rand(3) 						     Library Functions Manual							   rand(3)

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NAME

       rand, rand_r, srand - Generates pseudorandom numbers

LIBRARY

       Standard C Library (libc.so, libc.a) Berkeley Compatibility Library (libbsd.a)

SYNOPSIS

       #include <stdlib.h> int rand (void);

       int rand_r(
	       unsigned int *seedptr);

       void srand(
	       unsigned int seed);

       The following function does not conform to current standards and is supported only for backward compatibility:

       int rand_r(
	       unsigned int *seedptr,
	       int *randval);

STANDARDS

       Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry standards as follows:

       rand_r():  POSIX.1c

       rand(), srand():  XPG4, XPG4-UNIX

       Refer to the standards(5) reference page for more information about industry standards and associated tags.

PARAMETERS

       Specifies an initial seed value.  Points to a seed value, updated at each call.	Points to a place to store the random number.

DESCRIPTION

       The  rand()  function  returns  successive  pseudorandom  numbers  in the range from 0 (zero) to RAND_MAX.  The sequence of values returned
       depends on the seed value set with the srand() function.  If rand() is called before any calls to srand() have been made, the same sequence
       will be generated as when srand() is first called with a seed value of 1.

       The srand() function resets the random-number generator to a random starting point. The generator is initially seeded with a value of 1.

       The  rand() function is a very simple random-number generator. Its spectral properties, the mathematical measurement of how random the num-
       ber sequence is, are somewhat weak.

       [POSIX]	The rand_r() function is the reentrant version of the rand() function.	The rand_r() function places the seed value at the address
       pointed to by seedptr, and returns the random number.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  The obsolete version of the rand_r() function places the seed value at the address pointed to by seedptr, and places the ran-
       dom number at the address pointed to by randval.

       See the drand48() and random() functions for more elaborate random-number generators that have better spectral properties.

NOTES

       [POSIX] The rand() function is not supported for multithreaded applications.  Instead, its reentrant equivalent, rand_r(), should  be  used
       with multiple threads.

       The BSD version of the rand() function returns a number in the range 0 to (2^31)-1, rather than 0 to (2^15)-1, and can be used by compiling
       the code with the Berkeley Compatibility Library (libbsd.a).

       There are better random number generators, as noted above; however, the rand() and srand() functions are the  interfaces  defined  for  the
       ANSI C library.

       The  following functions define the semantics of the rand() and srand() functions, and are included here to facilitate porting applications
       from different implementations: static unsigned int next = 1; int myrand(void) {
	       next = next * 1103515245 + 12345;
	       return (  (next >>16) & RAND_MAX); } void mysrand (unsigned int seed) { next = seed }

RETURN VALUES

       The rand() function returns the next pseudorandom number in the sequence.

       [POSIX]	The rand_r function returns the next random number in the sequence.

       [Tru64 UNIX]  Upon successful completion, the obsolete version of the rand_r() function returns a value of  0  (zero).	Otherwise,  -1	is
       returned and errno is set to indicate the error.

       The srand() function returns no value.

ERRORS

       [Tru64  UNIX]  If the rand_r() function fails, errno may be set to the following value: Either seedptr or randval is a null pointer.  delim
       off

RELATED INFORMATION

       Functions: drand48(3), random(3)

       Standards: standards(5) delim off

																	   rand(3)