- Linux provides the
system call with the traditional functionality of duplicating a process. Linux also provides the ability to create threads using the
system call.
- However, Linux does not distinguish between processes and threads. In fact, Linux generally uses the term task -rather than process or thread - when referring to a flow of control within a program.
- When
is invoked, it is passed a set of flags, which determine how much sharing is to take place between the parent and child tasks. Some of these flags are listed in Fig. 9 below:
Figure 9:
Some flags for
system call.
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- if
is passed the flags above in the Fig. 9, the parent and child tasks will share the
same mentioned resources. Using
in this fashion is equivalent to creating a thread.
- However, if none of these flags are set when
is invoked, no sharing takes place, resulting in functionality similar to that provided by the
system call.
Cem Ozdogan
2010-03-15