Parallel task worker with kill signaling in Python

# encoding: utf-8
#
# Task worker - design 2
# Adds pub-sub flow to receive and respond to kill signal
#
# Author: Jeremy Avnet (brainsik) <spork(dash)zmq(at)theory(dot)org>
#

import sys
import time
import zmq

context = zmq.Context()

# Socket to receive messages on
receiver = context.socket(zmq.PULL)
receiver.connect("tcp://localhost:5557")

# Socket to send messages to
sender = context.socket(zmq.PUSH)
sender.connect("tcp://localhost:5558")

# Socket for control input
controller = context.socket(zmq.SUB)
controller.connect("tcp://localhost:5559")
controller.setsockopt(zmq.SUBSCRIBE, "")

# Process messages from receiver and controller
poller = zmq.Poller()
poller.register(receiver, zmq.POLLIN)
poller.register(controller, zmq.POLLIN)
# Process messages from both sockets
while True:
socks = dict(poller.poll())

if socks.get(receiver) == zmq.POLLIN:
message = receiver.recv()

# Process task
workload = int(message) # Workload in msecs

# Do the work
time.sleep(workload / 1000.0)

# Send results to sink
sender.send(message)

# Simple progress indicator for the viewer
sys.stdout.write(".")
sys.stdout.flush()

# Any waiting controller command acts as 'KILL'
if socks.get(controller) == zmq.POLLIN:
break