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  pro-
     cess  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 be
     super-user.

     The path argument points to the pathname of  the  accounting
     file,  whose  file  format  is  described on the acct(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  translat-
           ing 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 effective user  of  the  calling  process  is  not
           super-user.

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

SEE ALSO

     exit(2), signal(3C), acct(3HEAD)