---
name: "pmpause"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "pcp"
version: "7.2.2-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pmpause"
---

# pmpause(1)

portable subsecond-capable sleep

## NAME

**pmpause**, **pmsleep** - portable subsecond-capable sleep

## SYNOPSIS

**$PCP\_BINADM\_DIR/pmpause** \[**-w** *where*\]\
 **$PCP\_BINADM\_DIR/pmsleep** \[**-w** *where*\] *interval*

## DESCRIPTION

**pmpause** sleeps indefinitely, until interrupted by SIGKILL.

**pmsleep** sleeps for the specified *interval*. The *interval* argument follows the syntax described in [**PCPIntro**(1)](/PCPIntro/1.md) for **-t,** and in the simplest form may be an unsigned integer or floating point constant (the implied units in this case are seconds).

The **-w** option is provided to allow annotation of scripts with multiple uses of **pmpause** and/or **pmsleep** to identify a particular use in the process's arguments, e.g. as visible to [**ps**(1)](/ps/1.md).

## DIAGNOSTICS

The exit status is 0 for success, or 1 for a malformed command line. If the underlying [**nanosleep**(2)](/nanosleep/2.md) system call fails, an errno is returned.

## SEE ALSO

[**sleep**(1)](/sleep/1.md), [**pause**(2)](/pause/2.md) and [**nanosleep**(2)](/nanosleep/2.md).