xref: /386bsd/usr/src/lib/libc/gen/sleep.3 (revision a2142627)
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32.\"     @(#)sleep.3	6.3 (Berkeley) 4/19/91
33.\"
34.Dd April 19, 1991
35.Dt SLEEP 3
36.Os
37.Sh NAME
38.Nm sleep
39.Nd suspend process execution for interval of seconds
40.Sh SYNOPSIS
41.Fd #include <unistd.h>
42.Ft int
43.Fn sleep "u_int seconds"
44.Sh DESCRIPTION
45The
46.Fn sleep
47function
48suspends execution of the calling process
49for
50.Fa seconds
51of time.
52System activity or time spent in processing the
53call may lengthen the sleep by a second.
54.Pp
55If a timer is already running on the process its state is saved.
56If the value
57.Fa seconds
58is more than or equal to the remaining clock time for the saved timer,
59the sleep time is set to
60the remaining clock time.
61The state of the previous timer
62is restored after
63.Fa seconds
64has passed.
65.Pp
66This function is implemented using
67.Xr setitimer 2 ;
68it requires eight system calls each time it is invoked.
69A similar but less compatible function can be obtained with a single
70.Xr select 2 ;
71such a function would not restart after signals, but would not interfere
72with other uses of
73.Xr setitimer .
74.Sh RETURN VALUES
75.Sh SEE ALSO
76.Xr setitimer 2 ,
77.Xr sigpause 2 ,
78.Xr usleep 3
79.Sh HISTORY
80A
81.Fn sleep
82function appeared in
83.At v7 .
84