missing waitpid() and server functionality at Windows

missing waitpid() and server functionality at Windows

[Michal Šmucr]

Hello,

previously I've used fio mainly at Linux and OS X, so I didn't have any 
issues with fio in server mode. Now I'm trying to simulate workload to 
shared storage for Windows clients and this functionality with remote 
control of fio instances running at Windows machines will be very handy.
Unfortunately it isn't possible to use it that way, because of missing 
waitpid() syscall implementation and forking in MinGw builds for Windows.

I've stumbled upon at some messages posted 2y ago, where Bruce explained it.
http://www.spinics.net/lists/fio/msg02565.html

I don't know, if I got it correctly, but can be a build with Cygwin 
toolchain possible workaround for this issue?
I've tried to compile current fio with Cygwin (so no MinGw toolchain) 
and compiler variables override, but failed badly.. It doesn't even pass 
through crc/test.c with lot of messed definitions. Is it currently 
possible to build with it or MinGW is currently only way for Windows 
compilation of fio?

Kind regards,

Michal

Re: missing waitpid() and server functionality at Windows

[Sitsofe Wheeler]

I've only just noticed this slipped by without reply - sorry this took so long!

On 9 February 2016 at 22:27, Michal Šmucr <msmucr@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> previously I've used fio mainly at Linux and OS X, so I didn't have any
> issues with fio in server mode. Now I'm trying to simulate workload to
> shared storage for Windows clients and this functionality with remote
> control of fio instances running at Windows machines will be very handy.
> Unfortunately it isn't possible to use it that way, because of missing
> waitpid() syscall implementation and forking in MinGw builds for Windows.
>
> I've stumbled upon at some messages posted 2y ago, where Bruce explained it.
> http://www.spinics.net/lists/fio/msg02565.html
>
> I don't know, if I got it correctly, but can be a build with Cygwin
> toolchain possible workaround for this issue?
> I've tried to compile current fio with Cygwin (so no MinGw toolchain) and
> compiler variables override, but failed badly.. It doesn't even pass through
> crc/test.c with lot of messed definitions. Is it currently possible to build
> with it or MinGW is currently only way for Windows compilation of fio?

Even at the time of writing fio does not build in a "full" Cygwin
environment. It actually tries to be a native Windows program (hence
MinGW) so it can access native Windows calls (rather than Cygwin ones)
and not carry the Cygwin portability library. I suppose someone could
undertake such a port but it would be nicer if server mode could be
made to work with threads (but that's also new work someone would have
to perform).

-- 
Sitsofe | http://sucs.org/~sits/