Chapter 6. UNIX Special Files

This chapter discusses UNIX special files that represent devices. Two important examples of special files are pipes and FIFOs, interprocess communication mechanisms that allow processes running on the same system to share information and hence cooperate. The chapter introduces the client-server model and also discusses how to handle special files representing devices such as terminals.

Objectives

  • Learn about interprocess communication

  • Experiment with client-server interactions

  • Explore pipes and redirection

  • Use device control to set parameters

  • Understand how UNIX achieves device independence

Pipes

The capacity to communicate is essential for processes that cooperate to solve a problem. The simplest UNIX interprocess communication ...

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