---
name: "ipcmk"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "util-linux"
version: "2.42.4-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ipcmk"
---

# ipcmk(1)

make various IPC resources

## NAME

ipcmk - make various IPC resources

## SYNOPSIS

**ipcmk** \[options\]

## DESCRIPTION

**ipcmk** allows you to create POSIX and System V inter-process communication (IPC) objects: shared memory segments, message queues, and semaphore (arrays for System V).

## OPTIONS

Resources can be specified with these options:

- **-M**, **--shmem** *size*

  Create a shared memory segment of *size* bytes. The *size* argument may be followed by the multiplicative suffixes KiB (=1024), MiB (=1024\*1024), and so on for GiB, etc. (the "iB" is optional, e.g., "K" has the same meaning as "KiB") or the suffixes KB (=1000), MB (=1000\*1000), and so on for GB, etc.

- **-m**, **--posix-shmem** *size*

  Create a POSIX shared memory segment of *size* bytes. The *size* argument may be followed by the multiplicative suffixes KiB (=1024), MiB (=1024\*1024), and so on for GiB, etc. (the "iB" is optional, e.g., "K" has the same meaning as "KiB") or the suffixes KB (=1000), MB (=1000\*1000), and so on for GB, etc.

- **-Q**, **--queue**

  Create a message queue.

- **-q**, **--posix-mqueue**

  Create a POSIX message queue.

- **-S**, **--semaphore** *number*

  Create a semaphore array with *number* of elements.

- **-s**, **--posix-semaphore**

  Create a POSIX named semaphore.

- **-n**, **--name** *name*

  Name of the POSIX IPC object. This option is mandatory for POSIX IPC objects.

Other options are:

- **-p**, **--mode** *mode*

  Access permissions for the resource. Default is 0644.

- **-h**, **--help**

  Display help text and exit.

- **-V**, **--version**

  Display version and exit.

## AUTHORS

*Hayden A. James* \<hayden.james@gmail.com\>, *Prasanna Paithankar* \<paithankarprasanna@gmail.com\>

## SEE ALSO

[**ipcrm**(1)](/ipcrm/1.md), [**ipcs**(1)](/ipcs/1.md), [**lsipc**(1)](/lsipc/1.md), [**sysvipc**(7)](/sysvipc/7.md)

## REPORTING BUGS

For bug reports, use the *issue tracker* \<https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/issues\>.

## AVAILABILITY

The **ipcmk** command is part of the util-linux package which can be downloaded from *Linux Kernel Archive* \<https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/\>.