System Error codes are messages of error and error codes that programmers are able to use to help their software when it is experiencing an issue. They can be displayed by computers to users in response to software problems and hardware issues, or even certain kinds of user input. The system error codes are displayed as an acronym, along with a description and suggestions on what to do next.

These error codes can be seen on the Internet when a website is not available, or when there is an internal server problem like a data base issue. On local machines they could be as simple as “file too long” which can be resolved by changing the file name, or more complex like “no space left on the disk.” In this instance the user might need to close programs (to free swap file usage) or delete some files, or buy a larger hard drive.

Other system errors could be as serious as “fatal error,” where a program has decided to stop and quit, or as mild as a sign that something isn’t working with an operation. Nearly every error that could be experienced on the GNU/Hurd system is represented by an error coding in the header file Errno.

These errors can range from simple “text file busy” when an operation attempts to modify a read-only file to the more complicated “broken pipeline.” These errors can also mean that the process trying to run on the resource has been interrupted by a signal such as functions of the data room SIGPIPE that has not been dealt with.