Custom Distributed Class

Distributed system supports sending distributed messages from any class implementing IMessageSender to the objects of classes IMessageReceiver. A custom class can implement both interfaces, address key property will be shared.

Address Key top#

Key property of the IMessageSender and IMessageReceiver is an address for the distributed messages. This key must be globally unique and deterministic, on every machine in every Simulation run the key of an object has to return the same value.

Registration top#

Every object that is going to send or receive distributed messages has to register itself in the MessagesManager. In the Simulator MessagesManager instance is available in the: Loader.Instance.Network.MessagesManager, this property has a null reference if the simulation does not use a cluster. Whenever an object is ready to send or receive distributed messages it has to register itself with the RegisterObject method of the MessagesManager and when an object will no longer send or receiver messages it has to unregister itself with UnregisterObject method of the MessagesManager. Messages received for the unregistered address key will be stored and passed to proper objects after registration.

Message Sender top#

IMessageSender implementation requires:

  • UnicastMessage, a basic implementation invokes UnicastMessage method of an MessagesManager instance;
  • BroadcastMessage, a basic implementation invokes BroadcastMessage method of an MessagesManager instance;
  • UnicastInitialMessages, requires sending every data required for the object initialization using UnicastMessage method.

Message Receiver top#

IMessageReceiver implementation requires:

  • ReceiveMessage, parses every incomming data after object is registered.