distcc User Manual: distcc Internals

Next Previous Contents

## 6. distcc Internals

## 6.1 Protocol

distcc uses a simple, application-specific protocol running directly over a TCP socket. A new request socket is opened for each job.

The request and response begin with a magic number and version number, allowing incompatible versions or misconfigurations to be identified. At the moment there is only one deployed protocol version, and no attempt to support backward or forward compatibility, though this could be added in the future.

The request and response consist of tagged, length-preceded elements. Each element of the request contains a four-character ASCII token, an eight-digit ASCII hexadecimal length or value, and, depending on the tag, a byte stream whose length is determined by the hexadecimal field.

The complete request is sent to the server before the reply begins. Opening the TCP socket is performed concurrently with execution of the preprocessor on the client.

The request from the client contains

1. Magic number and version
2. Compiler command line
3. Preprocessed source code

The response from the server contains

1. Magic number and version
2. Compiler exit code & status
3. Compiler error messages
4. Compiler stdout
5. Object file (if any)

Consult the source for more information.

## 6.2 Working files

distcc stores working files in a subdirectory of `/tmp`. These include synchronization files, and compiler input/output temporary files.

Temporary files should normally be cleaned up when the program exits. If distcc misbehaves, these files may be useful in tracking down the cause. Any that remain can be removed by the system's temporary file reaper, or by hand.

## 6.3 Lock files

distcc uses lock files to allow each client to balance its jobs across available volunteer machines. For each volunteer host, a zero-length file is created. Clients using that volunteer hold a `flock` lock on the file while running.

Next Previous Contents
distcc User Manual