1DRAND48(3P) POSIX Programmer's Manual DRAND48(3P)
2
6 This manual page is part of the POSIX Programmer's Manual. The Linux
7 implementation of this interface may differ (consult the corresponding
8 Linux manual page for details of Linux behavior), or the interface may
9 not be implemented on Linux.
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12 drand48, erand48, jrand48, lcong48, lrand48, mrand48, nrand48, seed48,
13 srand48 — generate uniformly distributed pseudo-random numbers
14
16 #include <stdlib.h>
17 double drand48(void);
19 double erand48(unsigned short xsubi[3]);
20 long jrand48(unsigned short xsubi[3]);
21 void lcong48(unsigned short param[7]);
22 long lrand48(void);
23 long mrand48(void);
24 long nrand48(unsigned short xsubi[3]);
25 unsigned short *seed48(unsigned short seed16v[3]);
26 void srand48(long seedval);
27
29 This family of functions shall generate pseudo-random numbers using a
30 linear congruential algorithm and 48-bit integer arithmetic.
31 The drand48() and erand48() functions shall return non-negative, dou‐
33 ble-precision, floating-point values, uniformly distributed over the
34 interval [0.0,1.0).
35 The lrand48() and nrand48() functions shall return non-negative, long
37 integers, uniformly distributed over the interval [0,231).
38 The mrand48() and jrand48() functions shall return signed long integers
40 uniformly distributed over the interval [-231,231).
41 The srand48(), seed48(), and lcong48() functions are initialization
43 entry points, one of which should be invoked before either drand48(),
44 lrand48(), or mrand48() is called. (Although it is not recommended
45 practice, constant default initializer values shall be supplied auto‐
46 matically if drand48(), lrand48(), or mrand48() is called without a
47 prior call to an initialization entry point.) The erand48(), nrand48(),
48 and jrand48() functions do not require an initialization entry point to
49 be called first.
50 All the routines work by generating a sequence of 48-bit integer val‐
52 ues, X_i , according to the linear congruential formula:
53 Xn+1 = (aX_n +c)mod m n≥ 0
55 The parameter m=2^48; hence 48-bit integer arithmetic is performed.
57 Unless lcong48() is invoked, the multiplier value a and the addend
58 value c are given by:
59 a = 5DEECE66D16 = 2736731631558
61 c = B16 = 138
63 The value returned by any of the drand48(), erand48(), jrand48(),
65 lrand48(), mrand48(), or nrand48() functions is computed by first gen‐
66 erating the next 48-bit X_i in the sequence. Then the appropriate num‐
67 ber of bits, according to the type of data item to be returned, are
68 copied from the high-order (leftmost) bits of X_i and transformed into
69 the returned value.
70 The drand48(), lrand48(), and mrand48() functions store the last 48-bit
72 X_i generated in an internal buffer; that is why the application shall
73 ensure that these are initialized prior to being invoked. The
74 erand48(), nrand48(), and jrand48() functions require the calling pro‐
75 gram to provide storage for the successive X_i values in the array
76 specified as an argument when the functions are invoked. That is why
77 these routines do not have to be initialized; the calling program
78 merely has to place the desired initial value of X_i into the array and
79 pass it as an argument. By using different arguments, erand48(),
80 nrand48(), and jrand48() allow separate modules of a large program to
81 generate several independent streams of pseudo-random numbers; that is,
82 the sequence of numbers in each stream shall not depend upon how many
83 times the routines are called to generate numbers for the other
84 streams.
85 The initializer function srand48() sets the high-order 32 bits of X_i
87 to the low-order 32 bits contained in its argument. The low-order 16
88 bits of X_i are set to the arbitrary value 330E_16 .
89 The initializer function seed48() sets the value of X_i to the 48-bit
91 value specified in the argument array. The low-order 16 bits of X_i are
92 set to the low-order 16 bits of seed16v[0]. The mid-order 16 bits of
93 X_i are set to the low-order 16 bits of seed16v[1]. The high-order 16
94 bits of X_i are set to the low-order 16 bits of seed16v[2]. In addi‐
95 tion, the previous value of X_i is copied into a 48-bit internal buf‐
96 fer, used only by seed48(), and a pointer to this buffer is the value
97 returned by seed48(). This returned pointer, which can just be ignored
98 if not needed, is useful if a program is to be restarted from a given
99 point at some future time—use the pointer to get at and store the last
100 X_i value, and then use this value to reinitialize via seed48() when
101 the program is restarted.
102 The initializer function lcong48() allows the user to specify the ini‐
104 tial X_i , the multiplier value a, and the addend value c. Argument
105 array elements param[0-2] specify X_i , param[3-5] specify the multi‐
106 plier a, and param[6] specifies the 16-bit addend c. After lcong48() is
107 called, a subsequent call to either srand48() or seed48() shall restore
108 the standard multiplier and addend values, a and c, specified above.
109 The drand48(), lrand48(), and mrand48() functions need not be thread-
111 safe.
112
114 As described in the DESCRIPTION above.
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117 No errors are defined.
118 The following sections are informative.
120
122 None.
123
125 These functions should be avoided whenever non-trivial requirements
126 (including safety) have to be fulfilled.
127
129 None.
130
132 None.
133
135 initstate(), rand()
136 The Base Definitions volume of POSIX.1‐2017, <stdlib.h>
138
140 Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form
141 from IEEE Std 1003.1-2017, Standard for Information Technology -- Por‐
142 table Operating System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base Specifi‐
143 cations Issue 7, 2018 Edition, Copyright (C) 2018 by the Institute of
144 Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open Group. In the
145 event of any discrepancy between this version and the original IEEE and
146 The Open Group Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard
147 is the referee document. The original Standard can be obtained online
148 at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .
149 Any typographical or formatting errors that appear in this page are
151 most likely to have been introduced during the conversion of the source
152 files to man page format. To report such errors, see https://www.ker‐
153 nel.org/doc/man-pages/reporting_bugs.html .
154IEEE/The Open Group 2017 DRAND48(3P)