EXIT(2)                     BSD System Calls Manual                    EXIT(2)

NAME
     _exit -- terminate the calling process

SYNOPSIS
     #include <unistd.h>

     void
     _exit(int status);

DESCRIPTION
     The _exit() function terminates a process, with the following conse-
     quences:

     o   All of the descriptors that were open in the calling process are
         closed.  This may entail delays; for example, waiting for output to
         drain.  A process in this state may not be killed, as it is already
         dying.

     o   If the parent process of the calling process has an outstanding wait
         call or catches the SIGCHLD signal, it is notified of the calling
         process's termination; the status is set as defined by wait(2).

     o   The parent process-ID of all of the calling process's existing child
         processes are set to 1; the initialization process (see the DEFINI-
         TIONS section of intro(2)) inherits each of these processes.

     o   If the termination of the process causes any process group to become
         orphaned (usually because the parents of all members of the group
         have now exited; see ``orphaned process group'' in intro(2)), and if
         any member of the orphaned group is stopped, the SIGHUP signal and
         the SIGCONT signal are sent to all members of the newly-orphaned
         process group.

     o   If the process is a controlling process (see intro(2)), the SIGHUP
         signal is sent to the foreground process group of the controlling
         terminal.  All current access to the controlling terminal is revoked.

     Most C programs call the library routine exit(3), which flushes buffers,
     closes streams, unlinks temporary files, etc., before calling _exit().

RETURN VALUE
     _exit() can never return.

SEE ALSO
     fork(2), sigaction(2), wait(2), exit(3)

STANDARDS
     The _exit function is defined by IEEE Std 1003.1-1988 (``POSIX.1'').

4th Berkeley Distribution        June 4, 1993        4th Berkeley Distribution