Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/master' into wip-1836-durMB-settings-∂π

... and fix up MailboxType docs with new constructor signature.
This commit is contained in:
Roland 2012-02-26 21:38:56 +01:00
commit b4fcc3b2f2
10 changed files with 375 additions and 378 deletions

View file

@ -60,19 +60,17 @@ public class DispatcherDocTestBase {
@Test
public void defineDispatcher() {
//#defining-dispatcher
ActorRef myActor1 = system.actorOf(new Props(MyUntypedActor.class).withDispatcher("my-dispatcher"),
"myactor1");
ActorRef myActor2 = system.actorOf(new Props(MyUntypedActor.class).withDispatcher("my-dispatcher"),
"myactor2");
ActorRef myActor =
system.actorOf(new Props(MyUntypedActor.class).withDispatcher("my-dispatcher"),
"myactor3");
//#defining-dispatcher
}
@Test
public void definePinnedDispatcher() {
//#defining-pinned-dispatcher
String name = "myactor";
ActorRef myActor = system.actorOf(new Props(MyUntypedActor.class)
.withDispatcher("myactor-dispatcher"), name);
.withDispatcher("my-pinned-dispatcher"));
//#defining-pinned-dispatcher
}
@ -80,11 +78,13 @@ public class DispatcherDocTestBase {
public void priorityDispatcher() throws Exception {
//#prio-dispatcher
ActorRef myActor = system.actorOf( // We create a new Actor that just prints out what it processes
// We create a new Actor that just prints out what it processes
ActorRef myActor = system.actorOf(
new Props().withCreator(new UntypedActorFactory() {
public UntypedActor create() {
return new UntypedActor() {
LoggingAdapter log = Logging.getLogger(getContext().system(), this);
LoggingAdapter log =
Logging.getLogger(getContext().system(), this);
{
getSelf().tell("lowpriority");
getSelf().tell("lowpriority");
@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ public class DispatcherDocTestBase {
}
};
}
}).withDispatcher("prio-dispatcher-java"));
}).withDispatcher("prio-dispatcher"));
/*
Logs:
@ -123,19 +123,20 @@ public class DispatcherDocTestBase {
}
//#prio-mailbox
public static class PrioMailbox extends UnboundedPriorityMailbox {
public PrioMailbox(ActorSystem.Settings settings, Config config) { // needed for reflective instantiation
super(new PriorityGenerator() { // Create a new PriorityGenerator, lower prio means more important
public static class MyPrioMailbox extends UnboundedPriorityMailbox {
public MyPrioMailbox(ActorSystem.Settings settings, Config config) { // needed for reflective instantiation
// Create a new PriorityGenerator, lower prio means more important
super(new PriorityGenerator() {
@Override
public int gen(Object message) {
if (message.equals("highpriority"))
return 0; // 'highpriority messages should be treated first if possible
else if (message.equals("lowpriority"))
return 100; // 'lowpriority messages should be treated last if possible
return 2; // 'lowpriority messages should be treated last if possible
else if (message.equals(Actors.poisonPill()))
return 1000; // PoisonPill when no other left
return 3; // PoisonPill when no other left
else
return 50; // We default to 50
return 1; // By default they go between high and low prio
}
});
}

View file

@ -7,204 +7,167 @@ Dispatchers (Java)
.. contents:: :local:
The Dispatcher is an important piece that allows you to configure the right semantics and parameters for optimal performance, throughput and scalability. Different Actors have different needs.
Akka supports dispatchers for both event-driven lightweight threads, allowing creation of millions of threads on a single workstation, and thread-based Actors, where each dispatcher is bound to a dedicated OS thread.
The event-based Actors currently consume ~600 bytes per Actor which means that you can create more than 6.5 million Actors on 4 GB RAM.
An Akka ``MessageDispatcher`` is what makes Akka Actors "tick", it is the engine of the machine so to speak.
All ``MessageDispatcher`` implementations are also an ``ExecutionContext``, which means that they can be used
to execute arbitrary code, for instance :ref:`futures-java`.
