WAIT(1)                                                                WAIT(1)


NAME
     wait - await completion of process

SYNOPSIS
     wait [ n ]

DESCRIPTION
     Wait for your background process whose process id is n and report its
     termination status.  If n is omitted, all your shell's currently active
     background processes are waited for and the return code will be zero.

     The shell itself executes wait, without creating a new process.

SEE ALSO
     sh(1).

CAVEAT
     If you get the error message cannot fork, too many processes, try using
     the wait(1) command to clean up your background processes.  If this
     doesn't help, the system process table is probably full or you have too
     many active foreground processes.  (There is a limit to the number of
     process ids associated with your login, and to the number the system can
     keep track of.)

BUGS
     Not all the processes of a 3- or more-stage pipeline are children of the
     shell, and thus cannot be waited for.

     If n is not an active process id, all your shell's currently active
     background processes are waited for and the return code will be zero.


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