sleep(3C)              UNIX System V(C Development Set)               sleep(3C)


NAME
      sleep - suspend execution for interval

SYNOPSIS
      #include <unistd.h>

      unsigned sleep (unsigned seconds);

DESCRIPTION
      The current process is suspended from execution for the number of seconds
      specified by the argument.  The actual suspension time may be less than
      that requested because any caught signal will terminate the sleep
      following execution of that signal's catching routine.  Also, the
      suspension time may be longer than requested by an arbitrary amount
      because of the scheduling of other activity in the system.  The value
      returned by sleep will be the ``unslept'' amount (the requested time
      minus the time actually slept) in case the caller had an alarm set to go
      off earlier than the end of the requested sleep time, or premature
      arousal because of another caught signal.

      The routine is implemented by setting an alarm signal and pausing until
      it (or some other signal) occurs.  The previous state of the alarm signal
      is saved and restored.  The calling program may have set up an alarm
      signal before calling sleep.  If the sleep time exceeds the time until
      such alarm signal, the process sleeps only until the alarm signal would
      have occurred.  The caller's alarm catch routine is executed just before
      the sleep routine returns.  But if the sleep time is less than the time
      till such alarm, the prior alarm time is reset to go off at the same time
      it would have without the intervening sleep.

SEE ALSO
      alarm(2), pause(2), signal(2), wait(2).






















10/89                                                                    Page 1