signalfd

The format of the signalfd_siginfo structure(s) returned by read(2)s from a signalfd file descriptor is as follows:

struct signalfd_siginfo {
    uint32_t ssi_signo;    /* Signal number */
    int32_t  ssi_errno;    /* Error number (unused) */
    int32_t  ssi_code;     /* Signal code */
    uint32_t ssi_pid;      /* PID of sender */
    uint32_t ssi_uid;      /* Real UID of sender */
    int32_t  ssi_fd;       /* File descriptor (SIGIO) */
    uint32_t ssi_tid;      /* Kernel timer ID (POSIX timers)
    uint32_t ssi_band;     /* Band event (SIGIO) */
    uint32_t ssi_overrun;  /* POSIX timer overrun count */
    uint32_t ssi_trapno;   /* Trap number that caused signal */
    int32_t  ssi_status;   /* Exit status or signal (SIGCHLD) */
    int32_t  ssi_int;      /* Integer sent by sigqueue(3) */
    uint64_t ssi_ptr;      /* Pointer sent by sigqueue(3) */
    uint64_t ssi_utime;    /* User CPU time consumed (SIGCHLD) */
    uint64_t ssi_stime;    /* System CPU time consumed
                              (SIGCHLD) */
    uint64_t ssi_addr;     /* Address that generated signal
                              (for hardware-generated signals) */
    uint16_t ssi_addr_lsb; /* Least significant bit of address
                              (SIGBUS; since Linux 2.6.37)
    uint8_t  pad[X];       /* Pad size to 128 bytes (allow for
                              additional fields in the future) */
};

Each of the fields in this structure is analogous to the similarly named field in the siginfo_t structure. The siginfo_t structure is described in sigaction(2). Not all fields in the returned signalfd_siginfo structure will be valid for a specific signal; the set of valid fields can be determined from the value returned in the ssi_code field. This field is the analog of the siginfo_t si_code field; see sigaction(2) for details.

After a fork(2), the child inherits a copy of the signalfd file descriptor. A read(2) from the file descriptor in the child will return information about signals queued to the child.

As with other file descriptors, signalfd file descriptors can be passed to another process via a UNIX domain socket (see unix(7)). In the receiving process, a read(2) from the received file descriptor will return information about signals queued to that process.

Just like any other file descriptor, a signalfd file descriptor remains open across an execve(2), unless it has been marked for close-on-exec (see fcntl(2)). Any signals that were available for reading before the execve(2) remain available to the newly loaded program. (This is analogous to traditional signal semantics, where a blocked signal that is pending remains pending across an execve(2).)

The semantics of signalfd file descriptors in a multithreaded program mirror the standard semantics for signals. In other words, when a thread reads from a signalfd file descriptor, it will read the signals that are directed to the thread itself and the signals that are directed to the process (i.e., the entire thread group). (A thread will not be able to read signals that are directed to other threads in the process.)

If a process adds (via epoll_ctl(2)) a signalfd file descriptor to an epoll(7) instance, then epoll_wait(2) returns events only for signals sent to that process. In particular, if the process then uses fork() to create a child process, then the child will be able to read(2) signals that are sent to it using the signalfd file descriptor, but epoll_wait(2) will not indicate that the signalfd file descriptor is ready. In this scenario, a possible workaround is that after the fork(2), the child process can close the signalfd file descriptor that it inherited from the parent process and then create another signalfd file descriptor and add it to the epoll instance. Alternatively, the parent and the child could delay creating their (separate) signalfd file descriptors and adding them to the epoll instance until after the call to fork(2).

The signalfd mechanism can't be used to receive signals that are synchronously generated, such as the SIGSEGV signal that results from accessing an invalid memory address or the SIGFPE signal that results from an arithmetic error. Such signals can be caught only via signal handler.

As described above, in normal usage one blocks the signals that will be accepted via signalfd(). If spawning a child process to execute a helper program (that does not need the signalfd file descriptor), then, after the call to fork(2), you will normally want to unblock those signals before calling execve(2), so that the helper program can see any signals that it expects to see. Be aware, however, that this won't be possible in the case of a helper program spawned behind the scenes by any library function that the program may call. In such cases, one must fall back to using a traditional signal handler that writes to a file descriptor monitored by select(2), poll(2), or epoll(7).

The underlying Linux system call requires an additional argument, size_t sizemask, which specifies the size of the mask argument. The glibc signalfd() wrapper function does not include this argument, since it provides the required value for the underlying system call.

There are two underlying Linux system calls: signalfd() and the more recent signalfd4(). The former system call does not implement a flags argument. The latter system call implements the flags values described above. Starting with glibc 2.9, the signalfd() wrapper function will use signalfd4() where it is available.

#include <sys/signalfd.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>

#define handle_error(msg) \
    do { perror(msg); exit(EXIT_FAILURE); } while (0)

int
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    sigset_t mask;
    int sfd;
    struct signalfd_siginfo fdsi;
    ssize_t s;

    sigemptyset(&mask);
    sigaddset(&mask, SIGINT);
    sigaddset(&mask, SIGQUIT);

    /* Block signals so that they aren't handled
       according to their default dispositions */

    if (sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, &mask, NULL) == -1)
        handle_error("sigprocmask");

    sfd = signalfd(-1, &mask, 0);
    if (sfd == -1)
        handle_error("signalfd");

    for (;;) {
        s = read(sfd, &fdsi, sizeof(struct signalfd_siginfo));
        if (s != sizeof(struct signalfd_siginfo))
            handle_error("read");

        if (fdsi.ssi_signo == SIGINT) {
            printf("Got SIGINT\n");
        } else if (fdsi.ssi_signo == SIGQUIT) {
            printf("Got SIGQUIT\n");
            exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
        } else {
            printf("Read unexpected signal\n");
        }
    }
}