Re: many requests on one connection.

[Perrin Harkins <suppressed>]

Erland Nylend wrote:
> The CPE is the client, sending HTTP POST
> _queries_ with some data. The remote management server (apache server)
> is sending HTTP POST _replies_ back, but those also contains data.

Okay, that makes sense.  Persistent connections shouldn't require any 
additional work on your part.  Apache handles that.

> .. but when I have read the headers and the data in the first POST
> request, I'm not sure what to do in order to access the _second_
> POST query.

These will all appear to be totally separate requests, even though they 
come in on the same connection.  You finish with one before moving on to 
the next.

> Can I throw the first $r away, and initialize a new one, or can I
> reset the first one, making it ready to receive a new HTTP request?

No, you have to complete the request first.

> As I'm writing this, I think that one one solution is to send a 
> session cookie to the CPE in the response to the the first HTTP
> POST, store the session ID in some way locally, and then exit the
> script. The next HTTP POST from the same CPE will then include a
> session ID, which I can use to keep track of all the HTTP POSTS from
> the same host.

You do need some way to identify who you're talking to.  Cookies are 
good if you think you might lose the connection.  In a closed 
environment like yours, you might be able to use something like the 
client's IP.

Also, mod_perl allows you to run some code when a connection is 
established and keep some data pertaining to that connection around. 
See http://perl.apache.org/docs/2.0/api/Apache2/Connection.html.

- Perrin