PTHREAD_ATFORK(P)					     POSIX Programmer's Manual						 PTHREAD_ATFORK(P)

NAME

       pthread_atfork - register fork handlers

SYNOPSIS

       #include <pthread.h>

       int pthread_atfork(void (*prepare)(void), void (*parent)(void),
	      void (*child)(void));

DESCRIPTION

       The  pthread_atfork()  function	shall declare fork handlers to be called before and after fork(), in the context of the thread that called
       fork(). The prepare fork handler shall be called before fork() processing commences. The parent fork handle shall be  called  after  fork()
       processing  completes in the parent process. The child fork handler shall be called after fork() processing completes in the child process.
       If no handling is desired at one or more of these three points, the corresponding fork handler address(es) may be set to NULL.

       The order of calls to pthread_atfork() is significant. The parent and child fork handlers shall be called in the order in which	they  were
       established by calls to pthread_atfork().  The prepare fork handlers shall be called in the opposite order.

RETURN VALUE

       Upon  successful  completion,  pthread_atfork()	shall return a value of zero; otherwise, an error number shall be returned to indicate the
       error.

ERRORS

       The pthread_atfork() function shall fail if:

       ENOMEM Insufficient table space exists to record the fork handler addresses.

       The pthread_atfork() function shall not return an error code of [EINTR].

       The following sections are informative.

EXAMPLES

       None.

APPLICATION USAGE

       None.

RATIONALE

       There are at least two serious problems with the semantics of fork() in a multi-threaded program. One problem has to  do  with  state  (for
       example, memory) covered by mutexes. Consider the case where one thread has a mutex locked and the state covered by that mutex is inconsis-
       tent while another thread calls fork(). In the child, the mutex is in the locked state (locked by a nonexistent thread and thus	can  never
       be  unlocked). Having the child simply reinitialize the mutex is unsatisfactory since this approach does not resolve the question about how
       to correct or otherwise deal with the inconsistent state in the child.

       It is suggested that programs that use fork() call an exec function very soon afterwards in the child process, thus resetting  all  states.
       In the meantime, only a short list of async-signal-safe library routines are promised to be available.

       Unfortunately,  this  solution  does not address the needs of multi-threaded libraries. Application programs may not be aware that a multi-
       threaded library is in use, and they feel free to call any number of library routines between the fork()  and  exec  calls,  just  as  they
       always  have.   Indeed,	they may be extant single-threaded programs and cannot, therefore, be expected to obey new restrictions imposed by
       the threads library.

       On the other hand, the multi-threaded library needs a way to protect its internal state during fork() in case it is re-entered later in the
       child  process.	The  problem arises especially in multi-threaded I/O libraries, which are almost sure to be invoked between the fork() and
       exec calls to effect I/O redirection. The solution may require locking mutex variables during fork(), or it may entail simply resetting the
       state in the child after the fork() processing completes.

       The  pthread_atfork() function provides multi-threaded libraries with a means to protect themselves from innocent application programs that
       call fork(), and it provides multi-threaded application programs with a standard mechanism for protecting themselves from fork() calls in a
       library routine or the application itself.

       The expected usage is that the prepare handler acquires all mutex locks and the other two fork handlers release them.

       For  example,  an  application  can supply a prepare routine that acquires the necessary mutexes the library maintains and supply child and
       parent routines that release those mutexes, thus ensuring that the child gets a consistent snapshot of the state of the library	(and  that
       no  mutexes  are left stranded).  Alternatively, some libraries might be able to supply just a child routine that reinitializes the mutexes
       in the library and all associated states to some known value (for example, what it was when the image was originally executed).

       When fork() is called, only the calling thread is duplicated in the child process.  Synchronization variables remain in the same  state	in
       the  child  as  they were in the parent at the time fork() was called. Thus, for example, mutex locks may be held by threads that no longer
       exist in the child process, and any associated states may be inconsistent.  The parent  process	may  avoid  this  by  explicit	code  that
       acquires  and releases locks critical to the child via pthread_atfork().  In addition, any critical threads need to be recreated and reini-
       tialized to the proper state in the child (also via pthread_atfork()).

       A higher-level package may acquire locks on its own data structures before invoking lower-level packages. Under this  scenario,	the  order
       specified  for  fork handler calls allows a simple rule of initialization for avoiding package deadlock: a package initializes all packages
       on which it depends before it calls the pthread_atfork() function for itself.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

       None.

SEE ALSO

       atexit() , fork() , the Base Definitions volume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001, <sys/types.h>

COPYRIGHT

       Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form from IEEE Std 1003.1, 2003 Edition, Standard for Information Technol-
       ogy -- Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 6, Copyright (C) 2001-2003 by the Institute of
       Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open Group. In the event of any discrepancy between this version and  the  original  IEEE
       and  The  Open Group Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard is the referee document. The original Standard can be obtained
       online at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .

IEEE
/The Open Group						       2003							 PTHREAD_ATFORK(P)