Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!gwyn@brl-vld From: gwyn%brl-vld@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: FIFOs - who uses them? Message-ID: <2590@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Sun, 26-Jun-83 23:08:02 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.2590 Posted: Sun Jun 26 23:08:02 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 30-Jun-83 20:06:10 EDT Lines: 16 From: Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB)A FIFO is a "named pipe". I.e., it acts like a pipe but can be opened by its name in the file system rather than having to be passed as an open fd created by a parent process. The additional kernel code to support FIFOs was minimal, which may have something to do with this facility being there; it integrates nicely with the existing pipe and file facilities. This idea was tried by RAND Corp. several years ago but wasn't implemented as cleanly. One could use a FIFO for any server daemon; the known file name would serve as a port to send requests to. Berkeley sockets could also be used this way.