Using the setservent(3) Function

The setservent(3) function allows you to rewind the file that is opened behind the scenes in the function getservent(3). For example, if you were to try to process entries a second time in Listing 7.2, you would need setservent(3) to rewind to the start of the /etc/services file. Otherwise, you will just continue to receive end-of-file indications. The function synopsis is as follows:

#include <netdb.h>

void setservent(int stayopen);

This function takes one argument, which is a Boolean value:

• When non-zero (TRUE), the stayopen argument indicates that the file should be rewound instead of re-opened when rereading the /etc/services file is performed. This is preferred for performance reasons.
• When zero (FALSE), the file is closed if it has been previously opened (by getservent(3), for example). Then the function re-opens the file to make ready for the next getservent(3) call. There is no return value for this function.