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12 .TH PTHREAD_SIGMASK 3C "Mar 23, 2005"
14 pthread_sigmask \- change or examine calling thread's signal mask
18 cc -mt [ \fIflag\fR... ] \fIfile\fR... -lpthread [ \fIlibrary\fR... ]
22 \fBint\fR \fBpthread_sigmask\fR(\fBint\fR \fIhow\fR, \fBconst sigset_t *\fR\fIset\fR, \fBsigset_t *\fR\fIoset\fR);
28 The \fBpthread_sigmask()\fR function changes or examines a calling thread's
29 signal mask. Each thread has its own signal mask. A new thread inherits the
30 calling thread's signal mask and priority; however, pending signals are not
31 inherited. Signals pending for a new thread will be empty.
34 If the value of the argument \fIset\fR is not \fINULL\fR, \fIset\fR points to a
35 set of signals that can modify the currently blocked set. If the value of
36 \fIset\fR is \fINULL\fR, the value of \fIhow\fR is insignificant and the
37 thread's signal mask is unmodified; thus, \fBpthread_sigmask()\fR can be used
38 to inquire about the currently blocked signals.
41 The value of the argument \fIhow\fR specifies the method in which the set is
42 changed and takes one of the following values:
49 \fIset\fR corresponds to a set of signals to block. They are added to the
56 \fB\fBSIG_UNBLOCK\fR\fR
59 \fIset\fR corresponds to a set of signals to unblock. These signals are deleted
60 from the current signal mask.
66 \fB\fBSIG_SETMASK\fR\fR
69 \fIset\fR corresponds to the new signal mask. The current signal mask is
70 replaced by \fBset\fR.
75 If the value of \fIoset\fR is not \fINULL\fR, it points to the location where
76 the previous signal mask is stored.
80 Upon successful completion, the \fBpthread_sigmask()\fR function returns
81 \fB0\fR. Otherwise, it returns a non-zero value.
85 The \fBpthread_sigmask()\fR function will fail if:
92 The value of \fIhow\fR is not defined and \fIoset\fR is \fINULL\fR.
97 \fBExample 1 \fRCreate a default thread that can serve as a signal
98 catcher/handler with its own signal mask.
101 The following example shows how to create a default thread that can serve as a
102 signal catcher/handler with its own signal mask. \fBnew\fR will have a
103 different value from the creator's signal mask.
107 As POSIX threads and Solaris threads are fully compatible even within the same
108 process, this example uses \fBpthread_create\fR(3C) if you execute \fBa.out
109 0\fR, or \fBthr_create\fR(3C) if you execute \fBa.out 1\fR.
119 The \fBsigemptyset\fR(3C) function initializes a null signal set, \fBnew\fR.
120 The \fBsigaddset\fR(3C) function packs the signal, \fBSIGINT\fR, into that new
127 Either \fBpthread_sigmask()\fR or \fBthr_sigsetmask()\fR is used to mask the
128 signal, \fBSIGINT\fR (CTRL-C), from the calling thread, which is \fBmain()\fR.
129 The signal is masked to guarantee that only the new thread will receive this
136 \fBpthread_create()\fR or \fBthr_create()\fR creates the signal-handling
143 Using \fBpthread_join\fR(3C) or \fBthr_join\fR(3C), \fBmain()\fR then waits for
144 the termination of that signal-handling thread, whose \fBID\fR number is
145 \fBuser_threadID\fR; \fBmain()\fR will then \fBsleep\fR(3C) for 2 seconds,
146 after which the program terminates.
152 The signal-handling thread, \fBhandler\fR:
157 Assigns the handler \fBinterrupt()\fR to handle the signal \fBSIGINT\fR, by the
158 call to \fBsigaction\fR(2).
164 Resets its own signal set to \fInot block\fR the signal, \fBSIGINT\fR.
170 Sleeps for 8 seconds to allow time for the user to deliver the signal,
171 \fBSIGINT\fR, by pressing the \fBCTRL-C\fR.
