---
name: "MCE::Util"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libmce-perl"
version: "1.901-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/MCE::Util"
---

# MCE::Util(3pm)

Utility functions

## NAME

MCE::Util - Utility functions

## VERSION

This document describes MCE::Util version 1.901

## SYNOPSIS

```
 use MCE::Util;
```

## DESCRIPTION

A utility module for MCE. Nothing is exported by default. Exportable is get\_ncpu.

### get\_ncpu()

Returns the number of logical (online/active/enabled) CPU cores; never smaller than one.

```
 my $ncpu = MCE::Util::get_ncpu();
```

Specifying 'auto' for max\_workers calls MCE::Util::get\_ncpu automatically. MCE 1.521 sets an upper-limit when specifying 'auto'. The reason is mainly to safeguard apps from spawning 100 workers on a box having 100 cores. This is important for apps which are IO-bound.

```
 use MCE;
 ## 'Auto' is the total # of logical cores (lcores) (8 maximum, MCE 1.521).
 ## The computed value will not exceed the # of logical cores on the box.
 my $mce = MCE->new(
 max_workers => 'auto',       ##  1 on HW with 1-lcores;  2 on  2-lcores
 max_workers =>  16,          ## 16 on HW with 4-lcores; 16 on 32-lcores
 max_workers => 'auto',       ##  4 on HW with 4-lcores;  8 on 16-lcores
 max_workers => 'auto*1.5',   ##  4 on HW with 4-lcores; 12 on 16-lcores
 max_workers => 'auto*2.0',   ##  4 on HW with 4-lcores; 16 on 16-lcores
 max_workers => 'auto/2.0',   ##  2 on HW with 4-lcores;  4 on 16-lcores
 max_workers => 'auto+3',     ##  4 on HW with 4-lcores; 11 on 16-lcores
 max_workers => 'auto-1',     ##  3 on HW with 4-lcores;  7 on 16-lcores
 max_workers => MCE::Util::get_ncpu,   ## run on all lcores
 );
```

In summary:

```
 1. Auto has an upper-limit of 8 in MCE 1.521 (# of lcores, 8 maximum)
 2. Math may be applied with auto (*/+-) to change the upper limit
 3. The computed value for auto will not exceed the total # of lcores
 4. One can specify max_workers explicitly to a hard value
 5. MCE::Util::get_ncpu returns the actual # of lcores
```

## ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The portable code for detecting the number of processors was adopted from Test::Smoke::SysInfo.

## INDEX

MCE, MCE::Core

## AUTHOR

Mario E. Roy, \<marioeroy AT gmail DOT com\>