Interprocess Communications in Linux®: The Nooks & Crannies

Chapter 5. Pipes

Introduction

We have discussed the nature and generation of processes. In the previous chapter we addressed primitive techniques for communicating between two or more processes. These techniques were limited in scope and suffered from a lack of reliable synchronization. Beginning with this chapter, we explore interprocess communication techniques using system-designed interprocess facilities. We start with pipes, which provide processes with a simple, synchronized way of passing information. By the early 1970s pipes became a standard part of UNIX.

We can think of the pipe as a special file that can store a limited amount of data in ...