def get_snowflake_uuid():
    """
    Generate and return a universal unique identifier using the Snowflake
    algorithm.

    This is the expect production mode and depends upon the Twitter component,
    ``Snowflake``.
    """
    client = Client(SNOWFLAKE_HOST, SNOWFLAKE_PORT)
    return client.get_id(SNOWFLAKE_AGENT)
def main():
    global host, port, agent, n

    usage = "Usage: %prog [options]"
    parser = OptionParser(usage=usage)
    parser.add_option("-s", "--host", default=host, help="The snowflake server host.")
    parser.add_option("-p", "--port", default=port, type="int", help="The snowflake server port.")
    parser.add_option("-a", "--agent", default=agent, help="The snowflake server agent.")
    parser.add_option("-c", "--count", default=n, type="int", help="Number of snowflake ids to get from the server.")
    parser.add_option("-v", "--verbose", action="store_true", dest="verbose", default=False, help="Be noisy. MOAR!")
    parser.add_option("-q", "--quiet", action="store_false", dest="verbose", help="Shhh.")
    (options, args) = parser.parse_args()

    if options.host:
        host = options.host
    if options.port:
        port = options.port
    if options.agent:
        agent = options.agent
    if options.count:
        n = options.count
    if options.verbose:
        print n
        print '"' + agent + '"'
        print host + ":" + str(port)

    try:
        client = Client(host, port)
        if client:
            try:
                ids = client.n_ids(agent, n)
                print ids
            except Exception as e:
                print "There was a problem with the snowflake's get_id.\n\n%s" % (e.message)
                if options.verbose:
                    traceback.print_exc(e)
        else:
            print "Unable to create snowflake server client."
    except Exception as e:
        print "There was a problem with the snowflake client.\n\n%s" % (e.message)
        if options.verbose:
            traceback.print_exc(e)