02/27/85 process_id

Syntax as a command:  process_id {identifiers} {-control_args}


Syntax as an active function:  [process_id {identifiers}
   {-control_args}]


Function:  prints or returns a process id of a specified process, in
the form of a 12-digit octal number.


Arguments:
identifiers
   can be User_ids, channel names, or APTE offsets.  The three types of
   identifier are distinguished from one another by their format (see
   "Notes" below).  Two of the types can be preceded by a control
   argument to eliminate any ambiguity (see "Control Arguments").  If
   no identifier is given, the process ID of the current process is
   used.


Control arguments:
-absentee, -as
   selects absentee users.
-all, -a
   selects all three process types.  This is the default.
-channel CHN, -chn CHN
   selects the user logged in over channel CHN.
-daemon, -dmn
   selects daemon users.
-interactive, -ia
   selects interactive users.


-multiple
   allows more than one process to be selected.  Their process ids are
   returned, separated by spaces.  This is the default if more than one
   identifier is given.
-single
   requires that the arguments select exactly one process.  This is the
   default, unless more than one identifier is given.
-user User_id
   selects this user.


Notes:  Unless the -multiple control argument is given, or more than
one identifier is given, it is an error if the arguments do not select
exactly one process.

The type of an identifier not preceded by a control argument is
determined as follows:  if it contains only octal digits, it is an APTE
offset; if it contains any upper case letters, it is a User_id;
otherwise, it is a channel name.  Channel names and User_ids can be
starnames.  User_ids are of the form Person.Project.tag.  Any of the
three components can be omitted, along with any trailing periods.
Omitted components are treated as if they had been "*".  The presence
of a tag component restricts the search to the corresponding user table
for that user only.


A channel is a communications channel for an interactive process (e.g.,
a.h017), an absentee slot number for an absentee process (e.g., abs3),
or a message coordinator source name for a daemon process (e.g., bk,
prta).

The APTE offset is given as a four- to six-digit octal number (see the
print_apt_entry command).

The -absentee, -interactive, and -daemon control arguments can be given
in any combination.  The default, when User_id with a tag and none of
these arguments is given is to search all three user tables.


Access required:  Read access to the three user tables
(absentee_user_table, answer_table, and daemon_user_table) in >sc1 is
required, as well as access to the gate metering_ring_zero_peek_ (the
latter only if an APTE offset is given as an identifier).  None of the
above access is required when no identifier is given and the ID of the
current process is returned.


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Historical Background

This edition of the Multics software materials and documentation is provided and donated
to Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Group BULL including BULL HN Information Systems Inc. 
as a contribution to computer science knowledge.  
This donation is made also to give evidence of the common contributions of Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Bell Laboratories, General Electric, Honeywell Information Systems Inc., Honeywell BULL Inc., Groupe BULL
and BULL HN Information Systems Inc. to the development of this operating system. 
Multics development was initiated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Project MAC (1963-1970),
renamed the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in the mid 1970s, under the leadership
of Professor Fernando Jose Corbato. Users consider that Multics provided the best software architecture 
for managing computer hardware properly and for executing programs. Many subsequent operating systems 
incorporated Multics principles.
Multics was distributed in 1975 to 2000 by Group Bull in Europe , and in the U.S. by Bull HN Information Systems Inc., 
as successor in interest by change in name only to Honeywell Bull Inc. and Honeywell Information Systems Inc. .

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Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute these programs and their documentation for any purpose and without
fee is hereby granted,provided that the below copyright notice and historical background appear in all copies
and that both the copyright notice and historical background and this permission notice appear in supporting
documentation, and that the names of MIT, HIS, BULL or BULL HN not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining
to distribution of the programs without specific prior written permission.
    Copyright 1972 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Honeywell Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by BULL HN Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by Bull SAS
    All Rights Reserved