vfork - create new process; share virtual memory
#include <unistd.h> pid_t vfork(void);
The vfork() function has the same effect as fork(), except that the behaviour is undefined if the process created by vfork() either modifies any data other than a variable of type pid_t used to store the return value from vfork(), or returns from the function in which vfork() was called, or calls any other function before successfully calling _exit() or one of the exec family of functions.
Upon successful completion, vfork() returns 0 to the child process and returns the process ID of the child process to the parent process. Otherwise, -1 is returned to the parent, no child process is created, and errno is set to indicate the error.
The vfork() function will fail if:
- [EAGAIN]
- The system-wide limit on the total number of processes under execution would be exceeded, or the system-imposed limit on the total number of processes under execution by a single user would be exceeded.
- [ENOMEM]
- There is insufficient swap space for the new process.
None.
On some systems, vfork() is the same as fork().The vfork() function differs from fork() only in that the child process can share code and data with the calling process (parent process). This speeds cloning activity significantly at a risk to the integrity of the parent process if vfork() is misused.
The use of vfork() for any purpose except as a prelude to an immediate call to a function from the exec family, or to _exit(), is not advised.
The vfork() function can be used to create new processes without fully copying the address space of the old process. If a forked process is simply going to call exec, the data space copied from the parent to the child by fork() is not used. This is particularly inefficient in a paged environment, making vfork() particularly useful. Depending upon the size of the parent's data space, vfork() can give a significant performance improvement over fork().
The vfork() function can normally be used just like fork(). It does not work, however, to return while running in the child's context from the caller of vfork() since the eventual return from vfork() would then return to a no longer existent stack frame. Be careful, also, to call _exit() rather than exit() if you cannot exec, since exit() flushes and closes standard I/O channels, thereby damaging the parent process' standard I/O data structures. (Even with fork(), it is wrong to call exit(), since buffered data would then be flushed twice.)
If signal handlers are invoked in the child process after vfork(), they must follow the same rules as other code in the child process.
None.
exec, exit(), fork(), wait(), <unistd.h>.