SYSCTL(3)	    UNIX Programmer's Manual		SYSCTL(3)


NAME
     sysctl - get or set system information

SYNOPSIS
     #include <sys/sysctl.h>

     int
     sysctl(name, namelen, oldp, *oldlenp, *newp, newlen)
	int *name;
	u_int namelen;
	void *oldp;
	size_t *oldlenp;
	void *newp;
	size_t newlen

DESCRIPTION
     The sysctl function retrieves system information and allows
     processes with appropriate privileges to set system informa-
     tion.  The information available from sysctl consists of
     integers, strings, and tables.  Information may be retrieved
     and set from the command interface using the sysctl(1) util-
     ity.

     Unless explicitly noted below, sysctl returns a consistent
     snapshot of the data requested.  Calls to sysctl are serial-
     ized to avoid deadlock.

     The state is described using a ``Management Information
     Base'' (MIB) style name, listed in name , which is a namelen
     length array of integers.

     The information is copied into the buffer specified by oldp
     .	The size of the buffer is given by the location specified
     by oldlenp before the call, and that location gives the
     amount of data copied after a successful call.  If the
     amount of data available is greater than the size of the
     buffer supplied, the call supplies as much data as fits in
     the buffer provided and returns with the error code ENOMEM.
     If the old value is not desired, oldp and oldlenp should be
     set to NULL.

     The size of the available data can be determined by calling
     sysctl with a NULL parameter for oldp.  The size of the
     available data will be returned in the location pointed to
     by oldlenp.  For some operations, the amount of space may
     change often.  For these operations, the system attempts to
     round up so that the returned size is large enough for a
     call to return the data shortly thereafter.

     To set a new value, newp is set to point to a buffer of
     length newlen from which the requested value is to be taken.
     If a new value is not to be set, newp should be set to NULL


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     and newlen set to 0.

     The top level names are defined with a CTL_ prefix in
     <sys/sysctl.h>, and are as follows.  The next and subsequent
     levels down are found in the include files listed here, and
     described in separate sections below.

       Name	    Next level names	  Description
       CTL_DEBUG    sys/sysctl.h	  Debugging
       CTL_FS	    sys/sysctl.h	  File system
       CTL_HW	    sys/sysctl.h	  Generic CPU, I/O
       CTL_KERN     sys/sysctl.h	  High kernel limits
       CTL_MACHDEP  sys/sysctl.h	  Machine dependent
       CTL_NET	    sys/socket.h	  Networking
       CTL_USER     sys/sysctl.h	  User-level
       CTL_VM	    vm/vm_param.h	  Virtual memory

     For example, the following retrieves the maximum number of
     processes allowed in the system:

	  int mib[2], maxproc;
	  size_t len;

	  mib[0] = CTL_KERN;
	  mib[1] = KERN_MAXPROC;
	  len = sizeof(maxproc);
	  sysctl(mib, 2, &maxproc, &len, NULL, 0);

     To retrieve the standard search path for the system utilities:

	  int mib[2];
	  size_t len;
	  char *p;

	  mib[0] = CTL_USER;
	  mib[1] = USER_CS_PATH;
	  sysctl(mib, 2, NULL, &len, NULL, 0);
	  p = malloc(len);
	  sysctl(mib, 2, p, &len, NULL, 0);

CTL_DEBUG
     The debugging variables vary from system to system.  A
     debugging variable may be added or deleted without need to
     recompile sysctl to know about it.  Each time it runs,
     sysctl gets the list of debugging variables from the kernel
     and displays their current values.  The system defines
     twenty struct ctldebug variables named debug0 through
     debug19.  They are declared as separate variables so that
     they can be individually initialized at the location of
     their associated variable.  The loader prevents multiple use
     of the same variable by issuing errors if a variable is ini-
     tialized in more than one place.  For example, to export the


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     variable dospecialcheck as a debugging variable, the follow-
     ing declaration would be used:

	  int dospecialcheck = 1;
	  struct ctldebug debug5 = { "dospecialcheck", &dospecialcheck };

CTL_FS
     There are currently no second level names for the file sys-
     tem.

