CLOSE(2)                             SysV                             CLOSE(2)



NAME
     close - close a file descriptor

SYNOPSIS
     int close (fildes)
     int fildes;

DESCRIPTION
     fildes is a file descriptor obtained from a creat, open, dup, fcntl, or
     pipe system call.  close closes the file descriptor indicated by fildes.
     All outstanding record locks owned by the process (on the file indicated
     by fildes) are removed.

     When all file descriptors associated with a pipe or FIFO special file
     have been closed, any data remaining in the pipe or FIFO is discarded.
     When all file descriptors associated with an open file descriptor are
     closed, the open file descriptor is freed.  If the link count of the file
     is 0 (zero) when all file descriptors associated with the file have been
     closed, the space occupied by the file is freed and the file is no longer
     accessible.

     If a STREAMS (see intro(2)) file is closed, and the calling process had
     previously registered to receive a SIGPOLL signal (see signal(2) and
     sigset(2)) for events associated with that file (see I_SETSIG in
     streamio(7)), the calling process will be unregistered for events
     associated with the file.  The last close for a Stream causes the Stream
     associated with fildes to be dismantled.  If O_NDELAY is not set and
     there have been no signals posted for the Stream, close waits up to 15
     seconds, for each module and driver, for any output to drain before
     dismantling the Stream.  If the O_NDELAY flag is set or if there are any
     pending signals, close does not wait for output to drain and dismantles
     the Stream immediately.

DIAGNOSTICS
     A successful call returns 0.  A failed call returns -1 and sets errno as
     indicated under "Errors."

ERRORS
     The named file is closed unless one or more of the following are true:

     [EBADF]     fildes is not a valid open file descriptor.

     [EINTR]     A signal was caught during the close system call.

SEE ALSO
     creat(2), dup(2), exec(2), fcntl(2), intro(2), open(2), pipe(2),
     signal(2), sigset(2).
     streamio(7) in Domain/OS System Administration Reference.

NOTES
     Under other implementations, close fails if the following is true:

     [ENOLINK]   fildes is on a remote machine and the link to that machine is
                 no longer active.