xref: /netbsd-src/lib/libc/stdlib/rand.3 (revision 7c7c171d130af9949261bc7dce2150a03c3d239c)
1.\"	$NetBSD: rand.3,v 1.6 1998/02/05 18:50:14 perry Exp $
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38.\"     from: @(#)rand.3	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/4/93
39.\"
40.Dd June 4, 1993
41.Dt RAND 3
42.Os
43.Sh NAME
44.Nm rand ,
45.Nm srand ,
46.Nm rand_r
47.Nd bad random number generator
48.Sh LIBRARY
49.Lb libc
50.Sh SYNOPSIS
51.Fd #include <stdlib.h>
52.Ft void
53.Fn srand "unsigned int seed"
54.Ft int
55.Fn rand void
56.Ft int
57.Fn rand_r "unsigned int *seed"
58.Sh DESCRIPTION
59.Bf -symbolic
60These interfaces are obsoleted by random(3).
61.Ef
62.Pp
63The
64.Fn rand
65function computes a sequence of pseudo-random integers in the range
66of 0 to
67.Dv RAND_MAX
68(as defined by the header file
69.Aq Pa stdlib.h ) .
70.Pp
71The
72.Fn srand
73function sets its argument as the seed for a new sequence of
74pseudo-random numbers to be returned by
75.Fn rand .
76These sequences are repeatable by calling
77.Fn srand
78with the same seed value.
79.Pp
80If no seed value is provided, the
81.Fn rand
82function is automatically seeded with a value of 1.
83.Pp
84The
85.Fn rand_r
86function is a reentrant interface to
87.Fn rand ;
88the seed has to be supplied and is maintained by the caller.
89.Sh SEE ALSO
90.Xr random 3
91.Sh STANDARDS
92The
93.Fn rand
94and
95.Fn srand
96functions
97conform to
98.St -ansiC .
99The
100.Fn rand_r
101function conforms to
102.St -p1003.1c-95 .
103