multiprocess: Add comments and documentation

1 files changed, 24 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/src/interfaces/ipc.h b/src/interfaces/ipc.h
index 65df575da8..e9e6c78053 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/ipc.h
+++ b/src/interfaces/ipc.h
@@ -13,7 +13,30 @@ namespace interfaces {
 class Init;
 
 //! Interface providing access to interprocess-communication (IPC)
-//! functionality.
+//! functionality. The IPC implementation is responsible for establishing
+//! connections between a controlling process and a process being controlled.
+//! When a connection is established, the process being controlled returns an
+//! interfaces::Init pointer to the controlling process, which the controlling
+//! process can use to get access to other interfaces and functionality.
+//!
+//! When spawning a new process, the steps are:
+//!
+//! 1. The controlling process calls interfaces::Ipc::spawnProcess(), which
+//!    calls ipc::Process::spawn(), which spawns a new process and returns a
+//!    socketpair file descriptor for communicating with it.
+//!    interfaces::Ipc::spawnProcess() then calls ipc::Protocol::connect()
+//!    passing the socketpair descriptor, which returns a local proxy
+//!    interfaces::Init implementation calling remote interfaces::Init methods.
+//! 2. The spawned process calls interfaces::Ipc::startSpawnProcess(), which
+//!    calls ipc::Process::checkSpawned() to read command line arguments and
+//!    determine whether it is a spawned process and what socketpair file
+//!    descriptor it should use. It then calls ipc::Protocol::serve() to handle
+//!    incoming requests from the socketpair and invoke interfaces::Init
+//!    interface methods, and exit when the socket is closed.
+//! 3. The controlling process calls local proxy interfaces::Init object methods
+//!    to make other proxy objects calling other remote interfaces. It can also
+//!    destroy the initial interfaces::Init object to close the connection and
+//!    shut down the spawned process.
 class Ipc
 {
 public: