Using C++ or script entry points
You may implement an entry point as a C++ function or a script.
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The advantage to using C++ is that entry points are compiled and linked with the agent framework library. They run as part of the agent process, so no system overhead for creating a new process is required when they are called. Also, since the entry point invocation is just a function call, the execution of the entry point is relatively faster. However, if the functionality of an entry point needs to be changed, the agent would need to be recompiled to make the changes take effect.
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The advantage to using scripts is that you can modify the entry points dynamically. However, to run the script, a new process is created for each entry point invocation, so the execution of an entry point is relatively slower and uses more system resource compared to the C++ implementation.
Note that you may use C++, Perl, and shell in any combination to implement multiple entry points for a single agent. This allows you to implement each entry point in the most advantageous manner. For example, you may use scripts to implement most entry points while using C++ to implement the monitor entry point, which is called often. If the monitor entry point were written in script, the agent must create a new process to run the monitor entry point each time it is called.
See Entry points in C++.
See Entry points in scripts.
