MREMAP(2)           Linux Programmer's Manual           MREMAP(2)

NAME
       mremap - re-map a virtual memory address

SYNOPSIS
       #include <unistd.h>
       #include <sys/mman.h>

       void * mremap(void * old_address, size_t old_size , size_t
       new_size, unsigned long flags);

DESCRIPTION
       mremap expands (or shrinks) an  existing  memory  mapping,
       potentially  moving it at the same time (controlled by the
       flags argument and the available virtual address space).

       old_address is the old address of the virtual memory block
       that   you   want   to  expand  (or  shrink).   Note  that
       old_address has to be page aligned. old_size  is  the  old
       size  of  the  virtual  memory  block.   new_size  is  the
       requested size of  the  virtual  memory  block  after  the
       resize.

       The flags argument is a bitmap of flags.

       In Linux the memory is divided into pages.  A user process
       has (one or) several linear virtual memory segments.  Each
       virtual  memory  segment  has one or more mappings to real
       memory pages (in the page  table).   Each  virtual  memory
       segment  has its own protection (access rights), which may
       cause a segmentation violation if the memory  is  accessed
       incorrectly   (e.g.,  writing  to  a  read-only  segment).
       Accessing virtual memory outside of the segments will also
       cause a segmentation violation.

       mremap  uses  the Linux page table scheme.  mremap changes
       the mapping between virtual addresses  and  memory  pages.
       This can be used to implement a very efficient realloc.

FLAGS
       MREMAP_MAYMOVE
              indicates  if  the operation should fail, or change
              the virtual address if the resize cannot be done at
              the current virtual address.

RETURN VALUE
       On  success  mremap  returns  a pointer to the new virtual
       memory area.  On error, -1 is returned, and errno  is  set
       appropriately.

ERRORS
       EINVAL An   invalid   argument   was  given.  Most  likely
              old_address was not page aligned.

       EFAULT "Segmentation fault." Some  address  in  the  range
              old_address  to  old_address+old_size is an invalid
              virtual memory address for this process.   You  can
              also  get  EFAULT even if there exist mappings that
              cover the whole address space requested, but  those
              mappings are of different types.

       EAGAIN The  memory  segment  is  locked  and cannot be re-
              mapped.

       ENOMEM The memory area cannot be expanded at  the  current
              virtual address, and the MREMAP_MAYMOVE flag is not
              set in flags.  Or, there is  not  enough  (virtual)
              memory available.

CONFORMING TO
       This  call  is  Linux-specific,  and should not be used in
       programs intended to be portable.   4.2BSD  had  a  (never
       actually  implemented) mremap(2) call with completely dif-
       ferent semantics.

SEE ALSO
       getpagesize(2), realloc(3),  malloc(3),  brk(2),  sbrk(2),
       mmap(2)

       Your  favorite  OS text book for more information on paged
       memory.  (Modern Operating Systems by  Andrew  S.  Tannen-
       baum,  Inside  Linux by Randolf Bentson, The Design of the
       UNIX Operating System by Maurice J. Bach.)

Linux 1.3.87                1996-04-12                          1