177 /* cc thisfile.c -lthread -lpthread */
178 #define _REENTRANT /* basic first 3-lines for threads */
181 thread_t user_threadID;
183 void *handler(\|), interrupt(\|);
186 main( int argc, char *argv[\|] ) {
190 sigaddset(&new, SIGINT);
193 case '0': /* POSIX */
194 pthread_sigmask(SIG_BLOCK, &new, NULL);
195 pthread_create(&user_threadID, NULL, handler,
197 pthread_join(user_threadID, NULL);
200 case '1': /* Solaris */
201 thr_sigsetmask(SIG_BLOCK, &new, NULL);
202 thr_create(NULL, 0, handler, argv[1], 0,
204 thr_join(user_threadID, NULL, NULL);
208 printf("thread handler, # %d, has exited\en",user_threadID);
210 printf("main thread, # %d is done\en", thr_self(\|));
214 struct sigaction act;
219 act.sa_handler = interrupt;
220 sigaction(SIGINT, &act, NULL);
222 case '0': /* POSIX */
223 pthread_sigmask(SIG_UNBLOCK, &new, NULL);
225 case '1': /* Solaris */
226 thr_sigsetmask(SIG_UNBLOCK, &new, NULL);
229 printf("\en Press CTRL-C to deliver SIGINT signal to the
231 sleep(8); /* give user time to hit CTRL-C */
238 printf("thread %d caught signal %d\en", thr_self(\|), sig);
241 void test_argv(char argv1[\|]) {
243 printf("use 0 as arg1 to use thr_create(\|);\en \e
244 or use 1 as arg1 to use pthread_create(\|)\en");
253 In the last example, the \fBhandler\fR thread served as a signal-handler while
254 also taking care of activity of its own (in this case, sleeping, although it
255 could have been some other activity). A thread could be completely dedicated to
256 signal-handling simply by waiting for the delivery of a selected signal by
257 blocking with \fBsigwait\fR(2). The two subroutines in the previous example,
258 \fBhandler()\fR and \fBinterrupt()\fR, could have been replaced with the
265 handler(void *unused)
268 printf("thread %d is waiting for you to press the CTRL-C keys\en",
270 sigwait(&new, &signal);
271 printf("thread %d has received the signal %d \en", thr_self(\|),
275 /* pthread_create(\|) and thr_create(\|) would use NULL instead
276 of argv[1] for the arg passed to handler(\|) */
282 In this routine, one thread is dedicated to catching and handling the signal
283 specified by the set \fBnew\fR, which allows \fBmain()\fR and all of its other
284 sub-threads, created \fIafter\fR \fBpthread_sigmask()\fR or
285 \fBthr_sigsetmask()\fR masked that signal, to continue uninterrupted. Any use
286 of \fBsigwait\fR(2) should be such that all threads block the signals passed
287 to \fBsigwait\fR(2) at all times. Only the thread that calls \fBsigwait()\fR
288 will get the signals. The call to \fBsigwait\fR(2) takes two arguments.
292 For this type of background dedicated signal-handling routine, a Solaris daemon
293 thread can be used by passing the argument \fBTHR_DAEMON\fR to
294 \fBthr_create\fR(3C).
299 See \fBattributes\fR(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
307 ATTRIBUTE TYPE ATTRIBUTE VALUE
309 Interface Stability Standard
311 MT-Level MT-Safe and Async-Signal-Safe
317 \fBsigaction\fR(2), \fBsigprocmask\fR(2), \fBsigwait\fR(2),
318 \fBcond_wait\fR(3C), \fBpthread_cancel\fR(3C), \fBpthread_create\fR(3C),
319 \fBpthread_join\fR(3C), \fBpthread_self\fR(3C), \fBsigaddset\fR(3C),
320 \fBsigemptyset\fR(3C), \fBsigsetops\fR(3C), \fBsleep\fR(3C),
321 \fBattributes\fR(5), \fBcancellation\fR(5), \fBstandards\fR(5)
325 It is not possible to block signals that cannot be caught or ignored (see
326 \fBsigaction\fR(2)). It is also not possible to block or unblock
327 \fBSIGCANCEL\fR, as \fBSIGCANCEL\fR is reserved for the implementation of POSIX
328 thread cancellation (see \fBpthread_cancel\fR(3C) and \fBcancellation\fR(5)).
329 This restriction is quietly enforced by the standard C library.
332 Using \fBsigwait\fR(2) in a dedicated thread allows asynchronously generated
333 signals to be managed synchronously; however, \fBsigwait\fR(2) should never be
334 used to manage synchronously generated signals.
337 Synchronously generated signals are exceptions that are generated by a thread
338 and are directed at the thread causing the exception. Since \fBsigwait()\fR
339 blocks waiting for signals, the blocking thread cannot receive a synchronously
343 The \fBsigprocmask\fR(2) function behaves the same as if
344 \fBpthread_sigmask()\fR has been called. POSIX leaves the semantics of the call
345 to \fBsigprocmask\fR(2) unspecified in a multi-threaded process, so programs
346 that care about POSIX portability should not depend on this semantic.
349 If a signal is delivered while a thread is waiting on a condition variable, the
350 \fBcond_wait\fR(3C) function will be interrupted and the handler will be
351 executed. The state of the lock protecting the condition variable is undefined
352 while the thread is executing the signal handler.
355 Although \fBpthread_sigmask()\fR is Async-Signal-Safe with respect to the
356 Solaris environment, this safeness is not guaranteed to be portable to other
360 Signals that are generated synchronously should not be masked. If such a signal
361 is blocked and delivered, the receiving process is killed.