IDLE(2)                             Linux Programmer's Manual                             IDLE(2)



NAME
       idle - make process 0 idle

SYNOPSIS
       #include <unistd.h>

       int idle(void);

DESCRIPTION
       idle()  is an internal system call used during bootstrap.  It marks the process's pages as
       swappable, lowers its priority,  and  enters  the  main  scheduling  loop.   idle()  never
       returns.

       Only  process  0 may call idle().  Any user process, even a process with superuser permis‐
       sion, will receive EPERM.

RETURN VALUE
       idle() never returns for process 0, and always returns -1 for a user process.

ERRORS
       EPERM  Always, for a user process.

VERSIONS
       Since Linux 2.3.13, this system call does not exist anymore.

CONFORMING TO
       This function is Linux-specific, and should not be used in programs intended to be  porta‐
       ble.

COLOPHON
       This  page  is  part of release 3.74 of the Linux man-pages project.  A description of the
       project, information about reporting bugs, and the latest version of  this  page,  can  be
       found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.



Linux                                       2012-12-31                                    IDLE(2)