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erlanggen-server

How to start gen_server module many times

In erlang, when I start gen_server module by start_link(A) which includes a parameter,I can't start it twice by changing A. On the console, it shows {error,{already started,<0.61.0>}}. How can I solve the problem? Thank You!

Solution

  • Probably your start_link call looks something like this:

    gen_server:start_link({local, foo}, bar, [], [])

    That means, start a gen_server using bar as the callback module, and register the new process with the name foo on the local node. If there is already a process named foo, you'll get the already_started error.

    To start a gen_server without a registered name, thereby making it possible to start any number of them, just drop the first argument:

    gen_server:start_link(bar, [], [])