STREAMS
<operating system> A collection of system calls,
kernel resources, and kernel utility routines that can create, use, and dismantle a
stream.
A "stream head" provides the interface between the stream and the user processes.
Its principal function is to process STREAMS-related user system calls.
A "stream module" processes data that travel bewteen the stream head and driver.
The "stream end" provides the services of an external input/output device or an internal software driver.
The internal software driver is commonly called a pseudo-device driver.
The STREAMS concept has been formalised in
Unix System V. For example,
SVR4 implements sockets and pipes using STREAMS, resulting in pipe(2) openning bidirectional pipes.
[IBM AIX 3.2 Communication Programming Concepts, SC23-2206-03].
