@@ -1,34 +1,105 @@
-simple-ipc API
+Simple-IPC API
==============
-The simple-ipc API is used to send an IPC message and response between
-a (presumably) foreground Git client process to a background server or
-daemon process. The server process must already be running. Multiple
-client processes can simultaneously communicate with the server
-process.
+The Simple-IPC API is a collection of `ipc_` prefixed library routines
+and a basic communication protocol that allow an IPC-client process to
+send an application-specific IPC-request message to an IPC-server
+process and receive an application-specific IPC-response message.
Communication occurs over a named pipe on Windows and a Unix domain
-socket on other platforms. Clients and the server rendezvous at a
-previously agreed-to application-specific pathname (which is outside
-the scope of this design).
-
-This IPC mechanism differs from the existing `sub-process.c` model
-(Documentation/technical/long-running-process-protocol.txt) and used
-by applications like Git-LFS. In the simple-ipc model the server is
-assumed to be a very long-running system service. In contrast, in the
-LFS-style sub-process model the helper is started with the foreground
-process and exits when the foreground process terminates.
-
-How the simple-ipc server is started is also outside the scope of the
-IPC mechanism. For example, the server might be started during
-maintenance operations.
-
-The IPC protocol consists of a single request message from the client and
-an optional request message from the server. For simplicity, pkt-line
-routines are used to hide chunking and buffering concerns. Each side
-terminates their message with a flush packet.
-(Documentation/technical/protocol-common.txt)
-
-The actual format of the client and server messages is application
-specific. The IPC layer transmits and receives an opaque buffer without
-any concern for the content within.
+socket on other platforms. IPC-clients and IPC-servers rendezvous at
+a previously agreed-to application-specific pathname (which is outside
+the scope of this design) that is local to the computer system.
+
+The IPC-server routines within the server application process create a
+thread pool to listen for connections and receive request messages
+from multiple concurrent IPC-clients. When received, these messages
+are dispatched up to the server application callbacks for handling.
+IPC-server routines then incrementally relay responses back to the
+IPC-client.
+
+The IPC-client routines within a client application process connect
+to the IPC-server and send a request message and wait for a response.
+When received, the response is returned back the caller.
+
+For example, the `fsmonitor--daemon` feature will be built as a server
+application on top of the IPC-server library routines. It will have
+threads watching for file system events and a thread pool waiting for
+client connections. Clients, such as `git status` will request a list
+of file system events since a point in time and the server will
+respond with a list of changed files and directories. The formats of
+the request and response are application-specific; the IPC-client and
+IPC-server routines treat them as opaque byte streams.
+
+
+Comparison with sub-process model
+---------------------------------
+
+The Simple-IPC mechanism differs from the existing `sub-process.c`
+model (Documentation/technical/long-running-process-protocol.txt) and
+used by applications like Git-LFS. In the LFS-style sub-process model
+the helper is started by the foreground process, communication happens
+via a pair of file descriptors bound to the stdin/stdout of the
+sub-process, the sub-process only serves the current foreground
+process, and the sub-process exits when the foreground process
+terminates.
+
+In the Simple-IPC model the server is a very long-running service. It
+can service many clients at the same time and has a private socket or
+named pipe connection to each active client. It might be started
+(on-demand) by the current client process or it might have been
+started by a previous client or by the OS at boot time. The server
+process is not associated with a terminal and it persists after
+clients terminate. Clients do not have access to the stdin/stdout of
+the server process and therefore must communicate over sockets or
+named pipes.
+
+
+Server startup and shutdown
+---------------------------
+
+How an application server based upon IPC-server is started is also
+outside the scope of the Simple-IPC design and is a property of the
+application using it. For example, the server might be started or
+restarted during routine maintenance operations, or it might be
+started as a system service during the system boot-up sequence, or it
+might be started on-demand by a foreground Git command when needed.
+
+Similarly, server shutdown is a property of the application using
+the simple-ipc routines. For example, the server might decide to
+shutdown when idle or only upon explicit request.
+
+
+Simple-IPC protocol
+-------------------
+
+The Simple-IPC protocol consists of a single request message from the
+client and an optional response message from the server. Both the
+client and server messages are unlimited in length and are terminated
+with a flush packet.
+
+The pkt-line routines (Documentation/technical/protocol-common.txt)
+are used to simplify buffer management during message generation,
+transmission, and reception. A flush packet is used to mark the end
+of the message. This allows the sender to incrementally generate and
+transmit the message. It allows the receiver to incrementally receive
+the message in chunks and to know when they have received the entire
+message.
+
+The actual byte format of the client request and server response
+messages are application specific. The IPC layer transmits and
+receives them as opaque byte buffers without any concern for the
+content within. It is the job of the calling application layer to
+understand the contents of the request and response messages.
+
+
+Summary
+-------
+
+Conceptually, the Simple-IPC protocol is similar to an HTTP REST
+request. Clients connect, make an application-specific and
+stateless request, receive an application-specific
+response, and disconnect. It is a one round trip facility for
+querying the server. The Simple-IPC routines hide the socket,
+named pipe, and thread pool details and allow the application
+layer to focus on the application at hand.