Are there any standard exit status codes in Linux?

Solution 1:

Part 1: Advanced Bash Scripting Guide

As always, the Advanced Bash Scripting Guide has great information: (This was linked in another answer, but to a non-canonical URL.)

1: Catchall for general errors
2: Misuse of shell builtins (according to Bash documentation)
126: Command invoked cannot execute
127: "command not found"
128: Invalid argument to exit
128+n: Fatal error signal "n"
255: Exit status out of range (exit takes only integer args in the range 0 - 255)

Part 2: sysexits.h

The ABSG references sysexits.h.

On Linux:

$ find /usr -name sysexits.h
/usr/include/sysexits.h
$ cat /usr/include/sysexits.h

/*
 * Copyright (c) 1987, 1993
 *  The Regents of the University of California.  All rights reserved.

 (A whole bunch of text left out.)

#define EX_OK           0       /* successful termination */
#define EX__BASE        64      /* base value for error messages */
#define EX_USAGE        64      /* command line usage error */
#define EX_DATAERR      65      /* data format error */
#define EX_NOINPUT      66      /* cannot open input */    
#define EX_NOUSER       67      /* addressee unknown */    
#define EX_NOHOST       68      /* host name unknown */
#define EX_UNAVAILABLE  69      /* service unavailable */
#define EX_SOFTWARE     70      /* internal software error */
#define EX_OSERR        71      /* system error (e.g., can't fork) */
#define EX_OSFILE       72      /* critical OS file missing */
#define EX_CANTCREAT    73      /* can't create (user) output file */
#define EX_IOERR        74      /* input/output error */
#define EX_TEMPFAIL     75      /* temp failure; user is invited to retry */
#define EX_PROTOCOL     76      /* remote error in protocol */
#define EX_NOPERM       77      /* permission denied */
#define EX_CONFIG       78      /* configuration error */

#define EX__MAX 78      /* maximum listed value */

Solution 2:

8 bits of the return code and 8 bits of the number of the killing signal are mixed into a single value on the return from wait(2) & co..

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/wait.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <signal.h>

int main() {
    int status;

    pid_t child = fork();
    if (child <= 0)
        exit(42);
    waitpid(child, &status, 0);
    if (WIFEXITED(status))
        printf("first child exited with %u\n", WEXITSTATUS(status));
    /* prints: "first child exited with 42" */

    child = fork();
    if (child <= 0)
        kill(getpid(), SIGSEGV);
    waitpid(child, &status, 0);
    if (WIFSIGNALED(status))
        printf("second child died with %u\n", WTERMSIG(status));
    /* prints: "second child died with 11" */
}

How are you determining the exit status? Traditionally, the shell only stores an 8-bit return code, but sets the high bit if the process was abnormally terminated.

$ sh -c 'exit 42'; echo $?
42
$ sh -c 'kill -SEGV $$'; echo $?
Segmentation fault
139
$ expr 139 - 128
11

If you're seeing anything other than this, then the program probably has a SIGSEGV signal handler which then calls exit normally, so it isn't actually getting killed by the signal. (Programs can chose to handle any signals aside from SIGKILL and SIGSTOP.)

Solution 3:

'1' >>> Catchall for general errors

'2' >>> Misuse of shell builtins (according to Bash documentation)

'126'>>> Command invoked cannot execute

'127'>>>"command not found"

'128'>>> Invalid argument to exit

'128+n'>>>Fatal error signal "n"

'130'>>> Script terminated by Control-C

'255'>>>Exit status out of range

This is for bash. However, for other applications, there are different exit codes.