Default dispatcher
------------------
For most scenarios the default settings are the best. Here we have one single event-based dispatcher for all Actors created.
The default dispatcher is available from the ``ActorSystem.dispatcher`` and can be configured in the ``akka.actor.default-dispatcher``
section of the :ref:`configuration`.
Every ``ActorSystem`` will have a default dispatcher that will be used in case nothing else is configured for an ``Actor``.
The default dispatcher can be configured, and is by default a ``Dispatcher`` with a "fork-join-executor", which gives excellent performance in most cases.
If you are starting to get contention on the single dispatcher (the ``Executor`` and its queue) or want to group a specific set of Actors
for a dedicated dispatcher for better flexibility and configurability then you can override the defaults and define your own dispatcher.
See below for details on which ones are available and how they can be configured.
Setting the dispatcher for an Actor
-----------------------------------
.. warning::
Try to stick to a sensible default dispatcher, that means avoid using CallingThreadDispatcher, BalancingDispatcher or PinnedDispatcher
as the default-dispatcher. This is because they have very specific requirements from the environment in which they are used.
So in case you want to give your ``Actor`` a different dispatcher than the default, you need to do two things, of which the first is:
Setting the dispatcher
----------------------
.. includecode:: ../java/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocTestBase.java#defining-dispatcher
You specify the id of the dispatcher to use when creating an actor. The id corresponds to the :ref:`configuration` key
of the dispatcher settings.
.. note::
The "dispatcherId" you specify in withDispatcher is in fact a path into your configuration.
So in this example it's a top-level section, but you could for instance put it as a sub-section,
where you'd use periods to denote sub-sections, like this: ``"foo.bar.my-dispatcher"``
.. includecode:: code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocTestBase.java
:include: imports,defining-dispatcher
And then you just need to configure that dispatcher in your configuration:
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala#my-dispatcher-config
And here's another example that uses the "thread-pool-executor":
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala#my-thread-pool-dispatcher-config
For more options, see the default-dispatcher section of the :ref:`configuration`.
Types of dispatchers
--------------------
There are 4 different types of message dispatchers:
* Thread-based (Pinned)
* Event-based
* Priority event-based
* Work-sharing (Balancing)
* Dispatcher
It is recommended to define the dispatcher in :ref:`configuration` to allow for tuning for different environments.
- Sharability: Unlimited
Example of a custom event-based dispatcher, which can be used with
``new Props().withCreator(MyUntypedActor.class).withDispatcher("my-dispatcher")``
as in the example above:
- Mailboxes: Any, creates one per Actor
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala#my-dispatcher-config
- Use cases: Default dispatcher, Bulkheading
Default values are taken from ``default-dispatcher``, i.e. all options doesn't need to be defined. See
:ref:`configuration` for the default values of the ``default-dispatcher``. You can also override
the values for the ``default-dispatcher`` in your configuration.
- Driven by: ``java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService``
specify using "executor" using "fork-join-executor",
"thread-pool-executor" or the FQCN of
an ``akka.dispatcher.ExecutorServiceConfigurator``
.. note::
* PinnedDispatcher
It should be noted that the ``dispatcher-id`` used in :class:`Props` is in
fact an absolute path into the configuration object, i.e. you can declare a
dispatcher configuration nested within other configuration objects and refer
to it like so: ``"my.config.object.myAwesomeDispatcher"``
- Sharability: None
There are two different executor services:
- Mailboxes: Any, creates one per Actor
* executor = "fork-join-executor", ``ExecutorService`` based on ForkJoinPool (jsr166y). This is used by default for
``default-dispatcher``.
* executor = "thread-pool-executor", ``ExecutorService`` based on ``java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor``.
- Use cases: Bulkheading
Note that the pool size is configured differently for the two executor services. The configuration above
is an example for ``fork-join-executor``. Below is an example for ``thread-pool-executor``:
- Driven by: Any ``akka.dispatch.ThreadPoolExecutorConfigurator``
by default a "thread-pool-executor"
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala#my-thread-pool-dispatcher-config
* BalancingDispatcher
Let's now walk through the different dispatchers in more detail.
