ALARM(2)             INTERACTIVE UNIX System             ALARM(2)



          NAME
               alarm - set a process alarm clock

          SYNOPSIS
               unsigned alarm (sec)
               unsigned sec;

          DESCRIPTION
               The alarm system call instructs the alarm clock of the cal-
               ling process to send the signal SIGALRM to the calling pro-
               cess 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.
               The fork(2) system call sets the alarm clock of a new pro-
               cess to 0.  A process created by the exec(2) family of calls
               inherits the time left on the old process's alarm clock.

          SEE ALSO
               exec(2), fork(2), pause(2), signal(2), sigpause(2), sig-
               set(2).

          DIAGNOSTICS
               The alarm system call returns the amount of time previously
               remaining in the alarm clock of the calling process.



























          Rev. C Software Development Set                            Page 1