xref: /freebsd/share/man/man9/sysctl.9 (revision cddbc3b40812213ff00041f79174cac0be360a2a)
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28.Dd February 25, 2019
29.Dt SYSCTL 9
30.Os
31.Sh NAME
32.Nm SYSCTL_DECL ,
33.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_BOOL ,
34.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_COUNTER_U64 ,
35.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_COUNTER_U64_ARRAY ,
36.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_INT ,
37.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_LONG ,
38.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_NODE ,
39.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_NODE_WITH_LABEL ,
40.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_OPAQUE ,
41.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_PROC ,
42.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_QUAD ,
43.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_ROOT_NODE ,
44.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_S8 ,
45.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_S16 ,
46.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_S32 ,
47.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_S64 ,
48.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_SBINTIME_MSEC ,
49.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_SBINTIME_USEC ,
50.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_STRING ,
51.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_CONST_STRING ,
52.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_STRUCT ,
53.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_U8 ,
54.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_U16 ,
55.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_U32 ,
56.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_U64 ,
57.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_UAUTO ,
58.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_UINT ,
59.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_ULONG ,
60.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_UQUAD ,
61.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_UMA_CUR ,
62.Nm SYSCTL_ADD_UMA_MAX ,
63.Nm SYSCTL_CHILDREN ,
64.Nm SYSCTL_STATIC_CHILDREN ,
65.Nm SYSCTL_NODE_CHILDREN ,
66.Nm SYSCTL_PARENT ,
67.Nm SYSCTL_BOOL ,
68.Nm SYSCTL_COUNTER_U64 ,
69.Nm SYSCTL_COUNTER_U64_ARRAY ,
70.Nm SYSCTL_INT ,
71.Nm SYSCTL_INT_WITH_LABEL ,
72.Nm SYSCTL_LONG ,
73.Nm SYSCTL_NODE ,
74.Nm SYSCTL_NODE_WITH_LABEL ,
75.Nm SYSCTL_OPAQUE ,
76.Nm SYSCTL_PROC ,
77.Nm SYSCTL_QUAD ,
78.Nm SYSCTL_ROOT_NODE ,
79.Nm SYSCTL_S8 ,
80.Nm SYSCTL_S16 ,
81.Nm SYSCTL_S32 ,
82.Nm SYSCTL_S64 ,
83.Nm SYSCTL_SBINTIME_MSEC ,
84.Nm SYSCTL_SBINTIME_USEC ,
85.Nm SYSCTL_STRING ,
86.Nm SYSCTL_CONST_STRING ,
87.Nm SYSCTL_STRUCT ,
88.Nm SYSCTL_U8 ,
89.Nm SYSCTL_U16 ,
90.Nm SYSCTL_U32 ,
91.Nm SYSCTL_U64 ,
92.Nm SYSCTL_UINT ,
93.Nm SYSCTL_ULONG ,
94.Nm SYSCTL_UQUAD ,
95.Nm SYSCTL_UMA_CUR ,
96.Nm SYSCTL_UMA_MAX
97.Nd Dynamic and static sysctl MIB creation functions
98.Sh SYNOPSIS
99.In sys/param.h
100.In sys/sysctl.h
101.Fn SYSCTL_DECL name
102.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
103.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_BOOL
104.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
105.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
106.Fa "int number"
107.Fa "const char *name"
108.Fa "int ctlflags"
109.Fa "bool *ptr"
110.Fa "uint8_t val"
111.Fa "const char *descr"
112.Fc
113.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
114.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_COUNTER_U64
115.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
116.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
117.Fa "int number"
118.Fa "const char *name"
119.Fa "int ctlflags"
120.Fa "counter_u64_t *ptr"
121.Fa "const char *descr"
122.Fc
123.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
124.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_COUNTER_U64_ARRAY
125.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
126.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
127.Fa "int number"
128.Fa "const char *name"
129.Fa "int ctlflags"
130.Fa "counter_u64_t *ptr"
131.Fa "intmax_t len"
132.Fa "const char *descr"
133.Fc
134.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
135.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_INT
136.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
137.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
138.Fa "int number"
139.Fa "const char *name"
140.Fa "int ctlflags"
141.Fa "int *ptr"
142.Fa "int val"
143.Fa "const char *descr"
144.Fc
145.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
146.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_LONG
147.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
148.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
