signalfd

NAME
       signalfd - create a file descriptor for accepting signals


SYNOPSIS
       #include <sys/signalfd.h>


       int signalfd(int fd, const sigset_t *mask, int flags);


DESCRIPTION
       signalfd()  creates  a  file  descriptor  that can be used to accept signals targeted at the caller.  This provides an alternative to the use of a signal handler or sigwaitinfo(2), and has the  advantage that the file descriptor may be monitored by select(2), poll(2), and epoll(7).

       The mask argument specifies the set of signals that the caller wishes to accept via the file descriptor.  This argument is a signal set whose contents  can  be  initialized  using  the  macros  described  in sigsetops(3).  Normally, the set of signals to be received via the file descriptor should be blocked using sigprocmask(2), to prevent the signals being handled according to their  default dispositions.  It is not possible to receive SIGKILL or SIGSTOP signals via a signalfd file descriptor; these signals are silently ignored if specified in mask.

       If the fd argument is -1, then the call creates a new file descriptor and associates the signal set specified in mask with that descriptor.  If fd is not -1,  then  it  must  specify  a  valid  existing signalfd file descriptor, and mask is used to replace the signal set associated with that descriptor.

       Starting with Linux 2.6.27, the following values may be bitwise ORed in flags to change the behaviour of signalfd():
       SFD_NONBLOCK  Set the O_NONBLOCK file status flag on the new open file description.  Using this flag saves extra calls to fcntl(2) to achieve the same result.
       SFD_CLOEXEC   Set the close-on-exec (FD_CLOEXEC) flag on the new file descriptor.  See the description of the O_CLOEXEC flag in open(2) for reasons why this may be useful.

       In Linux up to version 2.6.26, the flags argument is unused, and must be specified as zero.
       signalfd() returns a file descriptor that supports the following operations:
       read(2)
              If  one  or  more  of the signals specified in mask is pending for the process, then the buffer supplied to read(2) is used to return one or more signalfd_siginfo structures (see below)  that describe the signals.  The read(2) returns information for as many signals as are pending and will fit in the supplied buffer.  The buffer  must  be  at  least  sizeof(struct  sig nalfd_siginfo) bytes.  The return value of the read(2) is the total number of bytes read.

              As  a consequence of the read(2), the signals are consumed, so that they are no longer pending for the process (i.e., will not be caught by signal handlers, and cannot be accepted using
              sigwaitinfo(2)).

              If none of the signals in mask is pending for the process, then the read(2) either blocks until one of the signals in mask is generated for the process, or fails with the  error  EAGAIN  if the file descriptor has been made nonblocking.

       poll(2), select(2) (and similar)
              The file descriptor is readable (the select(2) readfds argument; the poll(2) POLLIN flag) if one or more of the signals in mask is pending for the process.

              The signalfd file descriptor also supports the other file-descriptor multiplexing APIs: pselect(2), ppoll(2), and epoll(7).

       close(2)
              When  the  file  descriptor is no longer required it should be closed.  When all file descriptors associated with the same signalfd object have been closed, the resources for object are  freed by the kernel.

   The signalfd_siginfo structure
       The format of the signalfd_siginfo structure(s) returned by read(2)s from a signalfd file descriptor is as follows:

           struct signalfd_siginfo {
               uint32_t ssi_signo;   /* Signal number */
               int32_t  ssi_errno;   /* Error number (unused) */
               int32_t  ssi_code;    /* Signal code */
               uint32_t ssi_pid;     /* PID of sender */
               uint32_t ssi_uid;     /* Real UID of sender */
               int32_t  ssi_fd;      /* File descriptor (SIGIO) */
               uint32_t ssi_tid;     /* Kernel timer ID (POSIX timers)
               uint32_t ssi_band;    /* Band event (SIGIO) */
               uint32_t ssi_overrun; /* POSIX timer overrun count */
               uint32_t ssi_trapno;  /* Trap number that caused signal */
               int32_t  ssi_status;  /* Exit status or signal (SIGCHLD) */
               int32_t  ssi_int;     /* Integer sent by sigqueue(3) */
               uint64_t ssi_ptr;     /* Pointer sent by sigqueue(3) */
               uint64_t ssi_utime;   /* User CPU time consumed (SIGCHLD) */
               uint64_t ssi_stime;   /* System CPU time consumed (SIGCHLD) */
               uint64_t ssi_addr;    /* Address that generated signal
                                        (for hardware-generated signals) */
               uint8_t  pad[X];      /* Pad size to 128 bytes (allow for
                                         additional fields in the future) */
           };

