Network server paradigms (ctd)

Multiplexed IO - kqueue() / /dev/poll

Modern UNIX magic (freebsd, solaris, IRIX)
IO "events" are registered with the OS, which then informs you when they are ready
No time is wasted re-polling file descriptors
FreeBSD's kqueue is O(1) for any useful number of filedescriptors
(where n has been tested out to 20,000 by me at least!)
Registering and checking for IO events is now easier ..
.. but you now hit a ceiling due to the actual read/write APIs