149.Fa "int number"
150.Fa "const char *name"
151.Fa "int ctlflags"
152.Fa "long *ptr"
153.Fa "const char *descr"
154.Fc
155.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
156.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_NODE
157.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
158.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
159.Fa "int number"
160.Fa "const char *name"
161.Fa "int ctlflags"
162.Fa "int (*handler)(SYSCTL_HANDLER_ARGS)"
163.Fa "const char *descr"
164.Fc
165.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
166.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_NODE_WITH_LABEL
167.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
168.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
169.Fa "int number"
170.Fa "const char *name"
171.Fa "int ctlflags"
172.Fa "int (*handler)(SYSCTL_HANDLER_ARGS)"
173.Fa "const char *descr"
174.Fa "const char *label"
175.Fc
176.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
177.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_OPAQUE
178.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
179.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
180.Fa "int number"
181.Fa "const char *name"
182.Fa "int ctlflags"
183.Fa "void *ptr"
184.Fa "intptr_t len"
185.Fa "const char *format"
186.Fa "const char *descr"
187.Fc
188.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
189.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_PROC
190.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
191.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
192.Fa "int number"
193.Fa "const char *name"
194.Fa "int ctlflags"
195.Fa "void *arg1"
196.Fa "intptr_t arg2"
197.Fa "int (*handler) (SYSCTL_HANDLER_ARGS)"
198.Fa "const char *format"
199.Fa "const char *descr"
200.Fc
201.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
202.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_QUAD
203.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
204.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
205.Fa "int number"
206.Fa "const char *name"
207.Fa "int ctlflags"
208.Fa "int64_t *ptr"
209.Fa "const char *descr"
210.Fc
211.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
212.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_ROOT_NODE
213.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
214.Fa "int number"
215.Fa "const char *name"
216.Fa "int ctlflags"
217.Fa "int (*handler)(SYSCTL_HANDLER_ARGS)"
218.Fa "const char *descr"
219.Fc
220.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
221.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_S8
222.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
223.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
224.Fa "int number"
225.Fa "const char *name"
226.Fa "int ctlflags"
227.Fa "int8_t *ptr"
228.Fa "int8_t val"
229.Fa "const char *descr"
230.Fc
231.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
232.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_S16
233.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
234.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
235.Fa "int number"
236.Fa "const char *name"
237.Fa "int ctlflags"
238.Fa "int16_t *ptr"
239.Fa "int16_t val"
240.Fa "const char *descr"
241.Fc
242.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
243.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_S32
244.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
245.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
246.Fa "int number"
247.Fa "const char *name"
248.Fa "int ctlflags"
249.Fa "int32_t *ptr"
250.Fa "int32_t val"
251.Fa "const char *descr"
252.Fc
253.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
254.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_S64
255.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
256.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
257.Fa "int number"
258.Fa "const char *name"
259.Fa "int ctlflags"
260.Fa "int64_t *ptr"
261.Fa "int64_t val"
262.Fa "const char *descr"
263.Fc
264.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
265.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_SBINTIME_MSEC
266.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
267.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
268.Fa "int number"
269.Fa "const char *name"
270.Fa "int ctlflags"
271.Fa "sbintime_t *ptr"
272.Fa "const char *descr"
273.Fc
274.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
275.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_SBINTIME_USEC
276.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
277.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
278.Fa "int number"
279.Fa "const char *name"
280.Fa "int ctlflags"
281.Fa "sbintime_t *ptr"
282.Fa "const char *descr"
283.Fc
284.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