       Each of the fields in this structure is analogous to the similarly named field in the siginfo_t structure.  The siginfo_t structure is  described  in  sigaction(2).   Not  all  fields  in  the  returned  signalfd_siginfo  structure will be valid for a specific signal; the set of valid fields can be determined from the value returned in the ssi_code field.  This field is the analog of  the siginfo_t si_code field; see sigaction(2) for details.

   fork(2) semantics
       After a fork(2), the child inherits a copy of the signalfd file descriptor.  A read(2) from the file descriptor in the child will return information about signals queued to the child.

   execve(2) semantics
       Just like any other file descriptor, a signalfd file descriptor remains open across an execve(2), unless it has been marked for close-on-exec (see fcntl(2)).  Any signals that  were  available  for  reading  before  the  execve(2)  remain  available to the newly loaded program.  (This is analogous to traditional signal semantics, where a blocked signal that is pending remains pending  across an execve(2).)

   Thread semantics
       The semantics of signalfd file descriptors in a multithreaded program mirror the standard semantics for signals.  In other words, when a thread reads from a signalfd file descriptor,  it  will   read  the  signals that are directed to the thread itself and the signals that are directed to the process (i.e., the entire thread group).  (A thread will not be able to read signals that are  directed to other threads in the process.)

RETURN VALUE
       On success, signalfd() returns a signalfd file descriptor; this is either a new file descriptor (if fd was -1), or fd if fd was a valid signalfd file descriptor.  On error, -1 is returned  and
       errno is set to indicate the error.

ERRORS
       EBADF  The fd file descriptor is not a valid file descriptor.
       EINVAL fd is not a valid signalfd file descriptor.
       EINVAL flags is invalid; or, in Linux 2.6.26 or earlier, flags is nonzero.
       EMFILE The per-process limit of open file descriptors has been reached.
       ENFILE The system-wide limit on the total number of open files has been reached.
       ENODEV Could not mount (internal) anonymous inode device.
       ENOMEM There was insufficient memory to create a new signalfd file descriptor.

NOTES
       The underlying Linux system call requires an additional argument, size_t sizemask, which specifies the size of the mask argument.  The glibc signalfd() wrapper function does not  include  this  argument, since it provides the required value for the underlying system call.
       A process can create multiple signalfd file descriptors.  This makes it possible to accept different signals on different file descriptors.  (This may be useful if monitoring the file descrip tors using select(2), poll(2), or epoll(7): the arrival of different signals will make different descriptors ready.)  If a signal appears in the mask of more than one of the file  descriptors,  then occurrences of that signal can be read (once) from any one of the descriptors.

   Underlying Linux system calls
       There  are  two  underlying  Linux system calls: signalfd() and the more recent signalfd4().  The former system call does not implement a flags argument.  The latter system call implements the
       flags values described above.  Starting with glibc 2.9, the signalfd() wrapper function will use signalfd4() where it is available.

EXAMPLE
       The program below accepts the signals SIGINT and SIGQUIT via a signalfd file descriptor.  The program terminates after accepting a SIGQUIT signal.  The following shell session demonstrates the
       use of the program:

           $ ./signalfd_demo
           ^C                   # Control-C generates SIGINT
           Got SIGINT
           ^C
           Got SIGINT
           ^\                    # Control-\ generates SIGQUIT
           Got SIGQUIT
           $

   Program source

       #include <sys/signalfd.h>
       #include <signal.h>
       #include <unistd.h>
       #include <stdlib.h>
       #include <stdio.h>


       #define handle_error(msg) \
           do { perror(msg); exit(EXIT_FAILURE); } while (0)


       int
       main(int argc, char *argv[])
       {
           sigset_t mask;
           int sfd;
           struct signalfd_siginfo fdsi;
           ssize_t s;


           sigemptyset(&mask);
           sigaddset(&mask, SIGINT);
           sigaddset(&mask, SIGQUIT);


           /* Block signals so that they aren't handled
              according to their default dispositions */


           if (sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, &mask, NULL) == -1)
               handle_error("sigprocmask");


           sfd = signalfd(-1, &mask, 0);
           if (sfd == -1)
               handle_error("signalfd");


           for (;;) {
               s = read(sfd, &fdsi, sizeof(struct signalfd_siginfo));
               if (s != sizeof(struct signalfd_siginfo))
                   handle_error("read");


               if (fdsi.ssi_signo == SIGINT) {
                   printf("Got SIGINT\n");
               } else if (fdsi.ssi_signo == SIGQUIT) {
                   printf("Got SIGQUIT\n");
                   exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
               } else {
                   printf("Read unexpected signal\n");
               }
           }
       }