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(libc.info)Pause Problems

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Problems with `pause'
---------------------

   The simplicity of `pause' can conceal serious timing errors that can
make a program hang mysteriously.

   It is safe to use `pause' if the real work of your program is done
by the signal handlers themselves, and the "main program" does nothing
but call `pause'.  Each time a signal is delivered, the handler will do
the next batch of work that is to be done, and then return, so that the
main loop of the program can call `pause' again.

   You can't safely use `pause' to wait until one more signal arrives,
and then resume real work.  Even if you arrange for the signal handler
to cooperate by setting a flag, you still can't use `pause' reliably.
Here is an example of this problem:

     /* `usr_interrupt' is set by the signal handler.  */
     if (!usr_interrupt)
       pause ();
     
     /* Do work once the signal arrives.  */
     ...

This has a bug: the signal could arrive after the variable
`usr_interrupt' is checked, but before the call to `pause'.  If no
further signals arrive, the process would never wake up again.

   You can put an upper limit on the excess waiting by using `sleep' in
a loop, instead of using `pause'.  (Note: Sleeping, for more about
`sleep'.)  Here is what this looks like:

     /* `usr_interrupt' is set by the signal handler.
     while (!usr_interrupt)
       sleep (1);
     
     /* Do work once the signal arrives.  */
     ...

   For some purposes, that is good enough.  But with a little more
complexity, you can wait reliably until a particular signal handler is
run, using `sigsuspend'.  Note: Sigsuspend.