System Error Codes
System Error Codes are pre-defined errors and error messages that can be used by programmers when their software is experiencing an issue. They are displayed to users of the computer system in response to hardware problems, software issues, or some kinds of input from the user. The error codes for system errors are usually presented as an acronym that includes a description of the error along with the suggestion of what to do next.
These error codes are typically seen on the internet when websites are not available or if an internal server issue arises for instance, the problem with a database. On local machines it could be as simple as a “file too long” where the solution is changing the file name, or more complex such as “no disk space left.” In this instance, you may need to close some applications (to remove swap files), delete some files, or buy an additional hard drive.
Other system errors could be as severe as “fatal error,” in which a program has decided to quit or stop, but they can also be as subtle as a signal that something isn’t quite right. The header file errno contains error codes for virtually every possible error in the GNU/Hurd operating system.
These errors can be as simple as “text file busy,” where the operation attempts to modify a read-only file or as complex as “broken pipe.” These errors can also indicate that the function trying to run on the resource was stopped by a SIGPIPE signal and was not dealt with.