NAME

       arch_prctl - set architecture-specific thread state

SYNOPSIS

       #include <asm/prctl.h>
       #include <sys/prctl.h>

       int arch_prctl(int code, unsigned long addr);
       int arch_prctl(int code, unsigned long *addr);

DESCRIPTION

       The  arch_prctl()  function  sets  architecture-specific  process  or  thread state.  code
       selects a subfunction and passes argument addr to it; addr is  interpreted  as  either  an
       unsigned  long  for  the  "set"  operations,  or  as  an  unsigned  long *,  for the "get"
       operations.

       Subfunctions for x86-64 are:

       ARCH_SET_FS
              Set the 64-bit base for the FS register to addr.

       ARCH_GET_FS
              Return the 64-bit base value for the FS register  of  the  current  thread  in  the
              unsigned long pointed to by addr.

       ARCH_SET_GS
              Set the 64-bit base for the GS register to addr.

       ARCH_GET_GS
              Return  the  64-bit  base  value  for  the GS register of the current thread in the
              unsigned long pointed to by addr.

RETURN VALUE

       On success, arch_prctl() returns 0; on error, -1 is returned, and errno is set to indicate
       the error.

ERRORS

       EFAULT addr points to an unmapped address or is outside the process address space.

       EINVAL code is not a valid subcommand.

       EPERM  addr is outside the process address space.

CONFORMING TO

       arch_prctl() is a Linux/x86-64 extension and should not be used in programs intended to be
       portable.

NOTES

       arch_prctl() is supported only on Linux/x86-64 for 64-bit programs currently.

       The 64-bit base changes when a new 32-bit segment selector is loaded.

       ARCH_SET_GS is disabled in some kernels.

       Context switches for 64-bit segment bases are rather expensive.  As an optimization, if  a
       32-bit  TLS  base  address  is  used,  arch_prctl(2)  may  use  a  real  TLS  entry  as if
       set_thread_area(2) had been called, instead of  manipulating  the  segment  base  register
       directly.  Memory in the first 2GB of address space can be allocated by using mmap(2) with
       the MAP_32BIT flag.

       Because of the aforementioned optimization, using arch_prctl(2) and set_thread_area(2)  in
       the same thread is dangerous, as they may overwrite each other's TLS entries.

       As  of  version 2.7, glibc provides no prototype for arch_prctl().  You have to declare it
       yourself for now.  This may be fixed in future glibc versions.

       FS may be already used by the threading library.  Programs that use  ARCH_SET_FS  directly
       are very likely to crash.

SEE ALSO

       mmap(2), modify_ldt(2), prctl(2), set_thread_area(2)

       AMD X86-64 Programmer's manual

COLOPHON

       This  page  is  part of release 4.04 of the Linux man-pages project.  A description of the
       project, information about reporting bugs, and the latest version of  this  page,  can  be
       found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.