Reactor/Proactor patterns

Reactor/Proactor Patterns in Assembly Language

The Reactor and Proactor patterns are commonly used in software development to handle asynchronous I/O operations. These patterns are particularly useful in scenarios where multiple I/O operations need to be managed concurrently.

Reactor Pattern: The Reactor pattern is an event-driven design pattern that allows an application to handle multiple I/O operations simultaneously. It consists of the following components:

  1. Event Demultiplexer: This component waits for events from multiple I/O sources, such as sockets or file descriptors. It notifies the Reactor when an event occurs.

  2. Reactor: The Reactor is responsible for dispatching events to the appropriate event handlers. It maintains a registry of event handlers and their associated events.

  3. Event Handlers: Event handlers are responsible for performing specific actions when an event occurs. They are registered with the Reactor and are invoked when the corresponding event is triggered.

The Reactor pattern provides a scalable and efficient way to handle multiple I/O operations without blocking the main thread of execution.

Proactor Pattern: The Proactor pattern is another event-driven design pattern that is similar to the Reactor pattern. It is commonly used in systems that require high concurrency and scalability. The Proactor pattern consists of the following components:

  1. Asynchronous Operation: An asynchronous operation is initiated by the application and is performed in the background. The application is notified when the operation completes.

  2. Completion Handler: The completion handler is responsible for handling the result of the asynchronous operation. It is invoked when the operation completes and provides the application with the result.

  3. Proactor: The Proactor is responsible for initiating and coordinating asynchronous operations. It manages the completion handlers and dispatches them when the corresponding operation completes.

The Proactor pattern allows the application to initiate multiple asynchronous operations and handle their results without blocking the main thread.

Both the Reactor and Proactor patterns are widely used in modern software development to handle asynchronous I/O operations efficiently and improve system performance.

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