acct(2)                          UNIX System V                          acct(2)


NAME
      acct - enable or disable process accounting

SYNOPSIS
      #include <unistd.h>

      int acct(const char *path);

DESCRIPTION
      acct enables or disables the system process accounting routine.  If the
      routine is enabled, an accounting record will be written in an accounting
      file for each process that terminates.  The termination of a process can
      be caused by one of two things: an exit call or a signal [see exit(2) and
      signal(2)].  The effective user ID of the process calling acct must be
      superuser.

      path points to a pathname naming the accounting file.  The accounting
      file format is given in acct(4).

      The accounting routine is enabled if path is non-zero and no errors occur
      during the system call.  It is disabled if path is (char *)NULL and no
      errors occur during the system call.

      acct will fail if one or more of the following are true:

      EACCES              The file named by path is not an ordinary file.

      EBUSY               An attempt is being made to enable accounting using
                          the same file that is currently being used.

      EFAULT              path points to an illegal address.

      ELOOP               Too many symbolic links were encountered in
                          translating path.

      ENAMETOOLONG        The length of the path argument exceeds {PATHMAX},
                          or the length of a path component exceeds {NAMEMAX}
                          while POSIXNOTRUNC is in effect.

      ENOTDIR             A component of the path prefix is not a directory.

      ENOENT              One or more components of the accounting file
                          pathname do not exist.

      EPERM               The effective user of the calling process is not
                          superuser.

      EROFS               The named file resides on a read-only file system.

SEE ALSO
      exit(2), signal(2).
      acct(4) in the System Administrator's Reference Manual.


10/89                                                                    Page 1

acct(2)                          UNIX System V                          acct(2)


DIAGNOSTICS
      Upon successful completion, a value of 0 is returned. Otherwise, a value
      of -1 is returned and errno is set to indicate the error.



















































Page 2                                                                    10/89