SYNOPSIS
       #include <pthread.h>

       void pthread_exit(void *value_ptr);


DESCRIPTION
       The pthread_exit() function shall terminate the calling thread and make
       the value value_ptr available to any successful join with the terminat-
       ing thread. Any cancellation cleanup handlers that have been pushed and
       not yet popped shall be popped in the  reverse  order  that  they  were
       pushed and then executed.  After all cancellation cleanup handlers have
       been executed, if the thread has any thread-specific data,  appropriate
       destructor  functions  shall  be called in an unspecified order. Thread
       termination does not release any application visible process resources,
       including,  but  not limited to, mutexes and file descriptors, nor does
       it perform any process-level cleanup actions, including, but  not  lim-
       ited to, calling any atexit() routines that may exist.

       An implicit call to pthread_exit() is made when a thread other than the
       thread in which main() was first invoked returns from the start routine
       that  was used to create it. The function's return value shall serve as
       the thread's exit status.

       The behavior of pthread_exit() is undefined if called from a  cancella-
       tion  cleanup  handler  or  destructor  function  that was invoked as a
       result of either an implicit or explicit call to pthread_exit().

       After a thread has terminated, the result of  access  to  local  (auto)
       variables  of  the thread is undefined. Thus, references to local vari-
       ables of the exiting thread should not be used for  the  pthread_exit()
       value_ptr parameter value.

       The  process  shall exit with an exit status of 0 after the last thread
       has been terminated. The behavior shall be  as  if  the  implementation
       called exit() with a zero argument at thread termination time.

RETURN VALUE
       The pthread_exit() function cannot return to its caller.

ERRORS
       No errors are defined.

       The following sections are informative.

EXAMPLES
       None.

APPLICATION USAGE
       None.

RATIONALE
       The normal mechanism by which a thread terminates is to return from the
       that exists in the thread. This ordering is necessary because cancella-
       tion cleanup handlers may rely on thread-specific data.

       As  the  meaning of the status is determined by the application (except
       when the thread has been canceled, in which  case  it  is  PTHREAD_CAN-
       CELED), the implementation has no idea what an illegal status value is,
       which is why no address error checking is done.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS
       None.

SEE ALSO
       exit() , pthread_create() , pthread_join() , the Base Definitions  vol-
       ume of IEEE Std 1003.1-2001, <pthread.h>

COPYRIGHT
       Portions  of  this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form
       from IEEE Std 1003.1, 2003 Edition, Standard for Information Technology
       --  Portable  Operating  System  Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base
       Specifications Issue 6, Copyright (C) 2001-2003  by  the  Institute  of
       Electrical  and  Electronics  Engineers, Inc and The Open Group. In the
       event of any discrepancy between this version and the original IEEE and
       The  Open Group Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard
       is the referee document. The original Standard can be  obtained  online
       at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .