This is libc.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.0c from libc.texinfo.

INFO-DIR-SECTION GNU libraries
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Libc: (libc).                 C library.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

   This file documents the GNU C library.

   This is Edition 0.10, last updated 2001-07-06, of `The GNU C Library
Reference Manual', for Version 2.2.x.

   Copyright (C) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 Free
Software Foundation, Inc.

   Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
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Invariant Sections being "GNU Lesser General Public License", the
Front-Cover texts being (a) (see below), and with the Back-Cover Texts
being (b) (see below).  A copy of the license is included in the section
entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

   (a) The FSF's Front-Cover Text is:

   A GNU Manual

   (b) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is:

   You have freedom to copy and modify this GNU Manual, like GNU
software.  Copies published by the Free Software Foundation raise
funds for GNU development.


File: libc.info,  Node: Editing Characters,  Next: Signal Characters,  Up: Special Characters

Characters for Input Editing
............................

   These special characters are active only in canonical input mode.
*Note Canonical or Not::.

 - Macro: int VEOF
     This is the subscript for the EOF character in the special control
     character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VEOF]' holds the character itself.

     The EOF character is recognized only in canonical input mode.  It
     acts as a line terminator in the same way as a newline character,
     but if the EOF character is typed at the beginning of a line it
     causes `read' to return a byte count of zero, indicating
     end-of-file.  The EOF character itself is discarded.

     Usually, the EOF character is `C-d'.

 - Macro: int VEOL
     This is the subscript for the EOL character in the special control
     character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VEOL]' holds the character itself.

     The EOL character is recognized only in canonical input mode.  It
     acts as a line terminator, just like a newline character.  The EOL
     character is not discarded; it is read as the last character in
     the input line.

     You don't need to use the EOL character to make <RET> end a line.
     Just set the ICRNL flag.  In fact, this is the default state of
     affairs.

 - Macro: int VEOL2
     This is the subscript for the EOL2 character in the special control
     character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VEOL2]' holds the character itself.

     The EOL2 character works just like the EOL character (see above),
     but it can be a different character.  Thus, you can specify two
     characters to terminate an input line, by setting EOL to one of
     them and EOL2 to the other.

     The EOL2 character is a BSD extension; it exists only on BSD
     systems and the GNU system.

 - Macro: int VERASE
     This is the subscript for the ERASE character in the special
     control character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VERASE]' holds the
     character itself.

     The ERASE character is recognized only in canonical input mode.
     When the user types the erase character, the previous character
     typed is discarded.  (If the terminal generates multibyte
     character sequences, this may cause more than one byte of input to
     be discarded.)  This cannot be used to erase past the beginning of
     the current line of text.  The ERASE character itself is discarded.

     Usually, the ERASE character is <DEL>.

 - Macro: int VWERASE
     This is the subscript for the WERASE character in the special
     control character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VWERASE]' holds the
     character itself.

     The WERASE character is recognized only in canonical mode.  It
     erases an entire word of prior input, and any whitespace after it;
     whitespace characters before the word are not erased.

     The definition of a "word" depends on the setting of the
     `ALTWERASE' mode; *note Local Modes::.

     If the `ALTWERASE' mode is not set, a word is defined as a sequence
     of any characters except space or tab.

     If the `ALTWERASE' mode is set, a word is defined as a sequence of
     characters containing only letters, numbers, and underscores,
     optionally followed by one character that is not a letter, number,
     or underscore.

     The WERASE character is usually `C-w'.

     This is a BSD extension.

 - Macro: int VKILL
     This is the subscript for the KILL character in the special control
     character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VKILL]' holds the character itself.

     The KILL character is recognized only in canonical input mode.
     When the user types the kill character, the entire contents of the
     current line of input are discarded.  The kill character itself is
     discarded too.

     The KILL character is usually `C-u'.

 - Macro: int VREPRINT
     This is the subscript for the REPRINT character in the special
     control character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VREPRINT]' holds the
     character itself.

     The REPRINT character is recognized only in canonical mode.  It
     reprints the current input line.  If some asynchronous output has
     come while you are typing, this lets you see the line you are
     typing clearly again.

     The REPRINT character is usually `C-r'.

     This is a BSD extension.


File: libc.info,  Node: Signal Characters,  Next: Start/Stop Characters,  Prev: Editing Characters,  Up: Special Characters

Characters that Cause Signals
.............................

   These special characters may be active in either canonical or
noncanonical input mode, but only when the `ISIG' flag is set (*note
Local Modes::).

 - Macro: int VINTR
     This is the subscript for the INTR character in the special control
     character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VINTR]' holds the character itself.

     The INTR (interrupt) character raises a `SIGINT' signal for all
     processes in the foreground job associated with the terminal.  The
     INTR character itself is then discarded.  *Note Signal Handling::,
     for more information about signals.

     Typically, the INTR character is `C-c'.

 - Macro: int VQUIT
     This is the subscript for the QUIT character in the special control
     character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VQUIT]' holds the character itself.

     The QUIT character raises a `SIGQUIT' signal for all processes in
     the foreground job associated with the terminal.  The QUIT
     character itself is then discarded.  *Note Signal Handling::, for
     more information about signals.

     Typically, the QUIT character is `C-\'.

 - Macro: int VSUSP
     This is the subscript for the SUSP character in the special control
     character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VSUSP]' holds the character itself.

