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.\" Modified Tue Oct 22 08:11:14 EDT 1996 by Eric S. Raymond <esr@thyrsus.com>
.TH IPC 2 2012-10-16 "Linux" "Linux Programmer's Manual"
.SH NAME
ipc \- System V IPC system calls
.SH SYNOPSIS
.nf
.BI "int ipc(unsigned int " call ", int " first ", int " second \
", int " third ,
.BI "        void *" ptr ", long " fifth );
.fi
.SH DESCRIPTION
.BR ipc ()
is a common kernel entry point for the System V IPC calls
for messages, semaphores, and shared memory.
.I call
determines which IPC function to invoke;
the other arguments are passed through to the appropriate call.
.PP
User programs should call the appropriate functions by their usual names.
Only standard library implementors and kernel hackers need to know about
.BR ipc ().
.SH "CONFORMING TO"
.BR ipc ()
is Linux-specific, and should not be used in programs
intended to be portable.
.SH NOTES
On some architectures\(emfor example x86-46 and ARM\(emthere is no
.BR ipc ()
system call; instead
.BR msgctl (2),
.BR semctl (2),
.BR shmctl (2),
and so on really are implemented as separate system calls.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.BR msgctl (2),
.BR msgget (2),
.BR msgrcv (2),
.BR msgsnd (2),
.BR semctl (2),
.BR semget (2),
.BR semop (2),
.BR semtimedop (2),
.BR shmat (2),
.BR shmctl (2),
.BR shmdt (2),
.BR shmget (2)
.SH COLOPHON
This page is part of release 3.44 of the Linux
.I man-pages
project.
A description of the project,
and information about reporting bugs,
can be found at
http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.