CTL_HW
     The string and integer information available for the CTL_HW
     level is detailed below.  The changeable column shows
     whether a process with appropriate privilege may change the
     value.

       Second level name	Type	  Changeable
       HW_MACHINE		string	  no
       HW_MODEL                 string	  no
       HW_NCPU			integer   no
       HW_BYTEORDER		integer   no
       HW_PHYSMEM		integer   no
       HW_USERMEM		integer   no
       HW_PAGESIZE		integer   no

     HW_MACHINE
	  The machine class.

     HW_MODEL
	  The machine model

     HW_NCPU
	  The number of cpus.

     HW_BYTEORDER
	  The byteorder (3412, 4321, or 1234).

     HW_PHYSMEM
	  The bytes of physical memory.

     HW_USERMEM
	  The bytes of non-kernel memory.

     HW_PAGESIZE
	  The software page size.


CTL_KERN
     The string and integer information available for the
     CTL_KERN level is detailed below.	The changeable column
     shows whether a process with appropriate privilege may
     change the value.	The types of data currently available are


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     process information, system inodes, the open file entries,
     routing table entries, virtual memory statistics, load aver-
     age history, and clock rate information.


       Second level name	Type		  Changeable
       KERN_ARGMAX		integer           no
       KERN_BOOTTIME		struct timeval	  no
       KERN_CHOWN_RESTRICTED	integer           no
       KERN_CLOCKRATE		struct clockinfo  no
       KERN_FILE		struct file	  no
       KERN_HOSTID		long		  yes
       KERN_HOSTNAME		string		  yes
       KERN_JOB_CONTROL         integer           no
       KERN_MAXFILES		integer           no
       KERN_MAXPROC		integer           no
       KERN_MAXINODES		integer           no
       KERN_MAXTEXTS		integer           no
       KERN_NGROUPS		integer           no
       KERN_OSRELEASE		string		  no
       KERN_OSREV		integer           no
       KERN_OSTYPE		string		  no
       KERN_POSIX1		integer           no
       KERN_PROC		struct proc	  no
       KERN_PROF		node		  not applicable
       KERN_SAVED_IDS		integer           no
       KERN_SECURELVL		integer           raise only
       KERN_TEXT		struct text	  no
       KERN_VERSION		string		  no
       KERN_INODE		struct inode	  no

     KERN_ARGMAX
	  The maximum bytes of argument to exec(2).

     KERN_BOOTTIME
	  A struct timeval structure is returned.  This structure
	  contains the time that the system was booted.

     KERN_CLOCKRATE
	  A struct clockinfo structure is returned.  This struc-
	  ture contains the clock, statistics clock and profiling
	  clock frequencies, and the number of micro-seconds per
	  hz tick.

     KERN_FILE
	  Return the entire file table as an array of extended
	  file structures.  Each element of the array contains
	  the kernel address of a file struct inode * followed by
	  the file itself struct file.	There can never be more
	  than KERN_MAXFILES inodes returned.

     KERN_HOSTID


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	  Get or set the host id.

     KERN_HOSTNAME
	  Get or set the hostname.

     KERN_JOB_CONTROL
	  Return 1 if job control is available on this system,
	  otherwise 0.

     KERN_MAXFILES
	  The maximum number of open files that may be open in
	  the system.

     KERN_MAXPROC
	  The maximum number of simultaneous processes the system
	  will allow.

     KERN_MAXINODES
	  The maximum number of inodes available on the system.

     KERN_MAXTEXTS
	  The maximum number of text structures available on the
	  system.

     KERN_NGROUPS
	  The maximum number of supplemental groups.

     KERN_OSRELEASE
	  The system release string.

     KERN_OSREV
	  The system revision string.

