INITGROUPS(3)

NAME
initgroups - initialize supplementary group IDs

SYNOPSIS
#include <unistd.h>
int
initgroups(const char *name, gid_t basegid);

DESCRIPTION
The initgroups() function uses the getgrouplist(3) function to calculate the supplementary group IDs for the user specified in name. This group list is then set up for the current process using setgroups(2). The basegid is automatically included in the group list. Typically this value is given as the group number from the password file.

If the groups database lists more than NGROUPS_MAX groups for name (including one for basegid), the later groups are ignored.

RETURN VALUES
The initgroups() function returns -1 if it was not invoked by the superuser.

SEE ALSO
setgroups(2), getgrouplist(3)

HISTORY
The initgroups() function appeared in 4.2BSD.

BUGS
The getgrouplist(3) function called by initgroups() uses the routines based on getgrent(3). If the invoking program uses any of these routines, the group structure will be overwritten in the call to initgroups().