Using prctl PR_SET_NAME to set name for process or thread?

Question

I am trying to use prctl( PR_SET_NAME, "procname", 0, 0, 0) to set name for a process, when I am reading the Linux Manual about the PR_SET_NAME, looks like it set the name for thread if I understand it correctly.

Can prctl be used to set name for process? How to set name for process?

Answer 1

Yes, you may use PR_SET_NAME in the first argument and the name as the second argument to set the name of the calling thread(or process). prctl returns 0 on success. Remember, it depends where you call this prctl. If you call it inside your process, it will change the name of that process and all of its belonging threads. If you call it inside a specific thread, it will change only the name of that thread.

Example:

int s;
s = prctl(PR_SET_NAME,"myProcess\0",NULL,NULL,NULL); // name: myProcess

Now, if you are running your process in Linux, type:

top

or

ps

To see the name attached to your process id.