285.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_STRING
286.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
287.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
288.Fa "int number"
289.Fa "const char *name"
290.Fa "int ctlflags"
291.Fa "char *ptr"
292.Fa "intptr_t len"
293.Fa "const char *descr"
294.Fc
295.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
296.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_CONST_STRING
297.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
298.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
299.Fa "int number"
300.Fa "const char *name"
301.Fa "int ctlflags"
302.Fa "const char *ptr"
303.Fa "const char *descr"
304.Fc
305.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
306.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_STRUCT
307.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
308.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
309.Fa "int number"
310.Fa "const char *name"
311.Fa "int ctlflags"
312.Fa "void *ptr"
313.Fa struct_type
314.Fa "const char *descr"
315.Fc
316.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
317.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_U8
318.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
319.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
320.Fa "int number"
321.Fa "const char *name"
322.Fa "int ctlflags"
323.Fa "uint8_t *ptr"
324.Fa "uint8_t val"
325.Fa "const char *descr"
326.Fc
327.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
328.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_U16
329.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
330.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
331.Fa "int number"
332.Fa "const char *name"
333.Fa "int ctlflags"
334.Fa "uint16_t *ptr"
335.Fa "uint16_t val"
336.Fa "const char *descr"
337.Fc
338.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
339.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_U32
340.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
341.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
342.Fa "int number"
343.Fa "const char *name"
344.Fa "int ctlflags"
345.Fa "uint32_t *ptr"
346.Fa "uint32_t val"
347.Fa "const char *descr"
348.Fc
349.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
350.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_U64
351.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
352.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
353.Fa "int number"
354.Fa "const char *name"
355.Fa "int ctlflags"
356.Fa "uint64_t *ptr"
357.Fa "uint64_t val"
358.Fa "const char *descr"
359.Fc
360.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
361.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_UINT
362.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
363.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
364.Fa "int number"
365.Fa "const char *name"
366.Fa "int ctlflags"
367.Fa "unsigned int *ptr"
368.Fa "unsigned int val"
369.Fa "const char *descr"
370.Fc
371.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
372.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_ULONG
373.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
374.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
375.Fa "int number"
376.Fa "const char *name"
377.Fa "int ctlflags"
378.Fa "unsigned long *ptr"
379.Fa "const char *descr"
380.Fc
381.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
382.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_UQUAD
383.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
384.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
385.Fa "int number"
386.Fa "const char *name"
387.Fa "int ctlflags"
388.Fa "uint64_t *ptr"
389.Fa "const char *descr"
390.Fc
391.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
392.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_UMA_CUR
393.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
394.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
395.Fa "int number"
396.Fa "const char *name"
397.Fa "int ctlflags"
398.Fa "uma_zone_t ptr"
399.Fa "const char *descr"
400.Fc
401.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
402.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_UMA_MAX
403.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
404.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
405.Fa "int number"
406.Fa "const char *name"
407.Fa "int ctlflags"
408.Fa "uma_zone_t ptr"
409.Fa "const char *descr"
410.Fc
411.Fa "const char *descr"
412.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
413.Fo SYSCTL_ADD_UAUTO
414.Fa "struct sysctl_ctx_list *ctx"
415.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list *parent"
416.Fa "int number"
417.Fa "const char *name"
418.Fa "int ctlflags"
419.Fa "void *ptr"
420.Fa "const char *descr"
421.Fc
422.Ft struct sysctl_oid_list *
423.Fo SYSCTL_CHILDREN
424.Fa "struct sysctl_oid *oidp"
425.Fc
426.Ft struct sysctl_oid_list *
427.Fo SYSCTL_STATIC_CHILDREN
428.Fa "struct sysctl_oid_list OID_NAME"
429.Fc
430.Ft struct sysctl_oid_list *
431.Fo SYSCTL_NODE_CHILDREN
432.Fa "parent"
433.Fa "name"
434.Fc
435.Ft struct sysctl_oid *
436.Fo SYSCTL_PARENT
437.Fa "struct sysctl_oid *oid"
438.Fc
439.Fn SYSCTL_BOOL parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
440.Fn SYSCTL_COUNTER_U64 parent number name ctlflags ptr descr
441.Fn SYSCTL_COUNTER_U64_ARRAY parent number name ctlflags ptr len descr
442.Fn SYSCTL_INT parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
443.Fn SYSCTL_INT_WITH_LABEL parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr label
444.Fn SYSCTL_LONG parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
445.Fn SYSCTL_NODE parent number name ctlflags handler descr
446.Fn SYSCTL_NODE_WITH_LABEL parent number name ctlflags handler descr label
447.Fn SYSCTL_OPAQUE parent number name ctlflags ptr len format descr
448.Fn SYSCTL_PROC parent number name ctlflags arg1 arg2 handler format descr
449.Fn SYSCTL_QUAD parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
450.Fn SYSCTL_ROOT_NODE number name ctlflags handler descr
451.Fn SYSCTL_S8 parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
452.Fn SYSCTL_S16 parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
453.Fn SYSCTL_S32 parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
454.Fn SYSCTL_S64 parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
455.Fn SYSCTL_SBINTIME_MSEC parent number name ctlflags ptr descr
456.Fn SYSCTL_SBINTIME_USEC parent number name ctlflags ptr descr
457.Fn SYSCTL_STRING parent number name ctlflags arg len descr
458.Fn SYSCTL_CONST_STRING parent number name ctlflags arg descr
459.Fn SYSCTL_STRUCT parent number name ctlflags ptr struct_type descr
460.Fn SYSCTL_U8 parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
461.Fn SYSCTL_U16 parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
462.Fn SYSCTL_U32 parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
463.Fn SYSCTL_U64 parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
464.Fn SYSCTL_UINT parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
465.Fn SYSCTL_ULONG parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
466.Fn SYSCTL_UQUAD parent number name ctlflags ptr val descr
467.Fn SYSCTL_UMA_MAX parent number name ctlflags ptr descr
468.Fn SYSCTL_UMA_CUR parent number name ctlflags ptr descr
469.Sh DESCRIPTION
470The
471.Nm SYSCTL
472kernel interface allows dynamic or static creation of
473.Xr sysctl 8
474MIB entries.
475All static sysctls are automatically destroyed when the module which
476they are part of is unloaded.
477Most top level categories are created statically and are available to
478all kernel code and its modules.
479.Sh DESCRIPTION OF ARGUMENTS
480.Bl -tag -width ctlflags
481.It Fa ctx
482Pointer to sysctl context or NULL, if no context.
483See
484.Xr sysctl_ctx_init 9
485for how to create a new sysctl context.
486Programmers are strongly advised to use contexts to organize the
487dynamic OIDs which they create because when a context is destroyed all
488belonging sysctls are destroyed as well.
489This makes the sysctl cleanup code much simpler.
490Else deletion of all created OIDs is required at module unload.
491.It Fa parent
492A pointer to a
493.Li struct sysctl_oid_list ,
494which is the head of the parent's list of children.
495This pointer is retrieved using the
496.Fn SYSCTL_STATIC_CHILDREN
497macro for static sysctls and the
498.Fn SYSCTL_CHILDREN
499macro for dynamic sysctls.
500The
501.Fn SYSCTL_PARENT
502macro can be used to get the parent of an OID.
503The macro returns NULL if there is no parent.
504.It Fa number
505The OID number that will be assigned to this OID.
506In almost all cases this should be set to
507.Dv OID_AUTO ,
508which will result in the assignment of the next available OID number.
509.It Fa name
510The name of the OID.
511The newly created OID will contain a copy of the name.
512.It Fa ctlflags
513A bit mask of sysctl control flags.
514See the section below describing all the control flags.
515.It Fa arg1
516First callback argument for procedure sysctls.
517.It Fa arg2
518Second callback argument for procedure sysctls.
519.It Fa len
520The length of the data pointed to by the
521.Fa ptr
522argument.
523For string type OIDs a length of zero means that
524.Xr strlen 3
525will be used to get the length of the string at each access to the OID.
526For array type OIDs the length must be greater than zero.
527.It Fa ptr
528Pointer to sysctl variable or string data.
529For sysctl values the pointer can be SYSCTL_NULL_XXX_PTR which means the OID is read-only and the returned value should be taken from the
530.Fa val
531argument.
