<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <title>Using Asio</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="../boostbook.css" type="text/css"> <meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.73.2"> <link rel="start" href="../index.html" title="Asio"> <link rel="up" href="../index.html" title="Asio"> <link rel="prev" href="overview/implementation.html" title="Platform-Specific Implementation Notes"> <link rel="next" href="tutorial.html" title="Tutorial"> </head> <body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"> <table cellpadding="2" width="100%"><tr><td valign="top"><img alt="asio C++ library" width="250" height="60" src="../asio.png"></td></tr></table> <hr> <div class="spirit-nav"> <a accesskey="p" href="overview/implementation.html"><img src="../prev.png" alt="Prev"></a><a accesskey="u" href="../index.html"><img src="../up.png" alt="Up"></a><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html"><img src="../home.png" alt="Home"></a><a accesskey="n" href="tutorial.html"><img src="../next.png" alt="Next"></a> </div> <div class="section" lang="en"> <div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"> <a name="asio.using"></a><a class="link" href="using.html" title="Using Asio">Using Asio</a> </h2></div></div></div> <a name="asio.using.supported_platforms"></a><h4> <a name="id636465"></a> <a class="link" href="using.html#asio.using.supported_platforms">Supported Platforms</a> </h4> <p> The following platforms and compilers have been tested: </p> <div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"> <li> Win32 and Win64 using Visual C++ 7.1 and Visual C++ 8.0. </li> <li> Win32 using MinGW. </li> <li> Win32 using Cygwin. (<code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">__USE_W32_SOCKETS</span></code> must be defined.) </li> <li> Linux (2.4 or 2.6 kernels) using g++ 3.3 or later. </li> <li> Solaris using g++ 3.3 or later. </li> <li> Mac OS X 10.4 using g++ 3.3 or later. </li> </ul></div> <p> The following platforms may also work: </p> <div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"> <li> AIX 5.3 using XL C/C++ v9. </li> <li> HP-UX 11i v3 using patched aC++ A.06.14. </li> <li> QNX Neutrino 6.3 using g++ 3.3 or later. </li> <li> Solaris using Sun Studio 11 or later. </li> <li> Tru64 v5.1 using Compaq C++ v7.1. </li> </ul></div> <a name="asio.using.dependencies"></a><h4> <a name="id636585"></a> <a class="link" href="using.html#asio.using.dependencies">Dependencies</a> </h4> <p> The following libraries must be available in order to link programs that use Asio: </p> <div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"> <li> Boost.Regex (optional) if you use any of the <a class="link" href="reference/read_until.html" title="read_until"><code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">read_until</span><span class="special">()</span></code></a> or <a class="link" href="reference/async_read_until.html" title="async_read_until"><code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">async_read_until</span><span class="special">()</span></code></a> overloads that take a <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">boost</span><span class="special">::</span><span class="identifier">regex</span></code> parameter. </li> <li> <a href="http://www.openssl.org" target="_top">OpenSSL</a> (optional) if you use Asio's SSL support. </li> </ul></div> <p> Furthermore, some of the examples also require Boost.Date_Time or Boost.Serialization libraries. </p> <div class="note"><table border="0" summary="Note"> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="../note.png"></td> <th align="left">Note</th> </tr> <tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p> With MSVC or Borland C++ you may want to add <code class="computeroutput"><span class="special">-</span><span class="identifier">DBOOST_DATE_TIME_NO_LIB</span></code> and <code class="computeroutput"><span class="special">-</span><span class="identifier">DBOOST_REGEX_NO_LIB</span></code> to your project settings to disable autolinking of the Boost.Date_Time and Boost.Regex libraries respectively. Alternatively, you may choose to build these libraries and link to them. </p></td></tr> </table></div> <a name="asio.using.optional_separate_compilation"></a><h4> <a name="id636732"></a> <a class="link" href="using.html#asio.using.optional_separate_compilation">Optional separate compilation</a> </h4> <p> By default, Asio is a header-only library. However, some developers may prefer to build Asio using separately compiled source code. To do this, add <code class="computeroutput"><span class="preprocessor">#include</span> <span class="special"><</span><span class="identifier">asio</span><span class="special">/</span><span class="identifier">impl</span><span class="special">/</span><span class="identifier">src</span><span class="special">.