SLEEP(3) BSD Library Functions Manual SLEEP(3)NAME
sleep — suspend process execution for interval of seconds
SYNOPSIS
#include <unistd.h>
u_int
sleep(u_int seconds);
DESCRIPTION
The sleep() function suspends execution of the calling process for
seconds of time. System activity or time spent in processing the call
may lengthen the sleep by a second.
If a timer is already running on the process its state is saved. If the
value seconds is more than or equal to the remaining clock time for the
saved timer, the sleep time is set to the remaining clock time. The
state of the previous timer is restored after seconds has passed.
This function is implemented using setitimer(2); it requires eight system
calls each time it is invoked. A similar but less compatible function
can be obtained with a single select(2); such a function would not
restart after signals, but would not interfere with other uses of
setitimer.
RETURN VALUESSEE ALSOsetitimer(2), sigpause(2), usleep(3)HISTORY
A sleep() function appeared in Version 7 AT&T UNIX.
BSD June 4, 1993 BSD
