acct(2)                   SYSTEM CALLS                    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  rou-
     tine.   If the routine is enabled, an accounting record will
     be written in an accounting file for each process that  ter-
     minates.   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  ordi-
                         nary 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 com-
                         ponent    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  pro-
                         cess is not superuser.




                                                                1

acct(2)                   SYSTEM CALLS                    acct(2)



     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.

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












































                                                                2