     KERN_OSTYPE
	  The system type string.

     KERN_POSIX1
	  The version of ISO/IEC 9945 (POSIX 1003.1) with which
	  the system attempts to comply.

     KERN_PROC
	  Return the entire process table, or a subset of it.  An
	  array of struct kinfo_proc structures is returned,
	  whose size depends on the current number of such
	  objects in the system.

     The third and fourth level names are as follows:

       Third level name            Fourth level is:
       KERN_PROC_ALL		   None
       KERN_PROC_PID		   A process ID
       KERN_PROC_PGRP		   A process group


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       KERN_PROC_TTY		   A tty device
       KERN_PROC_UID		   A user ID
       KERN_PROC_RUID		   A real user ID
       KERN_PROF		   Return kernel profiling information.

If the kernel is not compiled for profiling, attempts to retrieve
any of the KERN_PROF values will fail with EOPNOTSUPP.

The third level names for the string and integer profiling infor-
mation is detailed below.  The changeable column shows whether a
process with appropriate privilege may change the value.

     Third level name	   Type                Changeable
       GPROF_STATE	   integer	       yes
       GPROF_COUNT	   u_short[]	       yes
       GPROF_FROMS	   u_short[]	       yes
       GPROF_TOS	   struct tostruct     yes
       GPROF_GMONPARAM	   struct gmonparam    no

     The variables are as follows:

     GPROF_STATE
	  Returns GMON_PROF_ON or GMON_PROF_OFF to show that pro-
	  filing is running or stopped.

     GPROF_COUNT
	  Array of statistical program counter counts.

     GPROF_FROMS
	  Array indexed by program counter of call-from points.

     GPROF_TOS
	  Array of struct tostruct describing destination of
	  calls and their counts.

     GPROF_GMONPARAM
	  Structure giving the sizes of the above arrays.

     KERN_SAVED_IDS
	  Returns 1 if saved set-group and saved set-user ID is
	  available.

KERN_SECURELVL
     The system security level.  This level may be raised by
     processes with appropriate privilege.  It may only be
     lowered by process 1.

KERN_VERSION
     The system version string.

KERN_INODE
     Return the entire inode table.  Note, the inode table is not


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     necessarily a consistent snapshot of the system.  The
     returned data consists of an array whose size depends on the
     current number of such objects in the system.  Each element
     of the array contains the kernel address of a inode struct
     inode * followed by the inode itself struct inode.  There
     can never be more than KERN_MAXINODES inodes returned.

KERN_TEXT
     Return the entire text table.  The returned data consists of
     an array whose size depends on the current number of such
     objects active in the system. Each element of the array con-
     tains the kernel address of a text struct text * followed by
     the text structure itself struct text.  There can never be
     more structures than returned by KERN_MAXTEXTS.

CTL_MACHDEP
     The set of variables defined is architecture dependent.
     Most architectures define at least the following variables.

       Second level name	Type	  Changeable
       CPU_CONSDEV		dev_t	  no

CTL_NET
     The string and integer information available for the CTL_NET
     level is detailed below.  The changeable column shows
     whether a process with appropriate privilege may change the
     value.

       Second level name   Type              Changeable
       PF_ROUTE            routing messages  no
       PF_INET		   internet values   yes

     PF_ROUTE
	  Return the entire routing table or a subset of it.  The
	  data is returned as a sequence of routing messages (see
	  route(4) for the header file, format and meaning).  The
	  length of each message is contained in the message
	  header.

     The third level name is a protocol number, which is
     currently always 0.  The fourth level name is an address
     family, which may be set to 0 to select all address fami-
     lies.  The fifth and sixth level names are as follows:

       Fifth level name         Sixth level is:
       NET_RT_FLAGS		rtflags
       NET_RT_DUMP		None
       NET_RT_IFLIST		None

     PF_INET
	  Get or set various global information about the inter-
	  net protocols.  The third level name is the protocol.


