alarm(2)                                                           alarm(2)

NAME
     alarm - set a process alarm clock

SYNOPSIS
     #include <unistd.h>

     unsigned int alarm(unsigned int sec)

DESCRIPTION
     alarm() instructs the alarm clock of the calling process to send the
     signal SIGALRM to the calling process after the number of real time
     seconds specified by sec have elapsed [see signal(2)].

     Alarm requests are not stacked; successive calls reset the alarm clock
     of the calling process.

     If sec is 0, any previously made alarm request is canceled.

     fork() sets the alarm clock of a new process to 0 [see fork(2)]. A
     process created by the exec family of routines inherits the time left
     on the old process' alarm clock.

     Interactions between alarm() and any of setitimer(), ualarm() or
     usleep() are unspecified.

RESULT
     alarm() returns the amount of time previously remaining in the alarm
     clock of the calling process.

SEE ALSO
     exec(2), fork(2), pause(2), sigaction(2), signal(2), sigset(2),
     ualarm(3), usleep(3), getitimer(3C), unistd(4).























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