Overlapped I/O on anonymous pipe

Question

Is it possible to use overlapped I/O with an anonymous pipe? CreatePipe() does not have any way of specifying FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED, so I assume ReadFile() will block, even if I supply an OVERLAPPED-structure.

Answer 1

Here is an implementation for an anonymous pipe function with the possibility to specify FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED:

/******************************************************************************\
*       This is a part of the Microsoft Source Code Samples. 
*       Copyright 1995 - 1997 Microsoft Corporation.
*       All rights reserved. 
*       This source code is only intended as a supplement to 
*       Microsoft Development Tools and/or WinHelp documentation.
*       See these sources for detailed information regarding the 
*       Microsoft samples programs.
\******************************************************************************/

/*++
Copyright (c) 1997  Microsoft Corporation
Module Name:
    pipeex.c
Abstract:
    CreatePipe-like function that lets one or both handles be overlapped
Author:
    Dave Hart  Summer 1997
Revision History:
--*/

#include <windows.h>
#include <stdio.h>

ULONG PipeSerialNumber;

BOOL
APIENTRY
MyCreatePipeEx(
    OUT LPHANDLE lpReadPipe,
    OUT LPHANDLE lpWritePipe,
    IN LPSECURITY_ATTRIBUTES lpPipeAttributes,
    IN DWORD nSize,
    DWORD dwReadMode,
    DWORD dwWriteMode
    )

/*++
Routine Description:
    The CreatePipeEx API is used to create an anonymous pipe I/O device.
    Unlike CreatePipe FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED may be specified for one or
    both handles.
    Two handles to the device are created.  One handle is opened for
    reading and the other is opened for writing.  These handles may be
    used in subsequent calls to ReadFile and WriteFile to transmit data
    through the pipe.
Arguments:
    lpReadPipe - Returns a handle to the read side of the pipe.  Data
        may be read from the pipe by specifying this handle value in a
        subsequent call to ReadFile.
    lpWritePipe - Returns a handle to the write side of the pipe.  Data
        may be written to the pipe by specifying this handle value in a
        subsequent call to WriteFile.
    lpPipeAttributes - An optional parameter that may be used to specify
        the attributes of the new pipe.  If the parameter is not
        specified, then the pipe is created without a security
        descriptor, and the resulting handles are not inherited on
        process creation.  Otherwise, the optional security attributes
        are used on the pipe, and the inherit handles flag effects both
        pipe handles.
    nSize - Supplies the requested buffer size for the pipe.  This is
        only a suggestion and is used by the operating system to
        calculate an appropriate buffering mechanism.  A value of zero
        indicates that the system is to choose the default buffering
        scheme.
Return Value:
    TRUE - The operation was successful.
    FALSE/NULL - The operation failed. Extended error status is available
        using GetLastError.
--*/

{
  HANDLE ReadPipeHandle, WritePipeHandle;
  DWORD dwError;
  UCHAR PipeNameBuffer[ MAX_PATH ];

  //
  // Only one valid OpenMode flag - FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED
  //

  if ((dwReadMode | dwWriteMode) & (~FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED)) {
    SetLastError(ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER);
    return FALSE;
  }

  //
  //  Set the default timeout to 120 seconds
  //

  if (nSize == 0) {
    nSize = 4096;
  }

  sprintf( PipeNameBuffer,
           "\\\\.\\Pipe\\RemoteExeAnon.%08x.%08x",
           GetCurrentProcessId(),
           PipeSerialNumber++
         );

  ReadPipeHandle = CreateNamedPipeA(
                       PipeNameBuffer,
                       PIPE_ACCESS_INBOUND | dwReadMode,
                       PIPE_TYPE_BYTE | PIPE_WAIT,
                       1,             // Number of pipes
                       nSize,         // Out buffer size
                       nSize,         // In buffer size
                       120 * 1000,    // Timeout in ms
                       lpPipeAttributes
                       );

  if (! ReadPipeHandle) {
    return FALSE;
  }

  WritePipeHandle = CreateFileA(
                      PipeNameBuffer,
                      GENERIC_WRITE,
                      0,                         // No sharing
                      lpPipeAttributes,
                      OPEN_EXISTING,
                      FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL | dwWriteMode,
                      NULL                       // Template file
                    );

  if (INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE == WritePipeHandle) {
    dwError = GetLastError();
    CloseHandle( ReadPipeHandle );
    SetLastError(dwError);
    return FALSE;
  }

  *lpReadPipe = ReadPipeHandle;
  *lpWritePipe = WritePipeHandle;
  return( TRUE );
}

Answer 2

No. As explained here, anonymous pipes do not support asynchronous I/O. You need to use a named pipe. There's example code to do this on MSDN here and here.