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	  The fourth level name is the variable name.  The
	  currently defined protocols and names are:

       Protocol name	 Variable name	  Type	    Changeable
       ip		 forwarding	  integer   yes
       ip		 redirect	  integer   yes
       ip		 ttl		  integer   yes
       icmp		 maskrepl	  integer   yes
       udp		 checksum	  integer   yes

     The variables are as follows:

     ip.forwarding
	  Returns 1 when IP forwarding is enabled for the host,
	  meaning that the host is acting as a router.

     ip.redirect
	  Returns 1 when ICMP redirects may be sent by the host.
	  This option is ignored unless the host is routing IP
	  packets, and should normally be enabled on all systems.

     ip.ttl
	  The maximum time-to-live (hop count) value for an IP
	  packet sourced by the system.  This value applies to
	  normal transport protocols, not to ICMP.

     icmp.maskrepl
	  Returns 1 if ICMP network mask requests are to be
	  answered.

     udp.checksum
	  Returns 1 when UDP checksums are being computed and
	  checked.  Disabling UDP checksums is strongly
	  discouraged.


CTL_USER
     The string and integer information available for the
     CTL_USER level is detailed below.	The changeable column
     shows whether a process with appropriate privilege may
     change the value.

       Second level name	   Type        Changeable
       USER_BC_BASE_MAX            integer     no
       USER_BC_DIM_MAX		   integer     no
       USER_BC_SCALE_MAX	   integer     no
       USER_BC_STRING_MAX	   integer     no
       USER_COLL_WEIGHTS_MAX	   integer     no
       USER_CS_PATH		   string      no
       USER_EXPR_NEST_MAX	   integer     no
       USER_LINE_MAX		   integer     no
       USER_POSIX2_CHAR_TERM	   integer     no


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       USER_POSIX2_C_BIND	   integer     no
       USER_POSIX2_C_DEV	   integer     no
       USER_POSIX2_FORT_DEV	   integer     no
       USER_POSIX2_FORT_RUN	   integer     no
       USER_POSIX2_LOCALEDEF	   integer     no
       USER_POSIX2_SW_DEV	   integer     no
       USER_POSIX2_UPE		   integer     no
       USER_POSIX2_VERSION	   integer     no
       USER_RE_DUP_MAX		   integer     no
       USER_STREAM_MAX		   integer     no
       USER_TZNAME_MAX		   integer     no

     USER_BC_BASE_MAX
	  The maximum ibase/obase values in the bc(1) utility.

     USER_BC_DIM_MAX
	  The maximum array size in the bc(1) utility.

     USER_BC_SCALE_MAX
	  The maximum scale value in the bc(1) utility.

     USER_BC_STRING_MAX
	  The maximum string length in the bc(1) utility.

     USER_COLL_WEIGHTS_MAX
	  The maximum number of weights that can be assigned to
	  any entry of the LC_COLLATE order keyword in the locale
	  definition file.

     USER_CS_PATH
	  Return a value for the PATH environment variable that
	  finds all the standard utilities.

     USER_EXPR_NEST_MAX
	  The maximum number of expressions that can be nested
	  within parenthesis by the expr(1) utility.

     USER_LINE_MAX
	  The maximum length in bytes of a text-processing
	  utility's input line.

     USER_POSIX2_CHAR_TERM
	  Return 1 if the system supports at least one terminal
	  type capable of all operations described in POSIX
	  1003.2, otherwise 0.

     USER_POSIX2_C_BIND
	  Return 1 if the system's C-language development facili-
	  ties support the C-Language Bindings Option, otherwise
	  0.

     USER_POSIX2_C_DEV


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	  Return 1 if the system supports the C-Language Develop-
	  ment Utilities Option, otherwise 0.

     USER_POSIX2_FORT_DEV
	  Return 1 if the system supports the FORTRAN Development
	  Utilities Option, otherwise 0.

