xref: /freebsd/sbin/ldconfig/ldconfig.8 (revision df7f5d4de4592a8948a25ce01e5bddfbb7ce39dc)
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2.\" Copyright (c) 1993 Paul Kranenburg
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30.\"	$Id$
31.\"
32.Dd October 3, 1993
33.Dt LDCONFIG 8
34.Os FreeBSD
35.Sh NAME
36.Nm ldconfig
37.Nd configure the shared library cache
38.Sh SYNOPSIS
39.Nm ldconfig
40.Op Fl mrsv
41.Op Fl f Ar hints_file
42.Op Ar directory Ar ...
43.Sh DESCRIPTION
44.Nm
45is used to prepare a set of
46.Dq hints
47for use by the run-time linker
48.Xr ld.so 1
49to facilitate quick lookup of shared libraries available in multiple
50directories.  It scans a set of built-in system directories and any
51.Ar directories
52specified on the command line (in the given order) looking for shared
53libraries and stores the results in the file
54.Pa /var/run/ld.so.hints
55to forestall the overhead that would otherwise result from the
56directory search operations
57.Xr ld.so 1
58would have to perform to load the required shared libraries.
59.Pp
60The shared libraries so found will be automatically available for loading
61if needed by the program being prepared for execution. This obviates the need
62for storing search paths within the executable.
63.Pp
64The
65.Ev LD_LIBRARY_PATH
66environment variable can be used to override the use of
67directories (or the order thereof) from the cache or to specify additional
68directories where shared libraries might be found.
69.Ev LD_LIBRARY_PATH
70is a
71.Sq \:
72separated list of directory paths which are searched by
73.Xr ld.so 1
74when it needs to load a shared library. It can be viewed as the run-time
75equivalent of the
76.Fl L
77switch of
78.Xr ld 1 .
79.Pp
80.Nm Ldconfig
81is typically run as part of the boot sequence.
82.Pp
83The following options recognized by
84.Nm ldconfig:
85.Bl -tag -width indent
86.It Fl f Ar hints_file
87Read and/or update the specified hints file, instead of
88.Pa /var/run/ld.so.hints .
89This option is provided primarily for testing.
90.It Fl m
91Instead of replacing the contents of the hints file
92with those found in the directories specified,
93.Dq merge
94in new entries.
95Directories recorded in the hints file by previous runs of
96.Nm
97are also rescanned for new shared libraries.
98.It Fl r
99List the current contents of the hints file
100on the standard output. The hints file is not modified.
101.It Fl s
102Do not scan the built-in system directory
103.Pq Dq /usr/lib
104for shared libraries.
105.It Fl v
106Switch on verbose mode.
107.Sh Security
108Special care must be taken when loading shared libraries into the address
109space of
110.Ev set-user-Id
111programs. Whenever such a program is run,
112.Nm ld.so
113will only load shared libraries from the hints
114file. In particular, the
115.Ev LD_LIBRARY_PATH
116is not used to search for libraries. Thus, the role of ldconfig is dual. In
117addition to building a set of hints for quick lookup, it also serves to
118specify the trusted collection of directories from which shared objects can
119be safely loaded. It is presumed that the set of directories specified to
120.Nm ldconfig
121are under control of the system's administrator.
122.Sh FILES
123.Pa /var/run/ld.so.hints
124.Sh SEE ALSO
125.Xr ld 1 ,
126.Xr link 5
127.Sh HISTORY
128A
129.Nm
130utility first appeared in SunOS 4.0, it appeared in its current form
131in FreeBSD 1.1.
132