wait(1)                  USER COMMANDS                    wait(1)



NAME
     wait - await completion of process

SYNOPSIS
     wait [ n ]

DESCRIPTION
     Wait for your background process whose process id is  n  and
     report  its  termination  status.  If n is omitted, all your
     shell's currently active background processes are waited for
     and the return code will be zero.

     The shell itself executes wait, without creating a new  pro-
     cess.

SEE ALSO
     sh(1).

CAVEAT
     If  you  get  the  error  message  cannot  fork,  too   many
     processes, try using the wait command to clean up your back-
     ground processes.  If this doesn't help, the system  process
     table  is  probably  full  or you have too many active fore-
     ground processes.  (There is a limit to the number  of  pro-
     cess  ids  associated with your login, and to the number the
     system can keep track of.)

BUGS
     Not all the processes of a 3-  or  more-stage  pipeline  are
     children of the shell, and thus cannot be waited for.

     If n is not an active process id, all your shell's currently
     active  background  processes  are waited for and the return
     code will be zero.





















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