     The SUSP (suspend) character is recognized only if the
     implementation supports job control (*note Job Control::).  It
     causes a `SIGTSTP' signal to be sent to all processes in the
     foreground job associated with the terminal.  The SUSP character
     itself is then discarded.  *Note Signal Handling::, for more
     information about signals.

     Typically, the SUSP character is `C-z'.

   Few applications disable the normal interpretation of the SUSP
character.  If your program does this, it should provide some other
mechanism for the user to stop the job.  When the user invokes this
mechanism, the program should send a `SIGTSTP' signal to the process
group of the process, not just to the process itself.  *Note Signaling
Another Process::.

 - Macro: int VDSUSP
     This is the subscript for the DSUSP character in the special
     control character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VDSUSP]' holds the
     character itself.

     The DSUSP (suspend) character is recognized only if the
     implementation supports job control (*note Job Control::).  It
     sends a `SIGTSTP' signal, like the SUSP character, but not right
     away--only when the program tries to read it as input.  Not all
     systems with job control support DSUSP; only BSD-compatible
     systems (including the GNU system).

     *Note Signal Handling::, for more information about signals.

     Typically, the DSUSP character is `C-y'.


File: libc.info,  Node: Start/Stop Characters,  Next: Other Special,  Prev: Signal Characters,  Up: Special Characters

Special Characters for Flow Control
...................................

   These special characters may be active in either canonical or
noncanonical input mode, but their use is controlled by the flags
`IXON' and `IXOFF' (*note Input Modes::).

 - Macro: int VSTART
     This is the subscript for the START character in the special
     control character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VSTART]' holds the
     character itself.

     The START character is used to support the `IXON' and `IXOFF'
     input modes.  If `IXON' is set, receiving a START character resumes
     suspended output; the START character itself is discarded.  If
     `IXANY' is set, receiving any character at all resumes suspended
     output; the resuming character is not discarded unless it is the
     START character.  `IXOFF' is set, the system may also transmit
     START characters to the terminal.

     The usual value for the START character is `C-q'.  You may not be
     able to change this value--the hardware may insist on using `C-q'
     regardless of what you specify.

 - Macro: int VSTOP
     This is the subscript for the STOP character in the special control
     character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VSTOP]' holds the character itself.

     The STOP character is used to support the `IXON' and `IXOFF' input
     modes.  If `IXON' is set, receiving a STOP character causes output
     to be suspended; the STOP character itself is discarded.  If
     `IXOFF' is set, the system may also transmit STOP characters to the
     terminal, to prevent the input queue from overflowing.

     The usual value for the STOP character is `C-s'.  You may not be
     able to change this value--the hardware may insist on using `C-s'
     regardless of what you specify.


File: libc.info,  Node: Other Special,  Prev: Start/Stop Characters,  Up: Special Characters

Other Special Characters
........................

   These special characters exist only in BSD systems and the GNU
system.

 - Macro: int VLNEXT
     This is the subscript for the LNEXT character in the special
     control character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VLNEXT]' holds the
     character itself.

     The LNEXT character is recognized only when `IEXTEN' is set, but in
     both canonical and noncanonical mode.  It disables any special
     significance of the next character the user types.  Even if the
     character would normally perform some editing function or generate
     a signal, it is read as a plain character.  This is the analogue
     of the `C-q' command in Emacs.  "LNEXT" stands for "literal next."

     The LNEXT character is usually `C-v'.

 - Macro: int VDISCARD
     This is the subscript for the DISCARD character in the special
     control character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VDISCARD]' holds the
     character itself.

     The DISCARD character is recognized only when `IEXTEN' is set, but
     in both canonical and noncanonical mode.  Its effect is to toggle
     the discard-output flag.  When this flag is set, all program
     output is discarded.  Setting the flag also discards all output
     currently in the output buffer.  Typing any other character resets
     the flag.

 - Macro: int VSTATUS
     This is the subscript for the STATUS character in the special
     control character array.  `TERMIOS.c_cc[VSTATUS]' holds the
     character itself.

     The STATUS character's effect is to print out a status message
     about how the current process is running.

     The STATUS character is recognized only in canonical mode, and
     only if `NOKERNINFO' is not set.


File: libc.info,  Node: Noncanonical Input,  Prev: Special Characters,  Up: Terminal Modes

Noncanonical Input
------------------

   In noncanonical input mode, the special editing characters such as
ERASE and KILL are ignored.  The system facilities for the user to edit
input are disabled in noncanonical mode, so that all input characters
(unless they are special for signal or flow-control purposes) are passed
to the application program exactly as typed.  It is up to the
application program to give the user ways to edit the input, if
appropriate.

   Noncanonical mode offers special parameters called MIN and TIME for
controlling whether and how long to wait for input to be available.  You
can even use them to avoid ever waiting--to return immediately with
whatever input is available, or with no input.

   The MIN and TIME are stored in elements of the `c_cc' array, which
is a member of the `struct termios' structure.  Each element of this
array has a particular role, and each element has a symbolic constant
that stands for the index of that element.  `VMIN' and `VMAX' are the
names for the indices in the array of the MIN and TIME slots.

 - Macro: int VMIN
     This is the subscript for the MIN slot in the `c_cc' array.  Thus,
     `TERMIOS.c_cc[VMIN]' is the value itself.

     The MIN slot is only meaningful in noncanonical input mode; it
     specifies the minimum number of bytes that must be available in the
     input queue in order for `read' to return.