</span><span class="identifier">hpp</span><span class="special">></span></code> to one (and only one) source file in a program, then build the program with <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_SEPARATE_COMPILATION</span></code> defined in the project/compiler settings. Alternatively, <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DYN_LINK</span></code> may be defined to build a separately-compiled Asio as part of a shared library. </p> <a name="asio.using.building_the_tests_and_examples_on_linux_or_unix"></a><h4> <a name="id636832"></a> <a class="link" href="using.html#asio.using.building_the_tests_and_examples_on_linux_or_unix">Building the tests and examples on Linux or UNIX</a> </h4> <p> If the boost directory (e.g. the directory called <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">boost_1_34_1</span></code>) is in the same directory as the asio source kit, then you may configure asio by simply going: </p> <pre class="programlisting"><span class="special">./</span><span class="identifier">configure</span> </pre> <p> in the root directory of the asio source kit. Note that configure will always use the most recent boost version it knows about (i.e. 1.34.1) in preference to earlier versions, if there is more than one version present. </p> <p> If the boost directory is in some other location, then you need to specify this directory when running configure: </p> <pre class="programlisting"><span class="special">./</span><span class="identifier">configure</span> <span class="special">--</span><span class="identifier">with</span><span class="special">-</span><span class="identifier">boost</span><span class="special">=</span><span class="emphasis"><em>path_to_boost</em></span> </pre> <p> When specifying the boost directory in this way you should ensure that you use an absolute path. </p> <p> To build the examples, simply run <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">make</span></code> in the root directory of the asio source kit. To also build and run the unit tests, to confirm that asio is working correctly, run <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">make</span> <span class="identifier">check</span></code>. </p> <a name="asio.using.building_the_tests_and_examples_with_msvc"></a><h4> <a name="id636971"></a> <a class="link" href="using.html#asio.using.building_the_tests_and_examples_with_msvc">Building the tests and examples with MSVC</a> </h4> <p> To build using the MSVC 7.1 or MSVC 8.0 command line compiler, perform the following steps in a Command Prompt window: </p> <div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"> <li> If you are using a version of boost other than 1.34.1, or if the boost directory (i.e. the directory called <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">boost_1_34_1</span></code>) is not in the same directory as the asio source kit, then specify the location of boost by running a command similar to <code class="literal">set BOOSTDIR=<span class="emphasis"><em>path_to_boost</em></span></code>. Ensure that you specify an absolute path. </li> <li> Change to the asio <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">src</span></code> directory. </li> <li> Execute the command <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">nmake</span> <span class="special">-</span><span class="identifier">f</span> <span class="identifier">Makefile</span><span class="special">.</span><span class="identifier">msc</span></code>. </li> <li> Execute the command <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">nmake</span> <span class="special">-</span><span class="identifier">f</span> <span class="identifier">Makefile</span><span class="special">.</span><span class="identifier">msc</span> <span class="identifier">check</span></code> to run a suite of tests to confirm that asio is working correctly. </li> </ul></div> <a name="asio.using.building_the_tests_and_examples_with_mingw"></a><h4> <a name="id637133"></a> <a class="link" href="using.html#asio.using.building_the_tests_and_examples_with_mingw">Building the tests and examples with MinGW</a> </h4> <p> To build using the MinGW g++ compiler from the command line, perform the following steps in a Command Prompt window: </p> <div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"> <li> If you are using a version of boost other than 1.34.1, or if the boost directory (i.e. the directory called <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">boost_1_34_1</span></code>) is not in the same directory as the asio source kit, then specify the location of boost by running a command similar to <code class="literal">set BOOSTDIR=<span class="emphasis"><em>path_to_boost</em></span></code>. Ensure that you specify an absolute path using <span class="emphasis"><em>forward slashes</em></span> (i.e. <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">c</span><span class="special">:/</span><span class="identifier">projects</span><span class="special">/</span><span class="identifier">boost_1_34_1</span></code> rather than <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">c</span><span class="special">:\</span><span class="identifier">projects</span><span class="special">\</span><span class="identifier">boost_1_34_1</span></code>). </li> <li> Change to the asio <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">src</span></code> directory. </li> <li> Execute the command <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">make</span> <span class="special">-</span><span class="identifier">f</span> <span class="identifier">Makefile</span><span class="special">.</span><span class="identifier">mgw</span></code>. </li> <li> Execute the command <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">make</span> <span class="special">-</span><span class="identifier">f</span> <span class="identifier">Makefile</span><span class="special">.