provided code

src/utils/setitimer-helper.c

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <limits.h>
+#include <math.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <sys/time.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+int
+main (int argc, char *argv[]) 
+{
+  const char *program_name = argv[0];
+  double timeout;
+
+  if (argc < 3)
+    {
+      fprintf (stderr,
+               "setitimer-helper: runs a program with a virtual CPU limit\n"
+               "usage: %s TIMEOUT PROGRAM [ARG...]\n"
+               "  where TIMEOUT is the virtual CPU limit, in seconds,\n"
+               "    and remaining arguments specify the program to run\n"
+               "    and its argument.\n",
+               program_name);
+      return EXIT_FAILURE;
+    }
+
+  timeout = strtod (argv[1], NULL);
+  if (timeout >= 0.0 && timeout < LONG_MAX)
+    {
+      struct itimerval it;
+
+      it.it_interval.tv_sec = 0;
+      it.it_interval.tv_usec = 0;
+      it.it_value.tv_sec = timeout;
+      it.it_value.tv_usec = (timeout - floor (timeout)) * 1000000;
+      if (setitimer (ITIMER_VIRTUAL, &it, NULL) < 0)
+        fprintf (stderr, "%s: setitimer: %s\n",
+                 program_name, strerror (errno));
+    }
+  else
+    fprintf (stderr, "%s: invalid timeout value \"%s\"\n",
+             program_name, argv[1]);
+  
+  execvp (argv[2], &argv[2]);
+  fprintf (stderr, "%s: couldn't exec \"%s\": %s\n",
+           program_name, argv[2], strerror (errno));
+  return EXIT_FAILURE;
+}