 - Macro: int VTIME
     This is the subscript for the TIME slot in the `c_cc' array.  Thus,
     `TERMIOS.c_cc[VTIME]' is the value itself.

     The TIME slot is only meaningful in noncanonical input mode; it
     specifies how long to wait for input before returning, in units of
     0.1 seconds.

   The MIN and TIME values interact to determine the criterion for when
`read' should return; their precise meanings depend on which of them
are nonzero.  There are four possible cases:

   * Both TIME and MIN are nonzero.

     In this case, TIME specifies how long to wait after each input
     character to see if more input arrives.  After the first character
     received, `read' keeps waiting until either MIN bytes have arrived
     in all, or TIME elapses with no further input.

     `read' always blocks until the first character arrives, even if
     TIME elapses first.  `read' can return more than MIN characters if
     more than MIN happen to be in the queue.

   * Both MIN and TIME are zero.

     In this case, `read' always returns immediately with as many
     characters as are available in the queue, up to the number
     requested.  If no input is immediately available, `read' returns a
     value of zero.

   * MIN is zero but TIME has a nonzero value.

     In this case, `read' waits for time TIME for input to become
     available; the availability of a single byte is enough to satisfy
     the read request and cause `read' to return.  When it returns, it
     returns as many characters as are available, up to the number
     requested.  If no input is available before the timer expires,
     `read' returns a value of zero.

   * TIME is zero but MIN has a nonzero value.

     In this case, `read' waits until at least MIN bytes are available
     in the queue.  At that time, `read' returns as many characters as
     are available, up to the number requested.  `read' can return more
     than MIN characters if more than MIN happen to be in the queue.

   What happens if MIN is 50 and you ask to read just 10 bytes?
Normally, `read' waits until there are 50 bytes in the buffer (or, more
generally, the wait condition described above is satisfied), and then
reads 10 of them, leaving the other 40 buffered in the operating system
for a subsequent call to `read'.

   *Portability note:* On some systems, the MIN and TIME slots are
actually the same as the EOF and EOL slots.  This causes no serious
problem because the MIN and TIME slots are used only in noncanonical
input and the EOF and EOL slots are used only in canonical input, but it
isn't very clean.  The GNU library allocates separate slots for these
uses.

 - Function: int cfmakeraw (struct termios *TERMIOS-P)
     This function provides an easy way to set up `*TERMIOS-P' for what
     has traditionally been called "raw mode" in BSD.  This uses
     noncanonical input, and turns off most processing to give an
     unmodified channel to the terminal.

     It does exactly this:
            TERMIOS-P->c_iflag &= ~(IGNBRK|BRKINT|PARMRK|ISTRIP
                                          |INLCR|IGNCR|ICRNL|IXON);
            TERMIOS-P->c_oflag &= ~OPOST;
            TERMIOS-P->c_lflag &= ~(ECHO|ECHONL|ICANON|ISIG|IEXTEN);
            TERMIOS-P->c_cflag &= ~(CSIZE|PARENB);
            TERMIOS-P->c_cflag |= CS8;


File: libc.info,  Node: BSD Terminal Modes,  Next: Line Control,  Prev: Terminal Modes,  Up: Low-Level Terminal Interface

BSD Terminal Modes
==================

   The usual way to get and set terminal modes is with the functions
described in *Note Terminal Modes::.  However, on some systems you can
use the BSD-derived functions in this section to do some of the same
thing.  On many systems, these functions do not exist.  Even with the
GNU C library, the functions simply fail with `errno' = `ENOSYS' with
many kernels, including Linux.

   The symbols used in this section are declared in `sgtty.h'.

 - Data Type: struct sgttyb
     This structure is an input or output parameter list for `gtty' and
     `stty'.

    `char sg_ispeed'
          Line speed for input

    `char sg_ospeed'
          Line speed for output

    `char sg_erase'
          Erase character

    `char sg_kill'
          Kill character

    `int sg_flags'
          Various flags

 - Function: int gtty (int FILEDES, struct sgttyb *ATTRIBUTES)
     This function gets the attributes of a terminal.

     `gtty' sets *ATTRIBUTES to describe the terminal attributes of the
     terminal which is open with file descriptor FILEDES.

 - Function: int stty (int FILEDES, struct sgttyb * attributes)
     This function sets the attributes of a terminal.

     `stty' sets the terminal attributes of the terminal which is open
     with file descriptor FILEDES to those described by *FILEDES.


File: libc.info,  Node: Line Control,  Next: Noncanon Example,  Prev: BSD Terminal Modes,  Up: Low-Level Terminal Interface

Line Control Functions
======================

   These functions perform miscellaneous control actions on terminal
devices.  As regards terminal access, they are treated like doing
output: if any of these functions is used by a background process on its
controlling terminal, normally all processes in the process group are
sent a `SIGTTOU' signal.  The exception is if the calling process
itself is ignoring or blocking `SIGTTOU' signals, in which case the
operation is performed and no signal is sent.  *Note Job Control::.

 - Function: int tcsendbreak (int FILEDES, int DURATION)
     This function generates a break condition by transmitting a stream
     of zero bits on the terminal associated with the file descriptor
     FILEDES.  The duration of the break is controlled by the DURATION
     argument.  If zero, the duration is between 0.25 and 0.5 seconds.
     The meaning of a nonzero value depends on the operating system.

     This function does nothing if the terminal is not an asynchronous
     serial data port.