</span><span class="identifier">mgw</span> <span class="identifier">check</span></code> to run a suite of tests to confirm that asio is working correctly. </li> </ul></div> <div class="note"><table border="0" summary="Note"> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="../note.png"></td> <th align="left">Note</th> </tr> <tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p> The above instructions do not work when building inside MSYS. If you want to build using MSYS, you should use <code class="literal">export</code> rather than <code class="literal">set</code> to specify the location of boost. </p></td></tr> </table></div> <a name="asio.using.macros"></a><h4> <a name="id637375"></a> <a class="link" href="using.html#asio.using.macros">Macros</a> </h4> <p> The macros listed in the table below may be used to control the behaviour of Asio. </p> <div class="informaltable"><table class="table"> <colgroup> <col> <col> </colgroup> <thead><tr> <th> <p> Macro </p> </th> <th> <p> Description </p> </th> </tr></thead> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_ENABLE_BUFFER_DEBUGGING</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Enables Asio's buffer debugging support, which can help identify when invalid buffers are used in read or write operations (e.g. if a std::string object being written is destroyed before the write operation completes). </p> <p> When using Microsoft Visual C++, this macro is defined automatically if the compiler's iterator debugging support is enabled, unless <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DISABLE_BUFFER_DEBUGGING</span></code> has been defined. </p> <p> When using g++, this macro is defined automatically if standard library debugging is enabled (<code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">_GLIBCXX_DEBUG</span></code> is defined), unless <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DISABLE_BUFFER_DEBUGGING</span></code> has been defined. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DISABLE_BUFFER_DEBUGGING</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Explictly disables Asio's buffer debugging support. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DISABLE_DEV_POLL</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Explicitly disables <code class="literal">/dev/poll</code> support on Solaris, forcing the use of a <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">select</span></code>-based implementation. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DISABLE_EPOLL</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Explicitly disables <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">epoll</span></code> support on Linux, forcing the use of a <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">select</span></code>-based implementation. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DISABLE_EVENTFD</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Explicitly disables <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">eventfd</span></code> support on Linux, forcing the use of a pipe to interrupt blocked epoll/select system calls. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DISABLE_KQUEUE</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Explicitly disables <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">kqueue</span></code> support on Mac OS X and BSD variants, forcing the use of a <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">select</span></code>-based implementation. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DISABLE_IOCP</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Explicitly disables I/O completion ports support on Windows, forcing the use of a <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">select</span></code>-based implementation. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_DISABLE_THREADS</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Explicitly disables Asio's threading support, independent of whether or not Boost supports threads. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_NO_WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> By default, Asio will automatically define <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN</span></code> when compiling for Windows, to minimise the number of Windows SDK header files and features that are included. The presence of <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_NO_WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN</span></code> prevents <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN</span></code> from being defined. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_NO_NOMINMAX</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> By default, Asio will automatically define <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">NOMINMAX</span></code> when compiling for Windows, to suppress the definition of the <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">min</span><span class="special">()</span></code> and <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">max</span><span class="special">()</span></code> macros. The presence of <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_NO_NOMINMAX</span></code> prevents <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">NOMINMAX</span></code> from being defined. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_NO_DEFAULT_LINKED_LIBS</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> When compiling for Windows using Microsoft Visual C++ or Borland C++, Asio will automatically link in the necessary Windows SDK libraries for sockets support (i.e. <code class="literal">ws2_32.lib</code> and <code class="literal">mswsock.lib</code>, or <code class="literal">ws2.lib</code> when building for Windows CE). The <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_NO_DEFAULT_LINKED_LIBS</span></code> macro prevents these libraries from being linked. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_SOCKET_STREAMBUF_MAX_ARITY</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Determines the maximum number of arguments that may be passed to the <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">basic_socket_streambuf</span></code> class template's <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">connect</span></code> member function. Defaults to 5. