eference">Reference</A></DT>
</DL>

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<A NAME="description"></A>
<H2>Description</H2>

<P>
    Chains are used by <A HREF='../guide/filtering_streams.html'>filtering streams and stream buffers</A> to manage their underlying sequence of Filters and Devices. A chain represents a sequence of zero or more Filters with an optional Device at the end. If a chain contains a Device, it is considered <I>complete</I> and can be used to perform i/o. When a chain is used for output, data passes through the first fil