ipcinter-process-communicatwindows-process

InterProcess Communication using Pipes and Files

I am learning Windows System Programming. I have come across "IPC using Anonymous Pipes " and "IPC using files".

But I get confused between "IPC using Anonymous Pipes" and "IPC using Named Pipes". As far as I know "Named Pipes" usually appears as files in file systems. But there is another mechanism called "IPC using File Mapping".

Now my question is that which one is "IPC using files"? File Mapping or Named Pipes?

Any help?

Solution

  • Could "IPC using files" be just one process writing a file and another process reading it. Examples of this would be writing files in /tmp or in /var. In the /var directory there are logs, locks and running PIDs. You can also use the /proc file system to talk to the kernel or /sys to talk to device drivers. These are all "IPC using files".