532.It Fa val
533If the
534.Fa ptr
535argument is SYSCTL_NULL_XXX_PTR, gives the constant value returned by this OID.
536Else this argument is not used.
537.It Fa struct_type
538Name of structure type.
539.It Fa handler
540A pointer to the function
541that is responsible for handling read and write requests
542to this OID.
543There are several standard handlers
544that support operations on nodes,
545integers, strings and opaque objects.
546It is possible to define custom handlers using the
547.Fn SYSCTL_PROC
548macro or the
549.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_PROC
550function.
551.It Fa format
552A pointer to a string
553which specifies the format of the OID in a symbolic way.
554This format is used as a hint by
555.Xr sysctl 8
556to apply proper data formatting for display purposes.
557.Pp
558Current formats:
559.Bl -tag -width "S,TYPE" -compact -offset indent
560.It Cm N
561node
562.It Cm A
563.Li "char *"
564.It Cm I
565.Li "int"
566.It Cm IK Ns Op Ar n
567temperature in Kelvin, multiplied by an optional single digit
568power of ten scaling factor: 1 (default) gives deciKelvin, 0 gives Kelvin, 3
569gives milliKelvin
570.It Cm IU
571.Li "unsigned int"
572.It Cm L
573.Li "long"
574.It Cm LU
575.Li "unsigned long"
576.It Cm Q
577.Li "quad_t"
578.It Cm QU
579.Li "u_quad_t"
580.It Cm "S,TYPE"
581.Li "struct TYPE"
582structures
583.El
584.It Fa descr
585A pointer to a textual description of the OID.
586.It Fa label
587A pointer to an aggregation label for this component of the OID.
588To make it easier to export sysctl data to monitoring systems that
589support aggregations through labels (e.g., Prometheus),
590this argument can be used to attach a label name to an OID.
591The label acts as a hint that this component's name should not be part
592of the metric's name,
593but attached to the metric as a label instead.
594.Pp
595Labels should only be applied to siblings that are structurally similar
596and encode the same type of value,
597as aggregation is of no use otherwise.
598.El
599.Sh CREATING ROOT NODES
600Sysctl MIBs or OIDs are created in a hierarchical tree.
601The nodes at the bottom of the tree are called root nodes, and have no
602parent OID.
603To create bottom tree nodes the
604.Fn SYSCTL_ROOT_NODE
605macro or the
606.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_ROOT_NODE
607function needs to be used.
608By default all static sysctl node OIDs are global and need a
609.Fn SYSCTL_DECL
610statement prior to their
611.Fn SYSCTL_NODE
612definition statement, typically in a so-called header file.
613.Sh CREATING SYSCTL STRINGS
614Zero terminated character strings sysctls are created either using the
615.Fn SYSCTL_STRING
616macro or the
617.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_STRING
618function.
619If the
620.Fa len
621argument in zero, the string length is computed at every access to the OID using
622.Xr strlen 3 .
623Use the
624.Fn SYSCTL_CONST_STRING
625macro or the
626.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_CONST_STRING
627function to add a sysctl for a constant string.
628.Sh CREATING OPAQUE SYSCTLS
629The
630.Fn SYSCTL_OPAQUE
631or
632.Fn SYSCTL_STRUCT
633macros or the
634.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_OPAQUE
635or
636.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_STRUCT
637functions create an OID that handle any chunk of data
638of the size specified by the
639.Fa len
640argument and data pointed to by the
641.Fa ptr
642argument.
643When using the structure version the type is encoded as part of the
644created sysctl.
645.Sh CREATING CUSTOM SYSCTLS
646The
647.Fn SYSCTL_PROC
648macro and the
649.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_PROC
650function
651create OIDs with the specified
652.Pa handler
653function.
654The handler is responsible for handling all read and write requests to
655the OID.
656This OID type is especially useful if the kernel data is not easily
657accessible, or needs to be processed before exporting.