     The return value is normally zero.  In the event of an error, a
     value of -1 is returned.  The following `errno' error conditions
     are defined for this function:

    `EBADF'
          The FILEDES is not a valid file descriptor.

    `ENOTTY'
          The FILEDES is not associated with a terminal device.

 - Function: int tcdrain (int FILEDES)
     The `tcdrain' function waits until all queued output to the
     terminal FILEDES has been transmitted.

     This function is a cancellation point in multi-threaded programs.
     This is a problem if the thread allocates some resources (like
     memory, file descriptors, semaphores or whatever) at the time
     `tcdrain' is called.  If the thread gets canceled these resources
     stay allocated until the program ends.  To avoid this calls to
     `tcdrain' should be protected using cancellation handlers.

     The return value is normally zero.  In the event of an error, a
     value of -1 is returned.  The following `errno' error conditions
     are defined for this function:

    `EBADF'
          The FILEDES is not a valid file descriptor.

    `ENOTTY'
          The FILEDES is not associated with a terminal device.

    `EINTR'
          The operation was interrupted by delivery of a signal.  *Note
          Interrupted Primitives::.

 - Function: int tcflush (int FILEDES, int QUEUE)
     The `tcflush' function is used to clear the input and/or output
     queues associated with the terminal file FILEDES.  The QUEUE
     argument specifies which queue(s) to clear, and can be one of the
     following values:

    `TCIFLUSH'
          Clear any input data received, but not yet read.

    `TCOFLUSH'
          Clear any output data written, but not yet transmitted.

    `TCIOFLUSH'
          Clear both queued input and output.

     The return value is normally zero.  In the event of an error, a
     value of -1 is returned.  The following `errno' error conditions
     are defined for this function:

    `EBADF'
          The FILEDES is not a valid file descriptor.

    `ENOTTY'
          The FILEDES is not associated with a terminal device.

    `EINVAL'
          A bad value was supplied as the QUEUE argument.

     It is unfortunate that this function is named `tcflush', because
     the term "flush" is normally used for quite another
     operation--waiting until all output is transmitted--and using it
     for discarding input or output would be confusing.  Unfortunately,
     the name `tcflush' comes from POSIX and we cannot change it.

 - Function: int tcflow (int FILEDES, int ACTION)
     The `tcflow' function is used to perform operations relating to
     XON/XOFF flow control on the terminal file specified by FILEDES.

     The ACTION argument specifies what operation to perform, and can
     be one of the following values:

    `TCOOFF'
          Suspend transmission of output.

    `TCOON'
          Restart transmission of output.

    `TCIOFF'
          Transmit a STOP character.

    `TCION'
          Transmit a START character.

     For more information about the STOP and START characters, see
     *Note Special Characters::.

     The return value is normally zero.  In the event of an error, a
     value of -1 is returned.  The following `errno' error conditions
     are defined for this function:

    `EBADF'
          The FILEDES is not a valid file descriptor.

    `ENOTTY'
          The FILEDES is not associated with a terminal device.

    `EINVAL'
          A bad value was supplied as the ACTION argument.


File: libc.info,  Node: Noncanon Example,  Next: Pseudo-Terminals,  Prev: Line Control,  Up: Low-Level Terminal Interface

Noncanonical Mode Example
=========================

   Here is an example program that shows how you can set up a terminal
device to read single characters in noncanonical input mode, without
echo.

     #include <unistd.h>
     #include <stdio.h>
     #include <stdlib.h>
     #include <termios.h>
     
     /* Use this variable to remember original terminal attributes. */
     
     struct termios saved_attributes;
     
     void
     reset_input_mode (void)
     {
       tcsetattr (STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &saved_attributes);
     }
     
     void
     set_input_mode (void)
     {
       struct termios tattr;
       char *name;
     
       /* Make sure stdin is a terminal. */
       if (!isatty (STDIN_FILENO))
         {
           fprintf (stderr, "Not a terminal.\n");
           exit (EXIT_FAILURE);
         }
     
       /* Save the terminal attributes so we can restore them later. */
       tcgetattr (STDIN_FILENO, &saved_attributes);
       atexit (reset_input_mode);
     
       /* Set the funny terminal modes. */
       tcgetattr (STDIN_FILENO, &tattr);
       tattr.c_lflag &= ~(ICANON|ECHO); /* Clear ICANON and ECHO. */
       tattr.c_cc[VMIN] = 1;
       tattr.c_cc[VTIME] = 0;
       tcsetattr (STDIN_FILENO, TCSAFLUSH, &tattr);
     }
     
     int
     main (void)
     {
       char c;
     
       set_input_mode ();
     
       while (1)
         {
           read (STDIN_FILENO, &c, 1);
           if (c == '\004')          /* `C-d' */
             break;
           else
             putchar (c);
         }
     
       return EXIT_SUCCESS;
     }

   This program is careful to restore the original terminal modes before
exiting or terminating with a signal.  It uses the `atexit' function
(*note Cleanups on Exit::) to make sure this is done by `exit'.

   The shell is supposed to take care of resetting the terminal modes
when a process is stopped or continued; see *Note Job Control::.  But
some existing shells do not actually do this, so you may wish to
establish handlers for job control signals that reset terminal modes.
The above example does so.


File: libc.info,  Node: Pseudo-Terminals,  Prev: Noncanon Example,  Up: Low-Level Terminal Interface

Pseudo-Terminals
================

   A "pseudo-terminal" is a special interprocess communication channel
that acts like a terminal.  One end of the channel is called the
"master" side or "master pseudo-terminal device", the other side is
called the "slave" side.  Data written to the master side is received
by the slave side as if it was the result of a user typing at an
ordinary terminal, and data written to the slave side is sent to the
master side as if it was written on an ordinary terminal.

   Pseudo terminals are the way programs like `xterm' and `emacs'
implement their terminal emulation functionality.

* Menu:

* Allocation::             Allocating a pseudo terminal.
* Pseudo-Terminal Pairs::  How to open both sides of a
                            pseudo-terminal in a single operation.


File: libc.info,  Node: Allocation,  Next: Pseudo-Terminal Pairs,  Up: Pseudo-Terminals

Allocating Pseudo-Terminals
---------------------------

   This subsection describes functions for allocating a pseudo-terminal,
and for making this pseudo-terminal available for actual use.  These
functions are declared in the header file `stdlib.h'.

 - Function: int getpt (void)
     The `getpt' function returns a new file descriptor for the next
     available master pseudo-terminal.  The normal return value from
     `getpt' is a non-negative integer file descriptor.  In the case of
     an error, a value of -1 is returned instead.  The following
     `errno' conditions are defined for this function:

    `ENOENT'
          There are no free master pseudo-terminals available.

     This function is a GNU extension.

 - Function: int grantpt (int FILEDES)
     The `grantpt' function changes the ownership and access permission
     of the slave pseudo-terminal device corresponding to the master
     pseudo-terminal device associated with the file descriptor
     FILEDES.  The owner is set from the real user ID of the calling
     process (*note Process Persona::), and the group is set to a
     special group (typically "tty") or from the real group ID of the
     calling process.  The access permission is set such that the file
     is both readable and writable by the owner and only writable by
     the group.

     On some systems this function is implemented by invoking a special
     `setuid' root program (*note How Change Persona::).  As a
     consequence, installing a signal handler for the `SIGCHLD' signal
     (*note Job Control Signals::) may interfere with a call to
     `grantpt'.

     The normal return value from `grantpt' is 0; a value of -1 is
     returned in case of failure.  The following `errno' error
     conditions are defined for this function:

    `EBADF'
          The FILEDES argument is not a valid file descriptor.

    `EINVAL'
          The FILEDES argument is not associated with a master
          pseudo-terminal device.

    `EACCES'
          The slave pseudo-terminal device corresponding to the master
          associated with FILEDES could not be accessed.


 - Function: int unlockpt (int FILEDES)
     The `unlockpt' function unlocks the slave pseudo-terminal device
     corresponding to the master pseudo-terminal device associated with
     the file descriptor FILEDES.  On many systems, the slave can only
     be opened after unlocking, so portable applications should always
     call `unlockpt' before trying to open the slave.

     The normal return value from `unlockpt' is 0; a value of -1 is
     returned in case of failure.  The following `errno' error
     conditions are defined for this function:

    `EBADF'
          The FILEDES argument is not a valid file descriptor.

    `EINVAL'
          The FILEDES argument is not associated with a master
          pseudo-terminal device.

 - Function: char * ptsname (int FILEDES)
     If the file descriptor FILEDES is associated with a master
     pseudo-terminal device, the `ptsname' function returns a pointer
     to a statically-allocated, null-terminated string containing the
     file name of the associated slave pseudo-terminal file.  This
     string might be overwritten by subsequent calls to `ptsname'.

 - Function: int ptsname_r (int FILEDES, char *BUF, size_t LEN)
     The `ptsname_r' function is similar to the `ptsname' function
     except that it places its result into the user-specified buffer
     starting at BUF with length LEN.

     This function is a GNU extension.

   *Portability Note:* On System V derived systems, the file returned
by the `ptsname' and `ptsname_r' functions may be STREAMS-based, and
therefore require additional processing after opening before it
actually behaves as a pseudo terminal.

   Typical usage of these functions is illustrated by the following
example:
     int
     open_pty_pair (int *amaster, int *aslave)
     {
       int master, slave;
       char *name;
     
       master = getpt ();
       if (master < 0)
         return 0;
     
       if (grantpt (master) < 0 || unlockpt (master) < 0)
         goto close_master;
       name = ptsname (master);
       if (name == NULL)
         goto close_master;
     
       slave = open (name, O_RDWR);
       if (slave == -1)
         goto close_master;
     
       if (isastream (slave))
         {
           if (ioctl (slave, I_PUSH, "ptem") < 0
               || ioctl (slave, I_PUSH, "ldterm") < 0)
             goto close_slave;
         }
     
       *amaster = master;
       *aslave = slave;
       return 1;
     
     close_slave:
       close (slave);
     
     close_master:
       close (master);
       return 0;
     }


File: libc.info,  Node: Pseudo-Terminal Pairs,  Prev: Allocation,  Up: Pseudo-Terminals

Opening a Pseudo-Terminal Pair
------------------------------

   These functions, derived from BSD, are available in the separate
`libutil' library, and declared in `pty.h'.

