Introduction to RPC

Writing the software for a system of many processors is not always as simple as writing it for a single machine. Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a technique which makes it relatively straightforward, allowing programs to span many machines without being aware of the boundaries between them.

Programming using RPC does not require a knowledge of communication software, and even allows the same distributed application to run over various different communications media without modification.

In this introduction to RPC, the principles of RPC are described, its advantages and limitations, and a few of the many applications for which it has been used at CERN over the last few years. The sections covered are:-

Introduction
What is Remote Procedure Call?
How does it work?
How to use it
Example applications
Conclusions

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After reading this, you may also want to read the RPC User Guide for practical details of the RPC system developped by CERN/DD/OC.

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