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In Unix-based systems, manual pages, or man pages, serve as an integral resource for understanding system commands, functions, and file settings. Accessible through the man command, these pages are particularly valuable for IT professionals seeking to navigate and utilize system capabilities effectively.
Section 2 of the man pages, titled System Calls, outlines the crucial interface that processes use to interact with the operating system. It details how applications can leverage system services, including file management, process control, and communication between processes. The documentation within this section is vital for developers, as it explains the usage, expected outcomes, and potential errors of system calls. Notable system calls such as fork, read, write, exec, and wait are thoroughly described, providing guidance on creating child processes, reading and writing to file descriptors, executing programs, and monitoring process states.
Examples of commands in this section include:
fork: Create a child process.read: Read from a file descriptor.write: Write to a file descriptor.exec: Execute a new program.wait: Wait for the process to change state.| Name | Unix Section 2 Manual Page: System Calls |
|---|---|
| File Extension(s) | .2 |
| Category | Documents |
| Use For | System Calls; which covers functions provided by the kernel. |
| Developer | Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson under the guidance of their manager Doug McIlroy at AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1971 as part of the Unix Programmer's Manual. |
| MIME Type(s) | application/x-troff-man |
| License | freely; but check their source for the specific license. |
| File Sample(s) | N/A |