System call
A system call is a programming interface provided by an operating system that allows applications to request services from the kernel. The system call provides a way for an application to interact with the underlying hardware and resources of the computer system.
There are several types of system calls that are provided by an operating system, including:
1. Process Control System Calls: These system calls are used to create, manage, and terminate processes in the system. Examples of process control system calls include fork(), exec(), wait(), and exit().
2. File Management System Calls: These system calls are used to manage files and directories on the file system. Examples of file management system calls include open(), close(), read(), write(), mkdir(), and rmdir().
3. Device Management System Calls: These system calls are used to manage input/output devices in the system. Examples of device management system calls include ioctl(), read(), and write().
4. Information Maintenance System Calls: These system calls are used to get or set system and process information. Examples of information maintenance system calls include getpid(), getuid(), getgid(), and time().
5. Interprocess Communication System Calls: These system calls are used to enable communication and synchronization between processes in the system. Examples of interprocess communication system calls include pipe(), shmget(), and semget().
6. Network System Calls: These system calls are used to manage network connections and data transfer over a network. Examples of network system calls include socket(), bind(), and listen().