pcntl_waitpid
  (PHP 4 >= 4.0.7, PHP 5)
pcntl_waitpid — Waits on or returns the status of a forked child
  
 
 
  Description
  
   int pcntl_waitpid
    ( int $pid
   , int &$status
   [, int $options
  ] )
  
  
   If a child as requested by pid
 has already exited
   by the time of the call (a so-called "zombie" process), the function
   returns immediately.  Any system resources used by the child are freed.
   Please see your system's waitpid(2) man page for specific details as to
   how waitpid works on your system.
  
  
 
  Parameters
  
   
    - 
     pid
     
- 
      
       The value of pid
 can be one of the following:
        
        possible values for pid
        
         
          
           | < -1 | wait for any child process whose process group ID is equal to
            the absolute value of pid
. |  
           | -1 | wait for any child process; this is the same behaviour that
            the wait function exhibits. |  
           | 0 | wait for any child process whose process group ID is equal to
            that of the calling process. |  
           | > 0 | wait for the child whose process ID is equal to the value of
            pid
. |  
 Note: 
       
        Specifying -1 as the pid
 is
        equivalent to the functionality pcntl_wait() provides
        (minus options
).
       
 
 
 
- 
     status
     
- 
      
       pcntl_waitpid() will store status information
       in the status
 parameter which can be
       evaluated using the following functions:
       pcntl_wifexited(),
       pcntl_wifstopped(),
       pcntl_wifsignaled(),
       pcntl_wexitstatus(),
       pcntl_wtermsig() and
       pcntl_wstopsig().
       
- 
     options
     
- 
      
       The value of options
 is the value of zero
       or more of the following two global constants
       OR'ed together:
        
        possible values for options
        
         
          
           | WNOHANG | return immediately if no child has exited. |  
           | WUNTRACED | return for children which are stopped, and whose status has
            not been reported. |  
 
 
 
  Return Values
  
   pcntl_waitpid() returns the process ID of the
   child which exited, -1 on error or zero if WNOHANG was used and no
   child was available