READ(5)                                                   READ(5)

     NAME
          read, write - transfer data from and to a file

     SYNOPSIS
          Tread   tag[2] fid[2] offset[8] count[2]
          Rread   tag[2] fid[2] count[2] pad[1] data[count]

          Twrite  tag[2] fid[2] offset[8] count[2] pad[1] data[count]
          Rwrite  tag[2] fid[2] count[2]

     DESCRIPTION
          The read request asks for count bytes of data from the file
          identified by fid, which must be opened for reading, start-
          ing offset bytes after the beginning of the file.  Count
          must be less than or equal to MAXFDATA (8192, defined in
          <fcall.h>).  The bytes are returned with the read reply mes-
          sage.

          The count field in the reply indicates the number of charac-
          ters returned.  This may be less than the requested amount.
          If the offset field is greater than the number of characters
          in the file, a count of zero will be returned.  For directo-
          ries, read returns an integral number of directory entries
          exactly as in stat (see stat(5)), one for each member of the
          directory.  The read request message must have offset and
          count zero modulo DIRLEN.

          The write request asks that count bytes of data be recorded
          in the file identified by fid, which must be opened for
          writing, starting offset characters after the beginning of
          the file.  If the file has been opened append only, the data
          will be placed at the end of the file regardless of offset.
          Directories may not be written.

          The write reply records the number of characters actually
          written.  It is usually an error if this is not the same as
          requested.

     ENTRY POINTS
          Read and write messages are generated by the corresponding
          calls.  Because of the MAXFDATA limit, more than one message
          may be produced by a single call.

     Page 1                       Plan 9            (printed 11/18/24)