 - Function: int openpty (int *AMASTER, int *ASLAVE, char *NAME, struct
          termios *TERMP, struct winsize *WINP)
     This function allocates and opens a pseudo-terminal pair,
     returning the file descriptor for the master in *AMASTER, and the
     file descriptor for the slave in *ASLAVE.  If the argument NAME is
     not a null pointer, the file name of the slave pseudo-terminal
     device is stored in `*name'.  If TERMP is not a null pointer, the
     terminal attributes of the slave are set to the ones specified in
     the structure that TERMP points to (*note Terminal Modes::).
     Likewise, if the WINP is not a null pointer, the screen size of
     the slave is set to the values specified in the structure that
     WINP points to.

     The normal return value from `openpty' is 0; a value of -1 is
     returned in case of failure.  The following `errno' conditions are
     defined for this function:

    `ENOENT'
          There are no free pseudo-terminal pairs available.

     *Warning:* Using the `openpty' function with NAME not set to
     `NULL' is *very dangerous* because it provides no protection
     against overflowing the string NAME.  You should use the `ttyname'
     function on the file descriptor returned in *SLAVE to find out the
     file name of the slave pseudo-terminal device instead.

 - Function: int forkpty (int *AMASTER, char *NAME, struct termios
          *TERMP, struct winsize *WINP)
     This function is similar to the `openpty' function, but in
     addition, forks a new process (*note Creating a Process::) and
     makes the newly opened slave pseudo-terminal device the
     controlling terminal (*note Controlling Terminal::) for the child
     process.

     If the operation is successful, there are then both parent and
     child processes and both see `forkpty' return, but with different
     values: it returns a value of 0 in the child process and returns
     the child's process ID in the parent process.

     If the allocation of a pseudo-terminal pair or the process creation
     failed, `forkpty' returns a value of -1 in the parent process.

     *Warning:* The `forkpty' function has the same problems with
     respect to the NAME argument as `openpty'.


File: libc.info,  Node: Syslog,  Next: Mathematics,  Prev: Low-Level Terminal Interface,  Up: Top

Syslog
******

   This chapter describes facilities for issuing and logging messages of
system administration interest.  This chapter has nothing to do with
programs issuing messages to their own users or keeping private logs
(One would typically do that with the facilities described in *Note I/O
on Streams::).

   Most systems have a facility called "Syslog" that allows programs to
submit messages of interest to system administrators and can be
configured to pass these messages on in various ways, such as printing
on the console, mailing to a particular person, or recording in a log
file for future reference.

   A program uses the facilities in this chapter to submit such
messages.

* Menu:

* Overview of Syslog::           Overview of a system's Syslog facility
* Submitting Syslog Messages::   Functions to submit messages to Syslog


File: libc.info,  Node: Overview of Syslog,  Next: Submitting Syslog Messages,  Up: Syslog

Overview of Syslog
==================

   System administrators have to deal with lots of different kinds of
messages from a plethora of subsystems within each system, and usually
lots of systems as well.  For example, an FTP server might report every
connection it gets.  The kernel might report hardware failures on a disk
drive.  A DNS server might report usage statistics at regular intervals.

   Some of these messages need to be brought to a system administrator's
attention immediately.  And it may not be just any system administrator
- there may be a particular system administrator who deals with a
particular kind of message.  Other messages just need to be recorded for
future reference if there is a problem.  Still others may need to have
information extracted from them by an automated process that generates
monthly reports.

   To deal with these messages, most Unix systems have a facility called
"Syslog."  It is generally based on a daemon called "Syslogd" Syslogd
listens for messages on a Unix domain socket named `/dev/log'.  Based
on classification information in the messages and its configuration
file (usually `/etc/syslog.conf'), Syslogd routes them in various ways.
Some of the popular routings are:

   * Write to the system console

   * Mail to a specific user

   * Write to a log file

   * Pass to another daemon

   * Discard

   Syslogd can also handle messages from other systems.  It listens on
the `syslog' UDP port as well as the local socket for messages.

   Syslog can handle messages from the kernel itself.  But the kernel
doesn't write to `/dev/log'; rather, another daemon (sometimes called
"Klogd") extracts messages from the kernel and passes them on to Syslog
as any other process would (and it properly identifies them as messages
from the kernel).

   Syslog can even handle messages that the kernel issued before
Syslogd or Klogd was running.  A Linux kernel, for example, stores
startup messages in a kernel message ring and they are normally still
there when Klogd later starts up.  Assuming Syslogd is running by the
time Klogd starts, Klogd then passes everything in the message ring to
it.

   In order to classify messages for disposition, Syslog requires any
process that submits a message to it to provide two pieces of
classification information with it:

facility
     This identifies who submitted the message.  There are a small
     number of facilities defined.  The kernel, the mail subsystem, and
     an FTP server are examples of recognized facilities.  For the
     complete list, *Note syslog; vsyslog::.  Keep in mind that these
     are essentially arbitrary classifications.  "Mail subsystem"
     doesn't have any more meaning than the system administrator gives
     to it.

priority
     This tells how important the content of the message is.  Examples
     of defined priority values are: debug, informational, warning,
     critical.  For the complete list, *Note syslog; vsyslog::.  Except
     for the fact that the priorities have a defined order, the meaning
     of each of these priorities is entirely determined by the system
     administrator.

   A "facility/priority" is a number that indicates both the facility
and the priority.

   *Warning:* This terminology is not universal.  Some people use
"level" to refer to the priority and "priority" to refer to the
combination of facility and priority.  A Linux kernel has a concept of a
message "level," which corresponds both to a Syslog priority and to a
Syslog facility/priority (It can be both because the facility code for
the kernel is zero, and that makes priority and facility/priority the
same value).

