Parallel::ForkManager 0.7.5

Parallel::ForkManager is a Perl module created by Balázs Szabó (dLux). It provides a simple interface for parallel processing using forks in Perl programs.

Parallel::ForkManager creates a pool of forked child processes to distribute the workload across multiple CPU cores. It allows you to define the number of child processes to run in parallel and provides methods for managing these processes.

Some key features of Parallel::ForkManager include easy interface to manage parallel tasks, control over the number of child processes, ability to track child process completion and retrieval of their results, and automatic reaping of completed child processes.

You can install Parallel::ForkManager from CPAN using the cpan command: 'cpan Parallel::ForkManager'. Alternatively, you can download the module from CPAN or its GitHub repository and install it manually.

To create a new instance of Parallel::ForkManager, you can use the constructor 'new()' method, e.g., 'my $pm = Parallel::ForkManager->new($max_procs)'. The '$max_procs' parameter specifies the maximum number of child processes to run in parallel.

You can add tasks for parallel processing using the 'start()' method of Parallel::ForkManager. For example, '$pm->start()'. You can pass a block of code to be executed in parallel as an argument to 'start()' method.

You can wait for all the child processes to finish their tasks using the 'wait_all_children()' method of Parallel::ForkManager. For example, '$pm->wait_all_children()'. This method waits until all child processes have completed their tasks before proceeding.

Parallel::ForkManager provides the 'finish()' method to retrieve the results of parallel tasks. Within each child process, you can use 'finish($result)' to return a result. On the parent side, you can use 'waitpid()' to get the child process IDs and then retrieve the associated results using 'parallel_waitpid()'.

No, Parallel::ForkManager doesn't provide built-in features for inter-process communication between parent and child processes. If you need communication between processes, you can use other Perl modules like IPC::Open2, IPC::Open3, or AnyEvent.

Some considerations when using Parallel::ForkManager include potential issues with shared resources like file handles or databases, careful handling of exceptions within child processes to prevent termination of the parent process, and appropriate cleanup of resources after parallel processing is finished.