Example 17.5: preforker

#!/usr/bin/perl
# preforker - server who forks first
use IO::Socket;
use Symbol;
use POSIX;

# establish SERVER socket, bind and listen.
$server = IO::Socket::INET->new(LocalPort => 6969,
                                Type      => SOCK_STREAM,
                                Proto     => 'tcp',
                                Reuse     => 1,
                                Listen    => 10 )
  or die "making socket: $@\n";

# global variables
$PREFORK                = 5;        # number of children to maintain
$MAX_CLIENTS_PER_CHILD  = 5;        # number of clients each child should process
%children               = ();       # keys are current child process IDs
$children               = 0;        # current number of children

sub REAPER {                        # takes care of dead children
    $SIG{CHLD} = \&REAPER;
    my $pid = wait;
    $children --;
    delete $children{$pid};
}

sub HUNTSMAN {                      # signal handler for SIGINT
    local($SIG{CHLD}) = 'IGNORE';   # we're going to kill our children
    kill 'INT' => keys %children;
    exit;                           # clean up with dignity
}
    
# Fork off our children.
for (1 .. $PREFORK) {
    make_new_child();
}

# Install signal handlers.
$SIG{CHLD} = \&REAPER;
$SIG{INT}  = \&HUNTSMAN;

# And maintain the population.
while (1) {
    sleep;                          # wait for a signal (i.e., child's death)
    for ($i = $children; $i < $PREFORK; $i++) {
        make_new_child();           # top up the child pool
    }
}

sub make_new_child {
    my $pid;
    my $sigset;
    
    # block signal for fork
    $sigset = POSIX::SigSet->new(SIGINT);
    sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, $sigset)
        or die "Can't block SIGINT for fork: $!\n";
    
    die "fork: $!" unless defined ($pid = fork);
    
    if ($pid) {
        # Parent records the child's birth and returns.
        sigprocmask(SIG_UNBLOCK, $sigset)
            or die "Can't unblock SIGINT for fork: $!\n";
        $children{$pid} = 1;
        $children++;
        return;
    } else {
        # Child can *not* return from this subroutine.
        $SIG{INT} = 'DEFAULT';      # make SIGINT kill us as it did before
    
        # unblock signals
        sigprocmask(SIG_UNBLOCK, $sigset)
            or die "Can't unblock SIGINT for fork: $!\n";
    
        # handle connections until we've reached $MAX_CLIENTS_PER_CHILD
        for ($i=0; $i < $MAX_CLIENTS_PER_CHILD; $i++) {
            $client = $server->accept()     or last;
            # do something with the connection
        }
    
        # tidy up gracefully and finish
    
        # this exit is VERY important, otherwise the child will become
        # a producer of more and more children, forking yourself into
        # process death.
        exit;
    }
}