16-bit value that denotes a location in an mpx
          tree other than the root: the path through mpx `nodes' from
          the root to the location is expressed as a sequence of 4-bit
          nibbles.  The branch taken at the root is represented by the
          low-order 4-bits of an index.  Each succeeding branch is
          specified by the next higher-order nibble.  If the length of
          a path to be expressed is less than 4, then the illegal
          channel number, 15, must be used to terminate the sequence.
          This is not strictly necessary for the simple case of a tree
          consisting of only a root node: its channels can be

     MPX(2)                                                     MPX(2)

          expressed by the numbers 0 through 14.  An index i and file
          descriptor xd for the root of an mpx tree are required as
          arguments to most of the commands described below.  Indices
          also serve as channel identifiers in the record formats
          given in mpxio(5). Since -1 is not a valid index, it can be
          returned as a error indication by subroutines that normally
          return indices.

          The operating system informs the process managing an mpx
          file of changes in the status of channels attached to the
          file by generating messages that are read along with data
          from the channels.  The form and content of these messages
          is described in mpxio(5).

          join(fd, xd) establishes a connection (channel) between an
          mpx file and another object.  Fd is an open file descriptor
          for a character device or an mpx file and xd is the file
          descriptor of an mpx file.  Join returns the index for the
          new channel if the operation succeeds and -1 if it does not.

          Following  join, fd may still be used in any system call
          that would have been meaningful before the join operation.
          Thus a process can read and write directly to fd as well as
          access it via xd. If the number of channels required for a
          tree of mpx files exceeds the number of open files permitted
          a process by the operating system, some of the file descrip-
          tors can be released using the standard close(2) call.  Fol-
          lowing a close on an active file descriptor for a channel or
          internal mpx node, that object may still be accessed through
          the root of the tree.

          chan(xd) allocates a channel and connects one end of it to
          the mpx file represented by file descriptor xd. Chan returns
          the index of the new channel or a -1 indicating failure.
          The extract primitive can be used to get a non-multiplexed
          file descriptor for the free end of a channel created by
          chan.

          Both chan and join operate on the mpx file specified by xd.
          File descriptors for interior nodes of an mpx tree must be
          preserved or reconstructed with extract for use with join or
          chan. For the remaining commands described here, xd denotes
          the file descriptor for the root of an mpx tree.

          Extract(i, xd) returns a file descriptor for the object with
          index i on the mpx tree with root file descriptor xd. A -1
          is returned by extract if a file descriptor is not available
          or if the arguments do not refer to an existing channel and
          mpx file.

          attach(i, xd)
          detach(i, xd).  If a process A has created an mpx file

     MPX(2)                                                     MPX(2)

          represented by file descriptor xd, then a process B can open
          (see open(2)) the mpx file.  The purpose is to establish a
          channel between A and B through the mpx file.  Attach and
          Detach are used by A to respond to such opens.

          An open request by B fails immediately if a new channel can-
          not be allocated on the mpx file, if the mpx file does not
          exist, or if it does exist but there is no process (A) with
          a multiplexed file descriptor for the mpx file (i.e.  xd as
          returned by mpx(2)). Otherwise a channel with index number i
          is allocated.  The next time A reads on file descriptor xd,
          the WATCH control message (see mpxio(5)) will be delivered
          on channel i. A  responds to this message with attach or
          detach. The former causes the open to complete and return a
          file descriptor to B.  The latter deallocates channel i and
          causes the open to fail.

          One mpx file may be placed in `listener' mode.  This is done
          by writing ioctl(xd, MXLSTN, 0) where xd is an mpx file
          descriptor and MXLSTN is defined in /usr/include/sgtty.h.
          The semantics of listener mode are that all file names dis-
          covered by open(2) to have the syntax system!pathname (see
          uucp(1)) are treated as opens on the mpx file.  The operat-
          ing system sends the listener process an OPEN message (see
          mpxio(5)) which includes the file name being opened.  Attach
          and detach then apply as described above.

          Detach has two other uses: it closes and releases the
          resources of any active channel it is applied to, and should
          be used to respond to a CLOSE message (see mpxio(5)) on a
          channel so the channel may be reused.

          connect(fd, cd, end).  Fd is a character file descriptor and
          cd is a file descriptor for a channel, such as might be
          obtained via extract( chan(xd), xd) or by open(2) followed
          by attach. Connect splices the two streams together.  If end
          is negative, only the output of fd is spliced to the input
          of cd. If end is positive, the output of cd is spliced to
          the input of fd. If end is zero, then both splices are made.

          npgrp(i, xd, pgrp).  If xd is negative npgrp applies to the
          process executing it, otherwise i and xd are interpreted as
          a channel index and mpx file descriptor and npgrp is applied
          to the process on the non-multiplexed end of the channel.
          If pgrp is zero, the process group number of the indicated
          process is set to the process number of that process, other-
          wise the value of pgrp is used as the process group number.

          Npgrp normally returns the new process group number.  If i
          and xd specify  a nonexistant channel, npgrp returns -1.

          ckill(i, xd, signal) sends the specified signal (see

     MPX(2)                                                     MPX(2)

          signal(2)) through the channel specified by i and xd. If the
          channel is connected to anything other than a process, ckill
          is a null operation.  If there is a process at the other end
          of the channel, the process group will be interrupted (see
          signal(2), kill(2)). Ckill normally returns signal. If ch
          and xd specify a nonexistent channel, ckill returns -1.

     FILES
          /usr/include/sys/mx.h
          /usr/include/sgtty.h

     SEE ALSO
          mpxio(5)

     BUGS
          Mpx files are an experimental part of the operating system
          more subject to change and prone to bugs than other parts.
          Maintenance programs, e.g.  icheck(1), diagnose mpx files as
          an illegal mode.  Channels may only be connected to objects
          in the operating system that are accessible through the line
          discipline mechanism.  Higher performace line disciplines
          are needed.  The maximum tree depth restriction is not
          really checked.  A non-destructive disconnect primitive
          (inverse of connect) is not provided.  A non-blocking flow
          control strategy based on messages defined in mpxio(5)
          should not be attempted by novices; the enabling ioctl com-
          mand should be protected.  The join operation could be sub-
          sumed by connect. A mechanism is needed for moving a channel
          from one location in an mpx tree to another.