Process groups are used for distribution of signals, and by terminals to arbitrate requests for their input: Processes that have the same process group as the terminal are foreground and may read, while others will block with a signal if they attempt to read. These calls are thus used by programs such as csh(1) to create process groups in implementing job control. The TIOCGPGRP? and TIOCSPGRP? calls described in termios(4)? are used to get/set the process group of the control terminal.

If a session has a controlling terminal, CLOCAL is not set and a hangup occurs, then the session leader is sent a SIGHUP. If the session leader exits, the SIGHUP signal will be sent to each process in the foreground process group of the controlling terminal.

If the exit of the process causes a process group to become orphaned, and if any member of the newly-orphaned process group is stopped, then a SIGHUP signal followed by a SIGCONT signal will be sent to each process in the newly-orphaned process group.