sleep(3C)                                                  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.

       REFERENCES
             alarm(2), pause(2), signal(2), wait(2)

       NOTICES
          Considerations for Threads Programming
             The Threads Library allows each thread to sleep independently
             of the others.








                           Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.               Page 1