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.\" @(#)pipe.2v 1.1 94/10/31 SMI; from UCB 4.2
.TH PIPE 2V "21 January 1990"
.SH NAME
pipe \- create an interprocess communication channel
.SH SYNOPSIS
.nf
.ft B
int pipe(fd)
int fd[2];
.ft R
.fi
.IX pipe() "" "\fLpipe()\fP \(em create interprocess communication channel"
.IX "interprocess communication" pipe() "" \fLpipe()\fP
.IX "create" "interprocess communication channel \(em \fLpipe()\fP"
.SH DESCRIPTION
.LP
The
.B pipe(\|)
system call creates an I/O mechanism called a pipe and returns two file
descriptors,
.IR fd [0]
and
.IR fd [1].
.IR fd [0]
is opened for reading and
.IR fd [1]
is opened for writing.
The
.SB O_NONBLOCK
flag is clear on both file descriptors
(see
.BR open (2V)).
When the pipe is written using the descriptor
.IR fd [1]
up to
.SM {PIPE_BUF}
(see
.BR sysconf (2V))
bytes of data are buffered before the writing process is blocked.
A read only file descriptor
.IR fd [0]
accesses the data written to
.IR fd [1]
on a
.SM FIFO\s0
(first-in-first-out) basis.
.LP
The standard programming model is that after the pipe has been set up,
two (or more) cooperating processes (created by subsequent
.BR fork (2V)
calls) will pass data through the pipe using
.BR read (2V)
and
.BR write (2V).
.LP
Read calls on an empty pipe (no buffered data) with only one end
(all write file descriptors closed) returns an
.SM EOF
(end of file).
.LP
Pipes are really a special case of the
.BR socketpair (2)
call and, in fact, are implemented as such in the system.
.LP
A
.SB SIGPIPE
signal is generated if a write on a pipe with only one end is attempted.
.LP
Upon successful completion,
.B pipe(\|)
marks for update the
.BR st_atime ,
.BR st_ctime ,
and
.B st_mtime
fields of the pipe.
.SH RETURN VALUES
.LP
.B pipe(\|)
returns:
.TP
0
on success.
.TP
\-1
on failure and sets
.B errno
to indicate the error.
.SH ERRORS
.TP 15
.SM EFAULT
The array
.I fd
is in an invalid area of the process's address
space.
.TP
.SM EMFILE
Too many descriptors are active.
.TP
.SM ENFILE
The system file table is full.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.BR sh (1),
.BR fork (2V),
.BR read (2V),
.BR socketpair (2),
.BR write (2V)
.SH BUGS
.LP
Should more than
.SM {PIPE_BUF}
bytes be necessary in any
pipe among a loop of processes, deadlock will occur.