Between Google and the Perl Cookbook, I think you need to block the ALRM signal to prevent your program from timing out. According to the Cookbook, you ought to use the POSIX module's interface to the sigprocmask system call.

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DamnDirtyApe

Those who know that they are profound strive for clarity. Those who
would like to seem profound to the crowd strive for obscurity.
            --Friedrich Nietzsche