- Sharability: Actors of the same type only
Thread-based
^^^^^^^^^^^^
- Mailboxes: Any, creates one for all Actors
The ``PinnedDispatcher`` binds a dedicated OS thread to each specific Actor. The messages are posted to a
`LinkedBlockingQueue <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/LinkedBlockingQueue.html>`_
which feeds the messages to the dispatcher one by one. A ``PinnedDispatcher`` cannot be shared between actors. This dispatcher
has worse performance and scalability than the event-based dispatcher but works great for creating "daemon" Actors that consumes
a low frequency of messages and are allowed to go off and do their own thing for a longer period of time. Another advantage with
this dispatcher is that Actors do not block threads for each other.
- Use cases: Work-sharing
The ``PinnedDispatcher`` is configured like this:
- Driven by: ``java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService``
specify using "executor" using "fork-join-executor",
"thread-pool-executor" or the FQCN of
an ``akka.dispatcher.ExecutorServiceConfigurator``
* CallingThreadDispatcher
- Sharability: Unlimited
- Mailboxes: Any, creates one per Actor per Thread (on demand)
- Use cases: Testing
- Driven by: The calling thread (duh)
More dispatcher configuration examples
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Configuring a ``PinnedDispatcher``:
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala#my-pinned-dispatcher-config
Note that it must be used with ``executor = "thread-pool-executor"``.
And then using it:
Event-based
^^^^^^^^^^^
.. includecode:: ../java/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocTestBase.java#defining-pinned-dispatcher
The event-based ``Dispatcher`` binds a set of Actors to a thread pool backed up by a
`BlockingQueue <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/BlockingQueue.html>`_. This dispatcher is highly configurable
and supports a fluent configuration API to configure the ``BlockingQueue`` (type of queue, max items etc.) as well as the thread pool.
Mailboxes
---------
The event-driven dispatchers **must be shared** between multiple Actors. One best practice is to let each top-level Actor, e.g.
the Actors you create from ``system.actorOf`` to get their own dispatcher but reuse the dispatcher for each new Actor
that the top-level Actor creates. But you can also share dispatcher between multiple top-level Actors. This is very use-case specific
and needs to be tried out on a case by case basis. The important thing is that Akka tries to provide you with the freedom you need to
design and implement your system in the most efficient way in regards to performance, throughput and latency.
An Akka ``Mailbox`` holds the messages that are destined for an ``Actor``.
Normally each ``Actor`` has its own mailbox, but with example a ``BalancingDispatcher`` all actors with the same ``BalancingDispatcher`` will share a single instance.
It comes with many different predefined BlockingQueue configurations:
Builtin implementations
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
* Bounded `LinkedBlockingQueue <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/LinkedBlockingQueue.html>`_
* Unbounded `LinkedBlockingQueue <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/LinkedBlockingQueue.html>`_
* Bounded `ArrayBlockingQueue <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/ArrayBlockingQueue.html>`_
* Unbounded `ArrayBlockingQueue <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/ArrayBlockingQueue.html>`_
* `SynchronousQueue <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/SynchronousQueue.html>`_
Akka comes shipped with a number of default mailbox implementations:
When using a bounded queue and it has grown up to limit defined the message processing will run in the caller's
thread as a way to slow him down and balance producer/consumer.
* UnboundedMailbox
Here is an example of a bounded mailbox:
- Backed by a ``java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentLinkedQueue``
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala#my-bounded-config
- Blocking: No
The standard :class:`Dispatcher` allows you to define the ``throughput`` it
should have, as shown above. This defines the number of messages for a specific
Actor the dispatcher should process in one single sweep; in other words, the
dispatcher will batch process up to ``throughput`` messages together when
having elected an actor to run. Setting this to a higher number will increase
throughput but lower fairness, and vice versa. If you don't specify it explicitly
then it uses the value (5) defined for ``default-dispatcher`` in the :ref:`configuration`.
