MPE/iX Intrinsics Reference Manual (32650-90875)

Chapter 1 15
Introduction
1 Introduction
Many programs use procedures or subroutines to handle recurring tasks. In the MPE/iX
operating system many of these tasks are performed by a set of system procedures called
intrinsics. Intrinsics are available to any process which has the capabilities required to call
the intrinsic.
The tasks that intrinsics handle include:
• Accessing and altering files
• Requesting various utility functions
• Accessing system resources
• Manipulating and managing processes and system resources
• Returning values to a caller through the use of parameters or functional returns
Intrinsics are no different from procedures that you would write for yourself, except that
the details of performing a task are invisible.