ACCT(2) System Calls ACCT(2)

NAME

acct - enable or disable process accounting

SYNOPSIS

#include <unistd.h>

int acct(const char *path);

DESCRIPTION

The acct() function enables or disables the system process accounting
routine. If the routine is enabled, an accounting record will be
written in an accounting file for each process that terminates. The
termination of a process can be caused by either an exit(2) call or a
signal(3C)). The effective user ID of the process calling acct() must
have the appropriate privileges.


The path argument points to the pathname of the accounting file,
whose file format is described on the acct.h(3HEAD) manual page.


The accounting routine is enabled if path is non-zero and no errors
occur during the function. It is disabled if path is (char *)NULL
and no errors occur during the function.

RETURN VALUES

Upon successful completion, 0 is returned. Otherwise, -1 is returned
and errno is set to indicate the error.

ERRORS

The acct() function will fail if:

EACCES
The file named by path is not an ordinary file.


EBUSY
An attempt is being made to enable accounting using
the same file that is currently being used.


EFAULT
The path argument points to an illegal address.


ELOOP
Too many symbolic links were encountered in
translating path.


ENAMETOOLONG
The length of the path argument exceeds {PATH_MAX},
or the length of a path argument exceeds {NAME_MAX}
while _POSIX_NO_TRUNC is in effect.


ENOENT
One or more components of the accounting file
pathname do not exist.


ENOTDIR
A component of the path prefix is not a directory.


EPERM
The {PRIV_SYS_ACCT} privilege is not asserted in the
effective set of the calling process.


EROFS
The named file resides on a read-only file system.

SEE ALSO

exit(2), signal(3C), acct.h(3HEAD), privileges(7)

January 20, 2003 ACCT(2)