Speed issue?

[Eugen-Andrei Gavriloaie <shiretu@...>]

Hi,

I need an advice from you guys...

I have made a server like application. This server handles multiple  
TCP connections.
Each connection is part of an "application". Each "application" is a  
Lua script that
must contain certain functions that I call from C++ when a message  
arrives over
a TCP connection. The messages that I receive over the TCP connection  
have a
relatively high rate. For each message that I receive I must do  
sequence of operations
like this:

lua_getglobal(state, "OnSomeMessage"); //get OnSomeMessage function  
from Lua script
lua_push*(state,...); //add parameter 1
lua_push*(state,...); //add parameter 2
...
lua_push*(state,...); //add parameter n
lua_pcall(state,...);

1. While lua_push* and lua_pcall are (obvious) mandatory, can I make  
something about lua_getglobal?
I mean cache the function "pointer" somehow...

2. I need a method of keeping some kind of "state" or "session" on  
each connection. This "session" is
opaque from c++ point of view. Must be opaque because the user of the  
server must write his own
Lua scripts and keep his own state particular for each application.  
For example, I have app1 and app2.
App1 must keep an username and a passowrd in his "session" and app2  
must keep a counter of some kind.

	One approach (working but doesn't feel right...) is to spawn a Lua  
interpreter for each connection and kill it on
connection shutdown. This way, some variables from Lua script never go  
out of scope and can be used like a session
storage. Can this generate memory issues on a large number of  
connections due to large number of interpreter spawn?

	Another method is to spawn an interpreter for each application and  
find a way to distinguish between connection 1's
session and connection 2's session. Anyway, applications are few in  
number and i can afford to open a Lua interpreter
for each app.

P.S.
I simply love this scripting language! Very powerful, yet very simple  
to maintain and use :)
I wanted to use python, but i was feeling like shooting a little fly  
with a big bazooka:
BIG chance to miss, limited quantity of ammo, and each rocket is  
EXPENSIVE! :)


Thank you!!!