xref: /freebsd/lib/libc/stdlib/rand.3 (revision a1a4f1a0d87b594d3f17a97dc0127eec1417e6f6)
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36.\"     @(#)rand.3	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/4/93
37.\" $FreeBSD$
38.\"
39.Dd May 25, 1999
40.Dt RAND 3
41.Os
42.Sh NAME
43.Nm rand ,
44.Nm srand ,
45.Nm rand_r
46.Nd bad random number generator
47.Sh SYNOPSIS
48.Fd #include <stdlib.h>
49.Ft void
50.Fn srand "unsigned seed"
51.Ft int
52.Fn rand void
53.Ft int
54.Fn rand_r "unsigned *ctx"
55.Sh DESCRIPTION
56.Bf -symbolic
57These interfaces are obsoleted by random(3).
58.Ef
59.Pp
60The
61.Fn rand
62function computes a sequence of pseudo-random integers in the range
63of 0 to
64.Dv RAND_MAX
65(as defined by the header file
66.Aq Pa stdlib.h ) .
67.Pp
68The
69.Fn srand
70function sets its argument
71.Fa seed
72as the seed for a new sequence of
73pseudo-random numbers to be returned by
74.Fn rand .
75These sequences are repeatable by calling
76.Fn srand
77with the same seed value.
78.Pp
79If no
80.Fa seed
81value is provided, the functions are automatically
82seeded with a value of 1.
83.Pp
84.Fn rand_r
85provides the same functionality as
86.Fn rand .
87A pointer to the context value
88.Fa ctx
89must be supplied by the caller.
90.Sh SEE ALSO
91.Xr random 3
92.Sh STANDARDS
93The
94.Fn rand
95and
96.Fn srand
97functions
98conform to
99.St -ansiC .
100.Pp
101The
102.Fn rand_r
103function is as proposed in the POSIX.4a Draft #6 document.
104