The pvm module provides an interface to the pvm library. This section assumes that the reader has read at least some of the pvm documentation.
The module differs from the pvm library in the following ways:
The module exports the following functions:
make-pvm-idCompiler
creates a pvm-id which can be used
to broadcast to a group of remote processes. Note that this is
simply a cons cell.
pvm-statusCompiler
Query the status of the process with
id id.
pvm-sendCompiler
Send a message of type type to the process specified by
the id dest containing the value msg. If a reader is
specified it is used to handle any complex lisp types inside the
message.
pvm-recvCompiler
Block until a message of type type is recieved. If info?
is nil, then the message is returned. If info? is non-nil, a
list is returned in the following format: (msg type from)
where msg is the message, type is the type and from is the process-id
of the sending processes.
pvm-recv-multiCompiler
As pvm-recv, but blocks until a message which has a type in the
type-list.
pvm-initiate-by-typeCompiler
Start a process on a host of the specified type with the name name. It returns the pvm identifier of the process.
pvm-initiate-by-hostnameCompiler
Start a process on the host with name hostname with the name
name
pvm-enrollCompiler
Enroll into pvm under the given name. Must be called before any other
pvm function.
pvm-leaveCompiler Exit from pvm-control. After this is called, all pvm functions return an error message (except pvm-enroll).
pvm-probeCompiler
Test for messages of a given type. Returns the type, or nil if no
message of that type is in the input queue.
pvm-probe-multiCompiler Test for messages from a list of types. Not yet implemented (as of PVM 2.4). Can be simulated via probe.
pvm-whoamiCompiler Return the pvm-id (the value returned by enroll) of the process.
pvm-make-id-from-pairCompiler
Construct a pvm-identifier from a cons cell. Mostly used when passing
addresses around — when a pvm-id is sent, it is read as a cons-cell.
This operation is now a null operation.
The other functions provided are
The Feel versions are untested, but ought to work. See the PVM documentation for details about their functionality.