NAME

pipe − create an interprocess channel

SYNOPSIS

int pipe (fildes)
int fildes[2];

DESCRIPTION

pipe creates an I/O mechanism called a pipe and returns two file descriptors, fildes[0] and fildes[1]. fildes[0] is opened for reading and fildes[1] is opened for writing.

Up to 5120 bytes of data are buffered by the pipe before the writing process is blocked.  A read only file descriptor fildes[0] accesses the data written to fildes[1] on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis.  pipe fails if:

­[EMFILE] NOFILES file descriptors are currently open. 

­[ENFILE] The system file table is full. 

SEE ALSO

read(2), sh(1), write(2). 

DIAGNOSTICS

Upon successful completion, a value of 0 is returned.  Otherwise, a value of −1 is returned and errno is set to indicate the error. 

September 02, 1992