Thruput slow unless select() on stdin frequently

[Steven Vacca <svacca@valcom.com>]

--- stdin appears to block until a select() tests it, thus slowing
   system code execution way down. ---

My MPC860T app executes UDP recvfrom()'s and sendto()'s
at regular intervals.  The recvfrom() UDP pkt data is queued with
a buffer descriptor for transmission on a QMC channel to an
external device.  The data read from the device on a QMC
channel is queued with a buffer descriptor for subsequent sendto().

But if I do not constantly execute a select() (timeout = 10us)
on stdin (serial keyboard - not being used often) at a fast enough
rate (i.e. if the select() is executed in it's own thread and doesn't
get scheduled frequently enough) the code execution slows way
down, and I find that the queued QMC channel data, residing
in the circular queues doesn't get transmitted fast enough
and the queues grow and grow.  Doing no select() on stdin
basically shuts the QMC buff desc processing down.

It's as though, even with no serial chars coming in, stdin
blocks until the select() tests it.  I need to avoid this blocking, yet
still periodically check for a serial key input on stdin.

Any ideas out there in Linux Embedded-land?

Thanks,

Steven

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