If tempnam/mktemp does anything more than sprintf(fname, "/tmp/tmp%d%d", getpid(), cnt++), what it does escapes me. Perhaps someone out there could tell me how 2 processes can have the same pid? I deem to be missing something. -- Peter da Silva (the mad Australian werewolf) UUCP: ...!shell!neuro1!{hyd-ptd,baylor,datafac}!peter MCI: PDASILVA; CIS: 70216,1076