# IO.popen(), Timeout, broken pipe

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/io-popen-timeout-broken-pipe/180317>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [December 17, 2009, 10:43am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/io-popen-timeout-broken-pipe/180317 "2009-12-17T10:43:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nexflo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nexflo](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nexflo)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:43am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/io-popen-timeout-broken-pipe/180317/1 "2009-12-17T10:43:13Z")

</div>

Hey everybody,

I am having some weird problems with the Timeout module and IO.popen.

Basically, what I want to do is: Sign some data by gpg. For some reason,  
gpg  
hangs sometimes and I want to have a timeout. If gpg does not return  
after  
some time, I want to abort.

My code looks like this:

def pgpsign(msg)

```
signed_msg = msg

begin
  Timeout::timeout(@gpgtimeout) {
    io = IO.popen("#{@gpg} --clearsign --home=#{@gpghome}","w+") or 

```

return msg  
io.puts msg  
io.close\_write  
signed\_msg = io.readlines.to\_s  
io.close  
}  
rescue  
puts “GPG timed out. Sending unsigned message.”  
end

```
return signed_msg

```

end

However, if gpg really times out, I will get the following messages

fo/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/timeout.rb:60:in `puts': execution expired (Timeout::Error) from /home/flo/bin/test.rb:423:in`pgpsign’  
from /home/flo/bin/test.rb:421:in `pgpsign' from /home/flo/bin/test.rb:410:in`msg’  
from /home/flo/bin/test.rb:578  
from /home/flo/bin/test.rb:574:in `each’  
from /home/flo/bin/test.rb:574  
gpg: [stdout]: write error: Broken pipe  
gpg: iobuf\_flush failed on close: file write error

What’s up with that? Any ideas? Why do I get an exception, if I use  
begin/rescue and why does gpg say broken pipe? Is there any easier  
way to do what I want? I am sorry if this is a bit off-topic,  
I know it feels more like a general misunderstanding of pipes than  
a ruby specific problem.

Thanks in advance,  
Flo