1GETPID(2)                  Linux Programmer's Manual                 GETPID(2)
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NAME

6       getpid, getppid - get process identification
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SYNOPSIS

9       #include <sys/types.h>
10       #include <unistd.h>
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12       pid_t getpid(void);
13       pid_t getppid(void);
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DESCRIPTION

16       getpid() returns the process ID of the calling process.  (This is often
17       used by routines that generate unique temporary filenames.)
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19       getppid() returns the process ID of the parent of the calling process.
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ERRORS

22       These functions are always successful.
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CONFORMING TO

25       POSIX.1-2001, 4.3BSD, SVr4.
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NOTES

28       Since glibc version 2.3.4, the  glibc  wrapper  function  for  getpid()
29       caches  PIDs,  so  as  to  avoid additional system calls when a process
30       calls getpid() repeatedly.  Normally this caching is invisible, but its
31       correct  operation  relies  on  support  in  the  wrapper functions for
32       fork(2), vfork(2), and clone(2): if an application bypasses  the  glibc
33       wrappers  for  these  system  calls by using syscall(2), then a call to
34       getpid() in the child will return the wrong value (to  be  precise:  it
35       will return the PID of the parent process).  See also clone(2) for dis‐
36       cussion of a case where getpid() may return the wrong value  even  when
37       invoking clone(2) via the glibc wrapper function.
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SEE ALSO

40       clone(2),  fork(2),  kill(2),  exec(3),  mkstemp(3),  tempnam(3),  tmp‐
41       file(3), tmpnam(3), credentials(7)
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COLOPHON

44       This page is part of release 3.53 of the Linux  man-pages  project.   A
45       description  of  the project, and information about reporting bugs, can
46       be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
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50Linux                             2008-09-23                         GETPID(2)
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