Answer 3

first of all need understand - what is Anonymous Pipes and what, are exist difference between anonymous and Named Pipes at all.

really exist only single pipe type (implemented by npfs.sys). no any difference, except name, between named and anonymous pipes at all. both is only pipes.

so called anonymous pipes - this is special/random named pipes before win7 and true unnamed pipes begin from win7.

when msdn write that "anonymous pipe is one-way pipe" - this is lie. as any pipe it can be one-way or duplex. when msdn write that "Asynchronous (overlapped) read and write operations are not supported by anonymous pipes." - this is lie. of course pipes support asynchronous io. the name of pipe not affect this.

before win7 really unnamed pipes even not exist at all. CreatePipe function use Win32Pipes.%08x.%08x format for create name of "Anonymous Pipe".

    static LONG PipeSerialNumber;
    WCHAR name[64];
    swprintf(name, L"\\Device\\NamedPipe\\Win32Pipes.%08x.%08x", 
        GetCurrentProcessId(), InterlockedIncrement(&PipeSerialNumber));

begin from win7 CreatePipe use another technique (relative file open) for create pipe pair - now it really anonymous.

for example code witch create pipe pair where one pipe is asynchronous and not inheritable. and another pipe is synchronous and inheritable. both pipes is duplex (support both read and write)

ULONG CreatePipeAnonymousPair7(PHANDLE phServerPipe, PHANDLE phClientPipe)
{
    HANDLE hNamedPipe;

    IO_STATUS_BLOCK iosb;

    static UNICODE_STRING NamedPipe = RTL_CONSTANT_STRING(L"\\Device\\NamedPipe\\");

    OBJECT_ATTRIBUTES oa = { sizeof(oa), 0, const_cast<PUNICODE_STRING>(&NamedPipe), OBJ_CASE_INSENSITIVE };

    NTSTATUS status;

    if (0 <= (status = NtOpenFile(&hNamedPipe, SYNCHRONIZE, &oa, &iosb, FILE_SHARE_VALID_FLAGS, 0)))
    {
        oa.RootDirectory = hNamedPipe;

        static LARGE_INTEGER timeout = { 0, MINLONG };
        static UNICODE_STRING empty = {};

        oa.ObjectName = &empty;

        if (0 <= (status = ZwCreateNamedPipeFile(phServerPipe,
            FILE_READ_ATTRIBUTES|FILE_READ_DATA|
            FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES|FILE_WRITE_DATA|
            FILE_CREATE_PIPE_INSTANCE, 
            &oa, &iosb, FILE_SHARE_READ|FILE_SHARE_WRITE,
            FILE_CREATE, 0, FILE_PIPE_BYTE_STREAM_TYPE, FILE_PIPE_BYTE_STREAM_MODE,
            FILE_PIPE_QUEUE_OPERATION, 1, 0, 0, &timeout)))
        {
            oa.RootDirectory = *phServerPipe;
            oa.Attributes = OBJ_CASE_INSENSITIVE|OBJ_INHERIT;

            if (0 > (status = NtOpenFile(phClientPipe, SYNCHRONIZE|FILE_READ_ATTRIBUTES|FILE_READ_DATA|
                FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES|FILE_WRITE_DATA, &oa, &iosb, 
                FILE_SHARE_VALID_FLAGS, FILE_SYNCHRONOUS_IO_NONALERT)))
            {
                NtClose(oa.RootDirectory);
            }
        }

        NtClose(hNamedPipe);
    }

    return RtlNtStatusToDosError(status);
}

ULONG CreatePipeAnonymousPair(PHANDLE phServerPipe, PHANDLE phClientPipe)
{
    static char flag_supported = -1;

    if (flag_supported < 0)
    {
        ULONG dwMajorVersion, dwMinorVersion;
        RtlGetNtVersionNumbers(&dwMajorVersion, &dwMinorVersion, 0);
        flag_supported = _WIN32_WINNT_WIN7 <= ((dwMajorVersion << 8)| dwMinorVersion);
    }

    if (flag_supported)
    {
        return CreatePipeAnonymousPair7(phServerPipe, phClientPipe);
    }

    static LONG PipeSerialNumber;

    WCHAR name[64];

    swprintf(name, L"\\\\?\\pipe\\Win32Pipes.%08x.%08x", GetCurrentProcessId(), InterlockedIncrement(&PipeSerialNumber));

    HANDLE hClient, hServer = CreateNamedPipeW(name, 
        PIPE_ACCESS_DUPLEX|FILE_READ_DATA|FILE_WRITE_DATA|FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED, 
        PIPE_TYPE_BYTE|PIPE_READMODE_BYTE, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0);

    if (hServer != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
    {
        static SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES sa = { sizeof(sa), 0, TRUE };

        hClient = CreateFileW(name, FILE_GENERIC_READ|FILE_GENERIC_WRITE, 
            FILE_SHARE_READ|FILE_SHARE_WRITE, &sa, OPEN_EXISTING, 0, 0);

        if (hClient != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
        {
            *phServerPipe = hServer, *phClientPipe = hClient;
            return NOERROR;
        }

        CloseHandle(hServer);
    }

    return GetLastError();
}