Can pass Service as instance or class!

This allows

- sharing the same service object among multiple clients on a server
  (as was the expectation by the user in #198)

- using an pre-initialized instance when connecting a client or hosting
  a oneshot server (partial resolution for #244)

rpyc/core/service.py

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 """
 from rpyc.lib.compat import execute, is_py3k
 from rpyc.core.protocol import Connection
+from rpyc.utils.helpers import hybridmethod
 
 
 class Service(object):
@@ -87,8 +88,11 @@ def get_service_name(cls):
     exposed_get_service_aliases = get_service_aliases
     exposed_get_service_name = get_service_name
 
+    @hybridmethod
     def connect(self, channel, config={}):
         """Setup a connection via the given channel."""
+        if isinstance(self, type):  # autovivify if accessed as class method
+            self = self()
         conn = self._protocol(self, channel, config)
         self.on_connect(conn)
         return conn

rpyc/utils/factory.py

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ def connect_channel(channel, service = VoidService, config = {}):
 
     :returns: an RPyC connection
     """
-    return service().connect(channel, config)
+    return service.connect(channel, config)
 
 def connect_stream(stream, service = VoidService, config = {}):
     """creates a connection over a given stream
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ def ssh_connect(remote_machine, remote_port, service = VoidService, config = {})
         tun = remote_machine.tunnel(loc_port, remote_port)
         stream = TunneledSocketStream.connect("localhost", loc_port)
         stream.tun = tun
-    return service().connect(Channel(stream), config=config)
+    return service.connect(Channel(stream), config=config)
 
 def discover(service_name, host = None, registrar = None, timeout = 2):
     """

rpyc/utils/helpers.py

@@ -223,3 +223,14 @@ def stop(self):
         self._thread.join()
         self._conn = None
 
+
+class hybridmethod(object):
+    """Decorator for hybrid instance/class methods that will act like a normal
+    method if accessed via an instance, but act like classmethod if accessed
+    via the class."""
+    def __init__(self, func):
+        self.func = func
+    def __get__(self, obj, cls):
+        return self.func.__get__(cls if obj is None else obj, obj)
+    def __set__(self, obj, val):
+        raise AttributeError("Cannot overwrite method")

rpyc/utils/server.py

@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ def _serve_client(self, sock, credentials):
         try:
             config = dict(self.protocol_config, credentials = credentials,
                 endpoints = (sock.getsockname(), addrinfo), logger = self.logger)
-            conn = self.service().connect(
+            conn = self.service.connect(
                 Channel(SocketStream(sock)),
                 config)
             self._handle_connection(conn)
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ def _authenticate_and_build_connection(self, sock):
         h, p = sock.getpeername()
         config = dict(self.protocol_config, credentials=credentials, connid="%s:%d"%(h, p),
                       endpoints=(sock.getsockname(), (h, p)))
-        return self.service().connect(
+        return self.service.connect(
             Channel(SocketStream(sock)), config)
 
     def _accept_method(self, sock):