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_SOCKET_IOSTREAM_MAX_ARITY</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Determines the maximum number of arguments that may be passed to the <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">basic_socket_iostream</span></code> class template's constructor and <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">connect</span></code> member function. Defaults to 5. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_ENABLE_CANCELIO</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Enables use of the <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">CancelIo</span></code> function on older versions of Windows. If not enabled, calls to <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">cancel</span><span class="special">()</span></code> on a socket object will always fail with <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">asio</span><span class="special">::</span><span class="identifier">error</span><span class="special">::</span><span class="identifier">operation_not_supported</span></code> when run on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and earlier versions of Windows. When running on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later, the <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">CancelIoEx</span></code> function is always used. </p> <p> The <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">CancelIo</span></code> function has two issues that should be considered before enabling its use: </p> <p> * It will only cancel asynchronous operations that were initiated in the current thread. </p> <p> * It can appear to complete without error, but the request to cancel the unfinished operations may be silently ignored by the operating system. Whether it works or not seems to depend on the drivers that are installed. </p> <p> For portable cancellation, consider using one of the following alternatives: </p> <p> * Disable asio's I/O completion port backend by defining ASIO_DISABLE_IOCP. </p> <p> * Use the socket object's close() function to simultaneously cancel the outstanding operations and close the socket. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_NO_TYPEID</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Disables uses of the <code class="computeroutput"><span class="keyword">typeid</span></code> operator in asio. Defined automatically if <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">BOOST_NO_TYPEID</span></code> is defined. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_HASH_MAP_BUCKETS</span></code> </p> </td> <td> <p> Determines the number of buckets in asio's internal <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">hash_map</span></code> objects. The value should be a comma separated list of prime numbers, in ascending order. The <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">hash_map</span></code> implementation will automatically increase the number of buckets as the number of elements in the map increases. </p> <p> Some examples: </p> <p> * Defining <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_HASH_MAP_BUCKETS</span></code> to <code class="computeroutput"><span class="number">1021</span></code> means that the <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">hash_map</span></code> objects will always contain 1021 buckets, irrespective of the number of elements in the map. </p> <p> * Defining <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">ASIO_HASH_MAP_BUCKETS</span></code> to <code class="computeroutput"><span class="number">53</span><span class="special">,</span><span class="number">389</span><span class="special">,</span><span class="number">1543</span></code> means that the <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">hash_map</span></code> objects will initially contain 53 buckets. The number of buckets will be increased to 389 and then 1543 as elements are added to the map. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div> <a name="asio.using.mailing_list"></a><h4> <a name="id638407"></a> <a class="link" href="using.html#asio.using.mailing_list">Mailing List</a> </h4> <p> A mailing list specifically for Asio may be found on <a href="http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=122478" target="_top">SourceForge.net</a>. Newsgroup access is provided via <a href="http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.boost.asio.user" target="_top">Gmane</a>. </p> <a name="asio.using.wiki"></a><h4> <a name="id638443"></a> <a class="link" href="using.html#asio.using.wiki">Wiki</a> </h4> <p> Users are encouraged to share examples, tips and FAQs on the Asio wiki, which is located at <a href="http://think-async.com/Asio/" target="_top">http://think-async.com/Asio/</a>. </p> </div> <table xmlns:rev="http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~gregod/boost/tools/doc/revision" width="100%"><tr> <td align="left"></td> <td align="right"><div class="copyright-footer">Copyright © 2003 - 2010 Christopher M. Kohlhoff<p> Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at <a href="http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt" target="_top">http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a>) </p> </div></td> </tr></table> <hr> <div class="spirit-nav"> <a accesskey="p" href="overview/implementation.html"><img src="../prev.png" alt="Prev"></a><a accesskey="u" href="../index.html"><img src="../up.png" alt="Up"></a><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html"><img src="../home.png" alt="Home"></a><a accesskey="n" href="tutorial.html"><img src="../next.png" alt="Next"></a> </div> </body> </html>