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SIGSET(3)                     Linux Programmer's Manual                     SIGSET(3)

NAME         top

       sigset, sighold, sigrelse, sigignore - System V signal API

SYNOPSIS         top

       #include <signal.h>

       typedef void (*sighandler_t)(int);

       sighandler_t sigset(int sig, sighandler_t disp);

       int sighold(int sig);

       int sigrelse(int sig);

       int sigignore(int sig);

   Feature Test Macro Requirements for glibc (see feature_test_macros(7)):

       sigset(), sighold(), sigrelse(), sigignore():
           _XOPEN_SOURCE >= 500 || _XOPEN_SOURCE && _XOPEN_SOURCE_EXTENDED

DESCRIPTION         top

       These functions are provided in glibc as a compatibility interface for
       programs that make use of the historical System V signal API.  This API is
       obsolete: new applications should use the POSIX signal API (sigaction(2),
       sigprocmask(2), etc.)

       The sigset() function modifies the disposition of the signal sig.  The disp
       argument can be the address of a signal handler function, or one of the
       following constants:

       SIG_DFL
              Reset the disposition of sig to the default.

       SIG_IGN
              Ignore sig.

       SIG_HOLD
              Add sig to the process's signal mask, but leave the disposition of sig
              unchanged.

       If disp specifies the address of a signal handler, then sig is added to the
       process's signal mask during execution of the handler.

       If disp was specified as a value other than SIG_HOLD, then sig is removed from
       the process's signal mask.

       The dispositions for SIGKILL and SIGSTOP cannot be changed.

       The sighold() function adds sig to the calling process's signal mask.

       The sigrelse() function removes sig from the calling process's signal mask.

       The sigignore() function sets the disposition of sig to SIG_IGN.

RETURN VALUE         top

       On success, sigset() returns SIG_HOLD if sig was blocked before the call, or
       the signal's previous disposition if it was not blocked before the call.  On
       error, sigset() returns -1, with errno set to indicate the error.  (But see
       BUGS below.)

       The sighold(), sigrelse(), and sigignore() functions return 0 on success; on
       error, these functions return -1 and set errno to indicate the error.

ERRORS         top

       For sigset() see the ERRORS under sigaction(2) and sigprocmask(2).

       For sighold() and sigrelse() see the ERRORS under sigprocmask(2).

       For sigignore(), see the errors under sigaction(2).

CONFORMING TO         top

       SVr4, POSIX.1-2001.  These functions are obsolete: do not use them in new
       programs.  POSIX.1-2008 marks sighold(), sigignore(), sigpause(), sigrelse(),
       and sigset() as obsolete, recommending the use of sigaction(2),
       sigprocmask(2), pthread_sigmask(3), and sigsuspend(2) instead.

NOTES         top

       These functions appeared in glibc version 2.1.

       The sighandler_t type is a GNU extension; it is only used on this page to make
       the sigset() prototype more easily readable.

       The sigset() function provides reliable signal handling semantics (as when
       calling sigaction(2) with sa_mask equal to 0).

       On System V, the signal() function provides unreliable semantics (as when
       calling sigaction(2) with sa_mask equal to SA_RESETHAND | SA_NODEFER).  On
       BSD, signal() provides reliable semantics.  POSIX.1-2001 leaves these aspects
       of signal() unspecified.  See signal(2) for further details.

       In order to wait for a signal, BSD and System V both provided a function named
       sigpause(3), but this function has a different argument on the two systems.
       See sigpause(3) for details.

BUGS         top

       In versions of glibc before 2.2, sigset() did not unblock sig if disp was
       specified as a value other than SIG_HOLD.

       In versions of glibc before 2.5, sigset() does not correctly return the
       previous disposition of the signal in two cases.  First, if disp is specified
       as SIG_HOLD, then a successful sigset() always returns SIG_HOLD.  Instead, it
       should return the previous disposition of the signal (unless the signal was
       blocked, in which case SIG_HOLD should be returned).  Second, if the signal is
       currently blocked, then the return value of a successful sigset() should be
       SIG_HOLD.  Instead, the previous disposition of the signal is returned.  These
       problems have been fixed since glibc 2.5.

SEE ALSO         top

       kill(2), pause(2), sigaction(2), signal(2), sigprocmask(2), raise(3),
       sigpause(3), sigvec(3), signal(7)

COLOPHON         top

       This page is part of release 3.32 of the Linux man-pages project.  A
       description of the project, and information about reporting bugs, can be found
       at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.

Linux                                 2010-09-20                            SIGSET(3)

HTML rendering created 2010-12-03 by Michael Kerrisk, author of The Linux Programming Interface

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