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10202: Re: [MUD-Dev] Multi-threaded mud server.
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From: Jo Dillon <emily@thelonious.new.ox.ac.uk>
Newsgroups: nu.kanga.list.mud-dev
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 17:09:54 +0100
References: [1] [2] [3] <-newest
Organization: Kanga.Nu
Jon A. Lambert (jlsysinc@ix.netcom.com) spake thusly:
> Here's a common example:
>
> There exists a 400 mhz Pentium II single-processor with 64 Mb of memory
> running Redhat Linux. Running on the server is ftpd, httpd, telnetd,
> smptd, dns, a stock Diku mud server, a DGD LP mud server, and a ColdMUD
> server. The server is probably underloaded.
>
> Is there context switching going on here? YES! Loads and loads of the
> "expensive" process-level context switching.
>
> <rant>
> Now suppose I wish to redesign and multi-thread that Diku mud server.
> Why would I WORRY about the overhead of "cheaper" thread-level context
> switching?
> Why should I CARE at the application-level how many processors are
> present on the friggin box!?!@#!??
> </rant>
>
Isn't the point that every time you context switch you invalidate the
cache (since the new thread of execution will be in a different chunk of
memory to the old one), and therefore if you have more threads than
processors you context-switch <bignum> times a second, therefore constantly
invalidating your cache and giving yourself a big speed hit?
--
Jo
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