658.Sh CREATING A STATIC SYSCTL
659Static sysctls are declared using one of the
660.Fn SYSCTL_BOOL ,
661.Fn SYSCTL_COUNTER_U64 ,
662.Fn SYSCTL_COUNTER_U64_ARRAY ,
663.Fn SYSCTL_INT ,
664.Fn SYSCTL_INT_WITH_LABEL ,
665.Fn SYSCTL_LONG ,
666.Fn SYSCTL_NODE ,
667.Fn SYSCTL_NODE_WITH_LABEL ,
668.Fn SYSCTL_OPAQUE ,
669.Fn SYSCTL_PROC ,
670.Fn SYSCTL_QUAD ,
671.Fn SYSCTL_ROOT_NODE ,
672.Fn SYSCTL_S8 ,
673.Fn SYSCTL_S16 ,
674.Fn SYSCTL_S32 ,
675.Fn SYSCTL_S64 ,
676.Fn SYSCTL_SBINTIME_MSEC ,
677.Fn SYSCTL_SBINTIME_USEC ,
678.Fn SYSCTL_STRING ,
679.Fn SYSCTL_CONST_STRING ,
680.Fn SYSCTL_STRUCT ,
681.Fn SYSCTL_U8 ,
682.Fn SYSCTL_U16 ,
683.Fn SYSCTL_U32 ,
684.Fn SYSCTL_U64 ,
685.Fn SYSCTL_UINT ,
686.Fn SYSCTL_ULONG ,
687.Fn SYSCTL_UQUAD ,
688.Fn SYSCTL_UMA_CUR
689or
690.Fn SYSCTL_UMA_MAX
691macros.
692.Sh CREATING A DYNAMIC SYSCTL
693Dynamic nodes are created using one of the
694.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_BOOL ,
695.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_COUNTER_U64 ,
696.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_COUNTER_U64_ARRAY ,
697.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_INT ,
698.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_LONG ,
699.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_NODE ,
700.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_NODE_WITH_LABEL ,
701.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_OPAQUE ,
702.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_PROC ,
703.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_QUAD ,
704.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_ROOT_NODE ,
705.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_S8 ,
706.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_S16 ,
707.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_S32 ,
708.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_S64 ,
709.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_SBINTIME_MSEC ,
710.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_SBINTIME_USEC ,
711.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_STRING ,
712.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_CONST_STRING ,
713.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_STRUCT ,
714.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_U8 ,
715.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_U16 ,
716.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_U32 ,
717.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_U64 ,
718.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_UAUTO ,
719.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_UINT ,
720.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_ULONG ,
721.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_UQUAD ,
722.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_UMA_CUR
723or
724.Fn SYSCTL_ADD_UMA_MAX
725functions.
726See
727.Xr sysctl_remove_oid 9
728or
729.Xr sysctl_ctx_free 9
730for more information on how to destroy a dynamically created OID.
731.Sh CONTROL FLAGS
732For most of the above functions and macros, declaring a type as part
733of the access flags is not necessary \[em] however, when declaring a
734sysctl implemented by a function, including a type in the access mask
735is required:
736.Bl -tag -width ".Dv CTLTYPE_NOFETCH"
737.It Dv CTLTYPE_NODE
738This is a node intended to be a parent for other nodes.
739.It Dv CTLTYPE_INT
740This is a signed integer.
741.It Dv CTLTYPE_STRING
742This is a nul-terminated string stored in a character array.
743.It Dv CTLTYPE_S8
744This is an 8-bit signed integer.
745.It Dv CTLTYPE_S16
746This is a 16-bit signed integer.
747.It Dv CTLTYPE_S32
748This is a 32-bit signed integer.
749.It Dv CTLTYPE_S64
750This is a 64-bit signed integer.
751.It Dv CTLTYPE_OPAQUE
752This is an opaque data structure.
753.It Dv CTLTYPE_STRUCT
754Alias for
755.Dv CTLTYPE_OPAQUE .
756.It Dv CTLTYPE_U8
757This is an 8-bit unsigned integer.
758.It Dv CTLTYPE_U16
759This is a 16-bit unsigned integer.
760.It Dv CTLTYPE_U32
761This is a 32-bit unsigned integer.
762.It Dv CTLTYPE_U64
763This is a 64-bit unsigned integer.
