pcntrl_fork - how to use.

[wwwwizard]

I'm a little confused on what pcntrl_fork does.

I'm looking to run several different processes concurrently. Each process contacts another server looking for information. When all the processes are done, I can move forward in the script.

Each process takes around 5 seconds. When I run them serially, my script can take over a minute to run. If I can run all the processes simultaneously, my script execution should be less than 7 seconds.

Is forking the same as multi-threading?

Can I use pcntrl_fork to start up several simultaneous processes and then have the script wait for the processes to finish?

Can you attach a basic code snippet?

Much appreciated.

[van__]

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Is forking the same as multi-threading?

No, multi-threading is 1 process that has multiple sub-processes (threads) that run inside it. A Fork actually spawns a copy of the parent process that runs independantly of the parent.

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Can I use pcntrl_fork to start up several simultaneous processes and then have the script wait for the processes to finish?

Yes you can do that.

And you can get a basic script for a forking process server here:
http://www.php.net/manual/en/ref.pcntl.php