   The GNU C library provides functions to submit messages to Syslog.
They do it by writing to the `/dev/log' socket.  *Note Submitting
Syslog Messages::.

   The GNU C library functions only work to submit messages to the
Syslog facility on the same system.  To submit a message to the Syslog
facility on another system, use the socket I/O functions to write a UDP
datagram to the `syslog' UDP port on that system.  *Note Sockets::.


File: libc.info,  Node: Submitting Syslog Messages,  Prev: Overview of Syslog,  Up: Syslog

Submitting Syslog Messages
==========================

   The GNU C library provides functions to submit messages to the Syslog
facility:

* Menu:

* openlog::                      Open connection to Syslog
* syslog; vsyslog::              Submit message to Syslog
* closelog::                     Close connection to Syslog
* setlogmask::                   Cause certain messages to be ignored
* Syslog Example::               Example of all of the above

   These functions only work to submit messages to the Syslog facility
on the same system.  To submit a message to the Syslog facility on
another system, use the socket I/O functions to write a UDP datagram to
the `syslog' UDP port on that system.  *Note Sockets::.


File: libc.info,  Node: openlog,  Next: syslog; vsyslog,  Up: Submitting Syslog Messages

openlog
-------

   The symbols referred to in this section are declared in the file
`syslog.h'.

 - Function: void openlog (char *IDENT, int OPTION,
     int FACILITY)

     `openlog' opens or reopens a connection to Syslog in preparation
     for submitting messages.

     IDENT is an arbitrary identification string which future `syslog'
     invocations will prefix to each message.  This is intended to
     identify the source of the message, and people conventionally set
     it to the name of the program that will submit the messages.

     `openlog' may or may not open the `/dev/log' socket, depending on
     OPTION.  If it does, it tries to open it and connect it as a
     stream socket.  If that doesn't work, it tries to open it and
     connect it as a datagram socket.  The socket has the "Close on
     Exec" attribute, so the kernel will close it if the process
     performs an exec.

     You don't have to use `openlog'.  If you call `syslog' without
     having called `openlog', `syslog' just opens the connection
     implicitly and uses defaults for the information in IDENT and
     OPTIONS.

     OPTIONS is a bit string, with the bits as defined by the following
     single bit masks:

    `LOG_PERROR'
          If on, `openlog' sets up the connection so that any `syslog'
          on this connection writes its message to the calling process'
          Standard Error stream in addition to submitting it to Syslog.
          If off, `syslog' does not write the message to Standard
          Error.

    `LOG_CONS'
          If on, `openlog' sets up the connection so that a `syslog' on
          this connection that fails to submit a message to Syslog
          writes the message instead to system console.  If off,
          `syslog' does not write to the system console (but of course
          Syslog may write messages it receives to the console).

    `LOG_PID'
          When on, `openlog' sets up the connection so that a `syslog'
          on this connection inserts the calling process' Process ID
          (PID) into the message.  When off, `openlog' does not insert
          the PID.

    `LOG_NDELAY'
          When on, `openlog' opens and connects the `/dev/log' socket.
          When off, a future `syslog' call must open and connect the
          socket.

          *Portability note:*  In early systems, the sense of this bit
          was exactly the opposite.

    `LOG_ODELAY'
          This bit does nothing.  It exists for backward compatibility.

     If any other bit in OPTIONS is on, the result is undefined.

     FACILITY is the default facility code for this connection.  A
     `syslog' on this connection that specifies default facility causes
     this facility to be associated with the message.  See `syslog' for
     possible values.  A value of zero means the default default, which
     is `LOG_USER'.

     If a Syslog connection is already open when you call `openlog',
     `openlog' "reopens" the connection.  Reopening is like opening
     except that if you specify zero for the default facility code, the
     default facility code simply remains unchanged and if you specify
     LOG_NDELAY and the socket is already open and connected, `openlog'
     just leaves it that way.



File: libc.info,  Node: syslog; vsyslog,  Next: closelog,  Prev: openlog,  Up: Submitting Syslog Messages

syslog, vsyslog
---------------

   The symbols referred to in this section are declared in the file
`syslog.h'.

 - Function: void syslog (int FACILITY_PRIORITY, char *FORMAT, ...)
     `syslog' submits a message to the Syslog facility.  It does this by
     writing to the Unix domain socket `/dev/log'.

     `syslog' submits the message with the facility and priority
     indicated by FACILITY_PRIORITY.  The macro `LOG_MAKEPRI' generates
     a facility/priority from a facility and a priority, as in the
     following example:

          LOG_MAKEPRI(LOG_USER, LOG_WARNING)

     The possible values for the facility code are (macros):

    `LOG_USER'
          A miscellaneous user process

    `LOG_MAIL'
          Mail

    `LOG_DAEMON'
          A miscellaneous system daemon

    `LOG_AUTH'
          Security (authorization)

    `LOG_SYSLOG'
          Syslog

    `LOG_LPR'
          Central printer

    `LOG_NEWS'
          Network news (e.g. Usenet)

    `LOG_UUCP'
          UUCP

    `LOG_CRON'
          Cron and At

    `LOG_AUTHPRIV'
          Private security (authorization)

    `LOG_FTP'
          Ftp server

    `LOG_LOCAL0'
          Locally defined

    `LOG_LOCAL1'
          Locally defined

    `LOG_LOCAL2'
          Locally defined

    `LOG_LOCAL3'
          Locally defined

    `LOG_LOCAL4'
          Locally defined

    `LOG_LOCAL5'
          Locally defined

    `LOG_LOCAL6'
          Locally defined

    `LOG_LOCAL7'
          Locally defined

     Results are undefined if the facility code is anything else.

