PR_SET_TIMING(2const)

✨ PR_SET_TIMING — set the process timing mode ✨

okay bestie, so this is a <pink>Linux man-pages</pink> constant page, section 2const — it's the little companion doc that explains one specific prctl(2) operation instead of the whole giant prctl page. 💖 Let's get into it.

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📚 LIBRARY

Standard C library (libc, -lc) 🫶

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🎀 SYNOPSIS

#include <linux/prctl.h>  /* Definition of PR_* constants */
#include <sys/prctl.h>

int prctl(PR_SET_TIMING, long mode);

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💅 DESCRIPTION

So basically you're telling the kernel which flavor of process timing you want for this process. You do that by passing one of these into mode:

• PR_TIMING_STATISTICAL — the normal, traditional, statistical process timing. The og vibe. 🧚
• PR_TIMING_TIMESTAMP — accurate, timestamp-based process timing. Fancy, precise, main character energy. 👑

That's the whole job: pick statistical or pick timestamp, hand it over as mode, done. ✨

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🌈 RETURN VALUE

• On success, 0 is returned. Slay. 💖
• On error, -1 is returned, and errno is set to indicate the error. 😭

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💀 ERRORS

• EINVAL — mode is not PR_TIMING_STATISTICAL.

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⭐ STANDARDS

Linux. That's it, that's the standard. 🐧

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🦋 HISTORY

Linux 2.6.0. Old money, honestly. 👑

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⚠️ CAVEATS

🚨 not me having to tell you this but PR_TIMING_TIMESTAMP is not currently implemented. So if you try to set that mode, you will get the error EINVAL. It's giving "the option exists but the doors are locked." 🙈 Don't say I didn't warn you bestie.

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👀 SEE ALSO

• prctl(2)
• PR_GET_TIMING(2const)

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okay that's the whole page, you ate that ngl 💅 this was the PR_SET_TIMING(2const) doc from Linux man-pages 6.20, dated 2026-02-08 — periodt, go forth and set your timing mode responsibly 🩷🦋✨