Contents

• Introduction
•  1  Generalities
  • 1.1  Modules Sys and Unix
  • 1.2  Interface with the calling program
  • 1.3  Error handling
  • 1.4  Library functions
•  2  Files
  • 2.1  The file system
  • 2.2  File names and file descriptors
  • 2.3  Meta-attributes, types and permissions
  • 2.4  Operations on directories
  • 2.5  Complete example: search in a file hierarchy
  • 2.6  Opening a file
  • 2.7  Reading and writing
  • 2.8  Closing a descriptor
  • 2.9  Complete example: file copy
  • 2.10  The cost of system calls and buffers
  • 2.11  Complete example: a small input/output library
  • 2.12  Positioning
  • 2.13  Operations specific to certain file types
  • 2.14  Locks on files
  • 2.15  Complete example: recursive copy of files
  • 2.16  Complete example: Tape ARchive
•  3  Processes
  • 3.1  Creation of processes
  • 3.2  Complete Example: the command leave
  • 3.3  Awaiting the termination of a process
  • 3.4  Launching a program
  • 3.5  Complete example: a mini-shell
•  4  Signals
  • 4.1  Default behavior
  • 4.2  Using signals
  • 4.3  Changing the effect of a signal
  • 4.4  How to mask signals
  • 4.5  Signals and system calls
  • 4.6  The passage of time
  • 4.7  Problems with signals
•  5  Classical inter-process communication: pipes
  • 5.1  Pipes
  • 5.2  Complete example: parallel sieve of Eratosthenes
  • 5.3  Named pipes
  • 5.4  Descriptor redirections
  • 5.5  Complete example: composing N commands
  • 5.6  Input/output multiplexing
  • 5.7  Miscellaneous: write
•  6  Modern communication: sockets
  • 6.1  Sockets
  • 6.2  Socket creation
  • 6.3  Addresses
  • 6.4  Connection to a server
  • 6.5  Disconnecting sockets
  • 6.6  Complete example: the universal client
  • 6.7  Establishing a service
  • 6.8  Tuning sockets
  • 6.9  Complete example: the universal server
  • 6.10  Communication in connectionless mode
  • 6.11  Low level reads and writes
  • 6.12  High-level primitives
  • 6.13  Examples of protocols
  • 6.14  Complete example: http requests
•  7  Threads
  • 7.1  Introduction
  • 7.2  Creation and termination of threads
  • 7.3  Waiting
  • 7.4  Synchronization among threads: locks
  • 7.5  Complete example: http relay
  • 7.6  Conditions
  • 7.7  Event-based synchronous communication
  • 7.8  Implementation details
• Going further
• References
• Index