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GETPRIORITY(2)              BSD System Calls Manual             GETPRIORITY(2)

NAME
     getpriority, setpriority -- get/set program scheduling priority

SYNOPSIS
     #include <sys/resource.h>

     int
     getpriority(int which, id_t who);

     int
     setpriority(int which, id_t who, int prio);

DESCRIPTION
     The scheduling priority of the process, process group, or user as indi-cated indicated
     cated by which and who is obtained with the getpriority() call and set
     with the setpriority() call.  Additionally, the current thread can be set
     to background state.  Which is one of PRIO_PROCESS, PRIO_PGRP, PRIO_USER,
     or PRIO_DARWIN_THREAD, and who is interpreted relative to which (a
     process identifier for PRIO_PROCESS, process group identifier for
     PRIO_PGRP, and a user ID for PRIO_USER).  A zero value of who denotes the
     current process, process group, user, thread (for PRIO_DARWIN_THREAD).
     prio is a value in the range -20 to 20.  The default priority is 0; lower
     priorities cause more favorable scheduling.  For PRIO_DARWIN_THREAD, prio
     is either 0 (to remove current thread from background status) or
     PRIO_DARWIN_BG (to set current thread into background state).

     The getpriority() call returns the highest priority (lowest numerical
     value) enjoyed by any of the specified processes or for PRIO_DAR-WIN_THREAD PRIO_DARWIN_THREAD
     WIN_THREAD returns 0 when current thread is not in background state or 1
     when the current thread is in background state.  The setpriority() call
     sets the priorities of all of the specified processes to the specified
     value.  When setting a thread into background state the scheduling prior-ity priority
     ity is set to lowest value, disk and network IO are throttled.  Network
     IO will be throttled for any sockets the thread opens after going into
     background state.  Any previously opened sockets are not affected.  Only
     the super-user may lower priorities, but any thread can set itself into
     background state.

RETURN VALUES
     Since getpriority() can legitimately return the value -1, it is necessary
     to clear the external variable errno prior to the call, then check it
     afterward to determine if a -1 is an error or a legitimate value.  The
     setpriority() call returns 0 if there is no error, or -1 if there is.

ERRORS
     Getpriority() and setpriority() will fail if:

     [EINVAL]           Which is not one of PRIO_PROCESS, PRIO_PGRP,
                        PRIO_USER, or PRIO_DARWIN_THREAD.

     [EINVAL]           Who is not a valid process, process group, or user ID.

     [EINVAL]           Who is not 0 when which is PRIO_DARWIN_THREAD.

     [ESRCH]            No process can be located using the which and who val-ues values
                        ues specified.

     In addition to the errors indicated above, setpriority() will fail if:

     [EACCES]           A non super-user attempts to lower a process priority.

     [EPERM]            A process is located, but neither its effective nor
                        real user ID matches the effective user ID of the
                        caller.

LEGACY SYNOPSIS
     #include <sys/types.h>
     #include <sys/resource.h>

     The include file <sys/types.h> is necessary.

     int
     getpriority(int which, int who);

     int
     setpriority(int which, int who, int value);

     The type of who has changed.

SEE ALSO
     nice(1), fork(2), compat(5), renice(8)

HISTORY
     The getpriority() function call appeared in 4.2BSD.

4th Berkeley Distribution        June 4, 1993        4th Berkeley Distribution