imap, send/recv_io, etc: Working on a problem...

Hello, all.

I'm re-learning mod_ruby, as I will have to use it seriously soon.

What I'm working on is an IMAP connection cache for a webmail client.

The basic problem is this:

1. IMAP connections are fairly "expensive" because of the complexity
    of the protocol.
2. In a webmail client, we don't want to re-establish the connection
    each time.
3. So the idea is to establish the connection once and keep it until
    a certain timeout period. When the same request appears again, the
    client will get the cached value rather than a new connection.

So I have some questions:

1. Is it possible to use the "parent" Apache process to run this code?
    If it's possible, is there any reason not to do so?
2. Can I use send_io and recv_io to pass the connection between
    processes? Or if the cache is owned by the parent, should I try
    some other method?
3. Is send_fd relevant here? I don't yet understand how it works.


Thanks for any assistance...

Hal Fulton