Network, Computer and Programming Resources

Network - IPC (Interprocess Communication)

IPC is a set of services for exchanging control information and data between separate processes or programs on the same or different hosts. OS/2 implements IPC as part of its multitasking capabilities. IPC between processes on the same machine can use any of several mechanisms, including the following: n Shared memory, in which the two processes both access a common area of memory. n Named pipes, in which a two-way virtual circuit is established. For sharing on a network, named pipes (which allow two-way communications) must be used. n Semaphores, in which the processes signal when there is something to communicate. IPC capabilities are particularly important for applications that run in client/server computing environments.