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Fifo Explanation

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12 views3 pages

Fifo Explanation

Uploaded by

karunakar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Step-by-Step Execution

1. Create a Named FIFO

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#define FIFO_NAME "/tmp/my_fifo"
if (mkfifo(FIFO_NAME, 0666) == -1) {
perror("mkfifo");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}

 mkfifo() creates a named pipe (FIFO file) at /tmp/my_fifo.


 The permissions (0666) allow read and write access for all users.
 If the FIFO already exists, it returns an error.

2. Get User Input

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printf("Enter a message to send to the child process: ");
if (fgets(buffer, MAX_MESSAGE_SIZE, stdin) == NULL) {
perror("fgets");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}
buffer[strcspn(buffer, "\n")] = 0; // Remove trailing newline

 User enters a message, which is stored in buffer.


 strcspn(buffer, "\n") removes the newline character added by fgets.

3. Create a Child Process

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pid = fork();

if (pid == -1) {
perror("fork");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}

 fork() creates a child process.


 If fork() fails, an error is displayed.
4. Communication Between Parent & Child

Child Process (Reader)

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if (pid == 0) {
fifo_fd = open(FIFO_NAME, O_RDONLY); // Open FIFO for reading
if (fifo_fd == -1) {
perror("open");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}

read(fifo_fd, buffer, MAX_MESSAGE_SIZE); // Read from FIFO


printf("Child (Reader) received: %s\n", buffer);
close(fifo_fd); // Close FIFO after reading
}

 Opens FIFO file in read-only mode (O_RDONLY).


 Reads the message from the FIFO file.
 Prints the received message.
 Closes the FIFO file descriptor.

Parent Process (Writer)

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else {
fifo_fd = open(FIFO_NAME, O_WRONLY); // Open FIFO for writing
if (fifo_fd == -1) {
perror("open");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}

write(fifo_fd, buffer, strlen(buffer) + 1); // Write to FIFO


printf("Parent (Writer) sent: %s\n", buffer);
close(fifo_fd); // Close FIFO after writing
}

 Opens FIFO file in write-only mode (O_WRONLY).


 Writes the user input message to FIFO.
 Closes the FIFO file descriptor after writing.

5. Remove FIFO File

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unlink(FIFO_NAME);
 Removes the FIFO file from the filesystem after use.

Summary of Execution

1. Parent Process
o Creates a named FIFO file (/tmp/my_fifo).
o Takes input from the user.
o Creates a child process.
o Writes the message into FIFO.
o Closes the FIFO file descriptor.
2. Child Process
o Opens FIFO for reading.
o Reads the message from FIFO.
o Prints the received message.
o Closes the FIFO file descriptor.
3. After execution, the FIFO file is deleted.

Example Output
css
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Enter a message to send to the child process: Hello, Child!
Parent (Writer) sent: Hello, Child!
Child (Reader) received: Hello, Child!

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