Advanced · Module 8 · Lesson 11 of 11
Advanced Linux Event Sources: eventfd, signalfd, timerfd, and inotify
Turn counters, signals, timers, and filesystem changes into file-descriptor events handled by one Linux event loop.
Pro — members onlyAbout 16 minutes
By the end you can
- Explain why Linux exposes non-I/O events as file descriptors
- Integrate eventfd, signalfd, timerfd, and inotify with epoll
- Drain event sources correctly
- Handle coalesced and repeated notifications
Builds on High-Performance Event Multiplexing: Linux epoll Architecture, Clocks, Timers, and Timeouts.
01 · A question first
An event loop already knows how to wait for file descriptors. Can a signal, timer, or filesystem change be represented by the same readiness mechanism?
Make a guess before you read on.
02 · The idea
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What's inside
- One readiness mechanism
- Drain the source
- Signals and filesystem changes
- Where it is used
- Operational checklist
- Boundary cases
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