acct(4)acct(4)NAME
acct, acct.h - Accounting include files
SYNOPSIS
#include <sys/acct.h>
#include <utmp.h>
DESCRIPTION
The /usr/include/sys/acct.h header file defines a type acct structure
for accounting information used by various accounting files. The infor‐
mation in the acct.h structure is used in records in accounting files
having various fixed formats.
The various accounting files provide the means to monitor system use
and performance and to pass charges to system users. These accounting
files also serve as the permanent record of billing information for
each process, CPU real time, allocated resources, and services. The
acct command is used to produce desired accounting files.
The /usr/include/utmp.h header file defines the record format for data
written to the /var/adm/wtmp accounting login/logout database file
whenever any user logs in or out. The type utmp structure defined in
the /usr/include/utmp.h header file has the following members: The user
login name listed in the /etc/passwd file. The user identification
from the /etc/inittab ID file. The device name (console or tty43, for
example). This is a flag that defines the type of entry. The type of
entry flag symbolic names are as follows: No valid entry. Run level
changed by the init program. Boot time entry, generated by the init
program. Used by the date program when the system time is changed.
Used by the date program when the system time is changed. Process
spawned by the init program. A getty process waiting for login. A
user process. Terminated process. Private flag for accounting pro‐
grams. Process ID number. Process termination status of a process
whose ut_type member value is DEAD PROCESS. Process exit status of a
process whose ut_type member value is DEAD PROCESS. Time that entry
was made. Host machine name.
The /usr/include/sys/acct.h header file defines the record format for
the data written to the process accounting database file when a process
completes. The type acct structure defined in the acct.h header file
contains the following members: An accounting flag for the process for
which the accounting record is written. The accounting flag symbolic
names are as follows: The process has been created using a fork() sys‐
tem call, but an exec() system call has not yet concluded. The exec()
system call resets the AFORK flag. The ASU Command was run with an
effective user-id of 0. Dumped core. Process killed by a signal.
Exit status. A flag that indicates how the process terminated. The
user ID of the process for which the accounting record is written. The
group ID of the process for which the accounting record is written.
The terminal from which the process was started. Beginning time. The
time at which the process began. The amount of user time (in a com‐
pressed format) used by the process. The amount of system time (in a
compressed format) used by the process. The amount of elapsed time (in
a compressed format) since the command ran. The average amount of mem‐
ory in units of 8KB that is used by the process. The number of charac‐
ters (in a compressed format) transferred by the process. The number
of blocks (in a compressed format) read or written by the process. The
name of the command that was used to start the process. A child process
created by a fork() system call receives up to 8 bytes from the parent
process. An exec() system call changes the name in this field.
Compressed data, which is a condensed floating-point representation,
may be expanded to normal floating point by using the expacct() rou‐
tine.
The type tacct structure, which is not a part of the
/usr/include/utmp.h or the /usr/include/sys/acct.h header file defini‐
tions, is defined in a private tacct.h header file. The type tacct
structure members define a format for storage of all information avail‐
able from both the /var/adm/wtmp login/logoff and /var/adm/pacct
process accounting databases, whose members are used by various
accounting commands to produce an output file to be used in an account‐
ing report (see the acctmerg command). Members of the type tacct struc‐
ture whose data types are specified as an array of two double elements
have both prime-time and non-prime time values. The type tacct struc‐
ture has the following members: User ID. A field for the login name
having the same number of characters NSZ as the ut_user member of the
utmp structure. Cumulative CPU time in minutes. Cumulative Kcore min‐
utes. Cumulative number of characters transferred in blocks of 512
bytes. Cumulative number of blocks read and written. Cumulative con‐
nect time in minutes. Cumulative disk usage time in minutes. Queueing
system (printer) fee in number of pages. Special services fee. A
count of the number of processes. A count of the number of login ses‐
sions. A count of the number of disk samples.
FILES
Accounting header files that define formats for writing accounting
files. The active login/logoff database file. The active process
accounting database file.
SEE ALSO
Commands: acct(8), acctcms(8), acctcom(8), acctcon(8), acctdisk(8),
acctmerg(8), acctprc(8), runacct(8), sa(8)
Functions: acct(2), fork(2), exec(2), expacct(3)acct(4)