ZeroMQ here we go

At the moment I'm working on a more distributed project. One central thing is that I want a local-server to be control from the main-server that is located somewhere else. (e.g. the internet) I'm using thrift-services and want on the one side to be able that the local-server can call the service-layer of the main-server and on the other side I want the main-server to be able to call the service-layer on the local-server.
'Real' clients connect via a separate port to the server's Client-Service-Layer.

I actually have a solution. I share the socket that is created by the local server when it connects to the main-server.

Meaning for the main-server:

• incoming-data goes to the main-server-service-implementation
• outgoing-data is mapped to a client of the local-server-thrift-client

The problem with this approach, you are forced to use oneway-calls in your thrift-service, which is a bit hacky if you want to give back information or want to throw exceptions. Otherwise you would have to label the traffic so everything is sent to the right requesting calls. (EDIT: Another approach could have been to open a second connection from client to server and to use on for the incoming and the other for the outgoing traffic )

Well, the oneway-call-approach works, nonetheless I have had the feeling that it is a bit too hacky. And since ZeroMQ is on my radar for some time already I throw the thrift-transport to the trash and create one based on ZeroMQ. Good chance to use it in a real project instead of just doing some samples or tutorials.

Btw, the ZeroMQ-guide is very good to read and quite good to follow and even funny ;) Here some quotes:

• ...TCP has a long timeout (30 minutes or so), that means that it can be impossible to know whether a peer has died, been disconnected, or gone on a weekend to Prague with a case of vodka, a redhead, and a large expense account....
• ...Let's see an example that pushes out weather updates consisting of a zip code, temperature, and relative humidity. We'll generate random values, just like the real weather stations do....
• ...What it means is that it's safe to repeat an operation. Checking the clock is idempotent. Lending ones credit card to ones children is not...
  Links:
  Some read about thrift bidirectional-connection
  ZeroMQ-Guide

PS: Btw, this is the first blog-post I write with my markdown-plugin for pebble. (This should be a post of its own)