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GETCONTEXT(3)		   Linux Programmer's Manual		 GETCONTEXT(3)

NAME
       getcontext, setcontext - get or set the user context

SYNOPSIS
       #include <ucontext.h>

       int getcontext(ucontext_t *ucp);
       int setcontext(const ucontext_t *ucp);

DESCRIPTION
       In  a  System  V-like environment, one has the two types mcontext_t and
       ucontext_t defined in <ucontext.h> and the four functions getcontext(),
       setcontext(),  makecontext(3)  and swapcontext(3) that allow user-level
       context switching between multiple threads of control within a process.

       The mcontext_t type is machine-dependent and  opaque.   The  ucontext_t
       type is a structure that has at least the following fields:

	   typedef struct ucontext {
	       struct ucontext *uc_link;
	       sigset_t		uc_sigmask;
	       stack_t		uc_stack;
	       mcontext_t	uc_mcontext;
	       ...
	   } ucontext_t;

       with  sigset_t  and stack_t defined in <signal.h>.  Here uc_link points
       to the context that will be resumed when the current context terminates
       (in case the current context was created using makecontext(3)), uc_sig‐
       mask is the set of  signals  blocked  in	 this  context	(see  sigproc‐
       mask(2)),  uc_stack  is	the  stack  used  by this context (see sigalt‐
       stack(2)), and uc_mcontext is the  machine-specific  representation  of
       the  saved  context,  that includes the calling thread's machine regis‐
       ters.

       The function getcontext() initializes the structure pointed at  by  ucp
       to the currently active context.

       The  function setcontext() restores the user context pointed at by ucp.
       A successful call does  not  return.   The  context  should  have  been
       obtained	 by  a	call  of getcontext(), or makecontext(3), or passed as
       third argument to a signal handler.

       If the context was obtained by a call of getcontext(),  program	execu‐
       tion continues as if this call just returned.

       If the context was obtained by a call of makecontext(3), program execu‐
       tion continues by a call to the function func specified as  the	second
       argument	 of  that  call	 to  makecontext(3).   When  the function func
       returns, we continue with the uc_link member of the structure ucp spec‐
       ified  as the first argument of that call to makecontext(3).  When this
       member is NULL, the thread exits.

       If the context was obtained by a call to a  signal  handler,  then  old
       standard	 text  says that "program execution continues with the program
       instruction following the instruction interrupted by the signal".  How‐
       ever,  this  sentence  was removed in SUSv2, and the present verdict is
       "the result is unspecified".

RETURN VALUE
       When successful, getcontext()  returns  0  and  setcontext()  does  not
       return.	On error, both return -1 and set errno appropriately.

ERRORS
       None defined.

CONFORMING TO
       SUSv2, POSIX.1-2001.  POSIX.1-2008 removes the specification of getcon‐
       text(), citing portability issues, and recommending  that  applications
       be rewritten to use POSIX threads instead.

NOTES
       The earliest incarnation of this mechanism was the setjmp(3)/longjmp(3)
       mechanism.  Since that does not define the handling of the signal  con‐
       text,  the  next	 stage	was  the sigsetjmp(3)/siglongjmp(3) pair.  The
       present mechanism gives much more control.  On the other hand, there is
       no  easy	 way  to detect whether a return from getcontext() is from the
       first call, or via a setcontext() call.	The user has to invent her own
       bookkeeping  device,  and  a register variable won't do since registers
       are restored.

       When a signal occurs, the current user context is saved and a new  con‐
       text is created by the kernel for the signal handler.  Do not leave the
       handler using longjmp(3): it is undefined what would happen  with  con‐
       texts.  Use siglongjmp(3) or setcontext() instead.

SEE ALSO
       sigaction(2),   sigaltstack(2),	sigprocmask(2),	 longjmp(3),  makecon‐
       text(3), sigsetjmp(3)

COLOPHON
       This page is part of release 3.55 of the Linux  man-pages  project.   A
       description  of	the project, and information about reporting bugs, can
       be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.

Linux				  2009-03-15			 GETCONTEXT(3)
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