     *note:* `syslog' recognizes one other facility code: that of the
     kernel.  But you can't specify that facility code with these
     functions.  If you try, it looks the same to `syslog' as if you are
     requesting the default facility.  But you wouldn't want to anyway,
     because any program that uses the GNU C library is not the kernel.

     You can use just a priority code as FACILITY_PRIORITY.  In that
     case, `syslog' assumes the default facility established when the
     Syslog connection was opened.  *Note Syslog Example::.

     The possible values for the priority code are (macros):

    `LOG_EMERG'
          The message says the system is unusable.

    `LOG_ALERT'
          Action on the message must be taken immediately.

    `LOG_CRIT'
          The message states a critical condition.

    `LOG_ERR'
          The message describes an error.

    `LOG_WARNING'
          The message is a warning.

    `LOG_NOTICE'
          The message describes a normal but important event.

    `LOG_INFO'
          The message is purely informational.

    `LOG_DEBUG'
          The message is only for debugging purposes.

     Results are undefined if the priority code is anything else.

     If the process does not presently have a Syslog connection open
     (i.e.  it did not call `openlog'), `syslog' implicitly opens the
     connection the same as `openlog' would, with the following defaults
     for information that would otherwise be included in an `openlog'
     call: The default identification string is the program name.  The
     default default facility is `LOG_USER'.  The default for all the
     connection options in OPTIONS is as if those bits were off.
     `syslog' leaves the Syslog connection open.

     If the `dev/log' socket is not open and connected, `syslog' opens
     and connects it, the same as `openlog' with the `LOG_NDELAY'
     option would.

     `syslog' leaves `/dev/log' open and connected unless its attempt
     to send the message failed, in which case `syslog' closes it (with
     the hope that a future implicit open will restore the Syslog
     connection to a usable state).

     Example:


          #include <syslog.h>
          syslog (LOG_MAKEPRI(LOG_LOCAL1, LOG_ERROR),
                  "Unable to make network connection to %s.  Error=%m", host);


 - Function: void vsyslog (int FACILITY_PRIORITY, char *FORMAT, va_list
          arglist)
     This is functionally identical to `syslog', with the BSD style
     variable length argument.



File: libc.info,  Node: closelog,  Next: setlogmask,  Prev: syslog; vsyslog,  Up: Submitting Syslog Messages

closelog
--------

   The symbols referred to in this section are declared in the file
`syslog.h'.

 - Function: void closelog (void)
     `closelog' closes the current Syslog connection, if there is one.
     This include closing the `dev/log' socket, if it is open.

     There is very little reason to use this function.  It does not
     flush any buffers; you can reopen a Syslog connection without
     closing it first; The connection gets closed automatically on exec
     or exit.  `closelog' has primarily aesthetic value.



File: libc.info,  Node: setlogmask,  Next: Syslog Example,  Prev: closelog,  Up: Submitting Syslog Messages

setlogmask
----------

   The symbols referred to in this section are declared in the file
`syslog.h'.

 - Function: int setlogmask (int MASK)
     `setlogmask' sets a mask (the "logmask") that determines which
     future `syslog' calls shall be ignored.  If a program has not
     called `setlogmask', `syslog' doesn't ignore any calls.  You can
     use `setlogmask' to specify that messages of particular priorities
     shall be ignored in the future.

     A `setlogmask' call overrides any previous `setlogmask' call.

     Note that the logmask exists entirely independently of opening and
     closing of Syslog connections.

     Setting the logmask has a similar effect to, but is not the same
     as, configuring Syslog.  The Syslog configuration may cause Syslog
     to discard certain messages it receives, but the logmask causes
     certain messages never to get submitted to Syslog in the first
     place.

     MASK is a bit string with one bit corresponding to each of the
     possible message priorities.  If the bit is on, `syslog' handles
     messages of that priority normally.  If it is off, `syslog'
     discards messages of that priority.  Use the message priority
     macros described in *Note syslog; vsyslog:: and the `LOG_MASK' to
     construct an appropriate MASK value, as in this example:

          LOG_MASK(LOG_EMERG) | LOG_MASK(LOG_ERROR)

     or

          ~(LOG_MASK(LOG_INFO))

     There is also a `LOG_UPTO' macro, which generates a mask with the
     bits on for a certain priority and all priorities above it:

          LOG_UPTO(LOG_ERROR)

     The unfortunate naming of the macro is due to the fact that
     internally, higher numbers are used for lower message priorities.



File: libc.info,  Node: Syslog Example,  Prev: setlogmask,  Up: Submitting Syslog Messages

Syslog Example
--------------

   Here is an example of `openlog', `syslog', and `closelog':

   This example sets the logmask so that debug and informational
messages get discarded without ever reaching Syslog.  So the second
`syslog' in the example does nothing.

     #include <syslog.h>
     
     setlogmask (LOG_UPTO (LOG_NOTICE));
     
     openlog ("exampleprog", LOG_CONS | LOG_PID | LOG_NDELAY, LOG_LOCAL1);
     
     syslog (LOG_NOTICE, "Program started by User %d", getuid ());
     syslog (LOG_INFO, "A tree falls in a forest");
     
     closelog ();