- Bounded: No
Browse the `ScalaDoc <scaladoc>`_ or look at the code for all the options available.
* BoundedMailbox
Priority event-based
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- Backed by a ``java.util.concurrent.LinkedBlockingQueue``
Sometimes it's useful to be able to specify priority order of messages, that is done by using Dispatcher and supply
an UnboundedPriorityMailbox or BoundedPriorityMailbox with a ``java.util.Comparator[Envelope]`` or use a
``akka.dispatch.PriorityGenerator`` (recommended).
- Blocking: Yes
Creating a Dispatcher with a mailbox using PriorityGenerator:
- Bounded: Yes
Config:
* UnboundedPriorityMailbox
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala
:include: prio-dispatcher-config-java
- Backed by a ``java.util.concurrent.PriorityBlockingQueue``
Priority mailbox:
- Blocking: Yes
.. includecode:: code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocTestBase.java
:include: imports-prio-mailbox,prio-mailbox
- Bounded: No
Usage:
* BoundedPriorityMailbox
.. includecode:: code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocTestBase.java
:include: imports-prio,prio-dispatcher
- Backed by a ``java.util.PriorityBlockingQueue`` wrapped in an ``akka.util.BoundedBlockingQueue``
- Blocking: Yes
Work-sharing event-based
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- Bounded: Yes
The ``BalancingDispatcher`` is a variation of the ``Dispatcher`` in which Actors of the same type can be set up to
share this dispatcher and during execution time the different actors will steal messages from other actors if they
have less messages to process.
Although the technique used in this implementation is commonly known as "work stealing", the actual implementation is probably
best described as "work donating" because the actor of which work is being stolen takes the initiative.
This can be a great way to improve throughput at the cost of a little higher latency.
* Durable mailboxes, see :ref:`durable-mailboxes`.
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala#my-balancing-config
Mailbox configuration examples
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Here is an article with some more information: `Load Balancing Actors with Work Stealing Techniques <http://janvanbesien.blogspot.com/2010/03/load-balancing-actors-with-work.html>`_
Here is another article discussing this particular dispatcher: `Flexible load balancing with Akka in Scala <http://vasilrem.com/blog/software-development/flexible-load-balancing-with-akka-in-scala/>`_
How to create a PriorityMailbox:
Making the Actor mailbox bounded
--------------------------------
.. includecode:: ../java/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocTestBase.java#prio-mailbox
Global configuration
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
And then add it to the configuration:
You can make the Actor mailbox bounded by a capacity in two ways. Either you define it in the :ref:`configuration` file under
``default-dispatcher``. This will set it globally as default for the DefaultDispatcher and for other configured dispatchers,
if not specified otherwise.
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala#prio-dispatcher-config
.. code-block:: ruby
And then an example on how you would use it:
akka {
actor {
default-dispatcher {
# If negative (or zero) then an unbounded mailbox is used (default)
# If positive then a bounded mailbox is used and the capacity is set to the number specified
mailbox-capacity = 1000
}
}
}
.. includecode:: ../java/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocTestBase.java#prio-dispatcher
Per-instance based configuration
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
.. note::
You can also do it on a specific dispatcher instance.
.. includecode:: ../scala/code/akka/docs/dispatcher/DispatcherDocSpec.scala#my-bounded-config
For the ``PinnedDispatcher``, it is non-shareable between actors, and associates a dedicated Thread with the actor.
Making it bounded (by specifying a capacity) is optional, but if you do, you need to provide a pushTimeout (default is 10 seconds).
When trying to send a message to the Actor it will throw a MessageQueueAppendFailedException("BlockingMessageTransferQueue transfer timed out")
if the message cannot be added to the mailbox within the time specified by the pushTimeout.
Make sure to include a constructor which takes
``akka.actor.ActorSystem.Settings`` and ``com.typesafe.config.Config``
arguments, as this constructor is invoked reflectively to construct your
mailbox type. The config passed in as second argument is that section from
the configuration which describes the dispatcher using this mailbox type; the
mailbox type will be instantiated once for each dispatcher using it.