Mac OS X Manual Page For sysexits(3)

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SYSEXITS(3) BSD Library Functions Manual SYSEXITS(3)

NAME
sysexits -- preferable exit codes for programs

SYNOPSIS
#include <sysexits.h>

DESCRIPTION
According to style(9), it is not a good practice to call exit(3) with
arbitrary values to indicate a failure condition when ending a program.
Instead, the pre-defined exit codes from sysexits should be used, so the
caller of the process can get a rough estimation about the failure class
without looking up the source code.

The successful exit is always indicated by a status of 0, or EX_OK.
Error numbers begin at EX__BASE to reduce the possibility of clashing
with other exit statuses that random programs may already return. The
meaning of the codes is approximately as follows:

EX_USAGE (64) The command was used incorrectly, e.g., with the
wrong number of arguments, a bad flag, a bad syntax
in a parameter, or whatever.

EX_DATAERR (65) The input data was incorrect in some way. This
should only be used for user's data and not system
files.

EX_NOINPUT (66) An input file (not a system file) did not exist or
was not readable. This could also include errors
like ``No message'' to a mailer (if it cared to
catch it).

EX_NOUSER (67) The user specified did not exist. This might be
used for mail addresses or remote logins.

EX_NOHOST (68) The host specified did not exist. This is used in
mail addresses or network requests.

EX_UNAVAILABLE (69) A service is unavailable. This can occur if a sup-port support
port program or file does not exist. This can also
be used as a catchall message when something you
wanted to do doesn't work, but you don't know why.

EX_SOFTWARE (70) An internal software error has been detected. This
should be limited to non-operating system related
errors as possible.

EX_OSERR (71) An operating system error has been detected. This
is intended to be used for such things as ``cannot
fork'', ``cannot create pipe'', or the like. It
includes things like getuid returning a user that
does not exist in the passwd file.

EX_OSFILE (72) Some system file (e.g., /etc/passwd, /var/run/utmp,
etc.) does not exist, cannot be opened, or has some
sort of error (e.g., syntax error).

EX_CANTCREAT (73) A (user specified) output file cannot be created.

EX_IOERR (74) An error occurred while doing I/O on some file.

EX_TEMPFAIL (75) Temporary failure, indicating something that is not
really an error. In sendmail, this means that a
mailer (e.g.) could not create a connection, and
the request should be reattempted later.

EX_PROTOCOL (76) The remote system returned something that was ``not
possible'' during a protocol exchange.

EX_NOPERM (77) You did not have sufficient permission to perform
the operation. This is not intended for file sys-tem system
tem problems, which should use EX_NOINPUT or
EX_CANTCREAT, but rather for higher level permis-sions. permissions.
sions.

EX_CONFIG (78) Something was found in an unconfigured or miscon-figured misconfigured
figured state.

The numerical values corresponding to the symbolical ones are given in
parenthesis for easy reference.