     USER_POSIX2_FORT_RUN
	  Return 1 if the system supports the FORTRAN Runtime
	  Utilities Option, otherwise 0.

     USER_POSIX2_LOCALEDEF
	  Return 1 if the system supports the creation of
	  locales, otherwise 0.

     USER_POSIX2_SW_DEV
	  Return 1 if the system supports the Software Develop-
	  ment Utilities Option, otherwise 0.

     USER_POSIX2_UPE
	  Return 1 if the system supports the User Portability
	  Utilities Option, otherwise 0.

     USER_POSIX2_VERSION
	  The version of POSIX 1003.2 with which the system
	  attempts to comply.

     USER_RE_DUP_MAX
	  The maximum number of repeated occurrences of a regular
	  expression permitted when using interval notation.

     USER_STREAM_MAX
	  The minimum maximum number of streams that a process
	  may have open at any one time.

     USER_TZNAME_MAX
	  The minimum maximum number of types supported for the
	  name of a timezone.

CTL_VM
     The string and integer information available for the CTL_VM
     level is detailed below.  The changeable column shows
     whether a process with appropriate privilege may change the
     value.

       Second level name   Type              Changeable
       VM_LOADAVG	   struct loadavg    no
       VM_METER            struct vmtotal    no
       VM_SWAPMAP	   struct map	     no
       VM_COREMAP	   struct map	     no


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     VM_LOADAVG
	  Return the load average history.  The returned data
	  consists of a struct loadavg.

     VM_METER
	  Return the system wide virtual memory statistics.  The
	  returned data consists of a struct vmtotal.

     VM_SWAPMAP
	  Return the swapmap.  The size of this structure is
	  fixed and may be determined by specifying a oldlenp
	  initialized to zero, the kernel will fill in the size
	  of the swapmap.

     VM_COREMAP
	  Same as for swapmap above except that the core alloca-
	  tion map is returned.

RETURN VALUES
     If the call to sysctl is successful, 0 is returned.  Other-
     wise -1 is returned and errno is set appropriately.

ERRORS
     The following errors may be reported:

     EFAULT	    The buffer name, oldp , newp , or length
		    pointer oldlenp contains an invalid address.

     EINVAL	    The name array is less than two or greater
		    than CTL_MAXNAME.

     EINVAL	    A non-null newp is given and its specified
		    length in newlen is too large or too small.

     ENOMEM	    The length pointed to by oldlenp is too short
		    to hold the requested value.

     ENOTDIR	    The name array specifies an intermediate
		    rather than terminal name.

     EOPNOTSUPP     The name array specifies a value that is unk-
		    nown.

     EPERM	    An attempt is made to set a read-only value.

     EPERM	    A process without appropriate privilege
		    attempts to set a value.

FILES
     <sys/sysctl.h> definitions for top level identifiers, second
		    level kernel and hardware identifiers, and
		    user level identifiers


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     <sys/socket.h> definitions for second level network identif-
		    iers

     <sys/gmon.h>   definitions for third level profiling iden-
		    tifiers

     <sys/vmparam.h>
		    definitions for second level virtual memory
		    identifiers

     <netinet/in.h> definitions for third level Internet identif-
		    iers and fourth level IP identifiers

     <netinet/icmp_var.h>
		    definitions for fourth level ICMP identifiers

     <netinet/udp_var.h>
		    definitions for fourth level UDP identifiers

SEE ALSO
     sysctl(8)

HISTORY
     The sysctl function first appeared in 4.4BSD.

     The KERN_TEXT, KERN_MAXTEXTS, VM_SWAPMAP, VM_COREMAP options
     are 2.11BSD specific extensions to the 4.4BSD sysctl impl-
     mentation.

     Having KERN_FILE return the address of the file structure
     before the actual struct file is a 2.11BSD enhancement.  The
     inode (vnode under 4.4) table was handled this way.


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