764.It Dv CTLTYPE_UINT
765This is an unsigned integer.
766.It Dv CTLTYPE_LONG
767This is a signed long.
768.It Dv CTLTYPE_ULONG
769This is an unsigned long.
770.El
771.Pp
772All sysctl types except for new node declarations require one of the following
773flags to be set indicating the read and write disposition of the sysctl:
774.Bl -tag -width ".Dv CTLFLAG_ANYBODY"
775.It Dv CTLFLAG_RD
776This is a read-only sysctl.
777.It Dv CTLFLAG_RDTUN
778This is a read-only sysctl and tunable which is tried fetched once
779from the system environment early during module load or system boot.
780.It Dv CTLFLAG_WR
781This is a writable sysctl.
782.It Dv CTLFLAG_RW
783This sysctl is readable and writable.
784.It Dv CTLFLAG_RWTUN
785This is a readable and writeable sysctl and tunable which is tried
786fetched once from the system environment early during module load or
787system boot.
788.It Dv CTLFLAG_NOFETCH
789In case the node is marked as a tunable using the CTLFLAG_[XX]TUN,
790this flag will prevent fetching the initial value from the system
791environment.
792Typically this flag should only be used for very early
793low level system setup code, and not by common drivers and modules.
794.It Dv CTLFLAG_MPSAFE
795This
796.Xr sysctl 9
797handler is MP safe.
798Do not grab Giant around calls to this handler.
799This should only be used for
800.Fn SYSCTL_PROC
801entries.
802.El
803.Pp
804Additionally, any of the following optional flags may also be specified:
805.Bl -tag -width ".Dv CTLFLAG_ANYBODY"
806.It Dv CTLFLAG_ANYBODY
807Any user or process can write to this sysctl.
808.It Dv CTLFLAG_CAPRD
809A process in capability mode can read from this sysctl.
810.It Dv CTLFLAG_CAPWR
811A process in capability mode can write to this sysctl.
812.It Dv CTLFLAG_SECURE
813This sysctl can be written to only if the effective securelevel of the
814process is \[<=] 0.
815.It Dv CTLFLAG_PRISON
816This sysctl can be written to by processes in
817.Xr jail 2 .
818.It Dv CTLFLAG_SKIP
819When iterating the sysctl name space, do not list this sysctl.
820.It Dv CTLFLAG_TUN
821Advisory flag that a system tunable also exists for this variable.
822The initial sysctl value is tried fetched once from the system
823environment early during module load or system boot.
824.It Dv CTLFLAG_DYN
825Dynamically created OIDs automatically get this flag set.
826.It Dv CTLFLAG_VNET
827OID references a VIMAGE-enabled variable.
828.El
829.Sh EXAMPLES
830Sample use of
831.Fn SYSCTL_DECL
832to declare the
833.Va security
834sysctl tree for use by new nodes:
835.Bd -literal -offset indent
836SYSCTL_DECL(_security);
837.Ed
838.Pp
839Examples of integer, opaque, string, and procedure sysctls follow:
840.Bd -literal -offset indent
841/*
842 * Example of a constant integer value.  Notice that the control
843 * flags are CTLFLAG_RD, the variable pointer is SYSCTL_NULL_INT_PTR,
844 * and the value is declared.
845 */
846SYSCTL_INT(_debug_sizeof, OID_AUTO, bio, CTLFLAG_RD, SYSCTL_NULL_INT_PTR,
847    sizeof(struct bio), "sizeof(struct bio)");
848
849/*
850 * Example of a variable integer value.  Notice that the control
851 * flags are CTLFLAG_RW, the variable pointer is set, and the
852 * value is 0.
853 */
854static int	doingcache = 1;		/* 1 => enable the cache */
855SYSCTL_INT(_debug, OID_AUTO, vfscache, CTLFLAG_RW, &doingcache, 0,
856    "Enable name cache");
857
858/*
859 * Example of a variable string value.  Notice that the control
860 * flags are CTLFLAG_RW, that the variable pointer and string
861 * size are set.  Unlike newer sysctls, this older sysctl uses a
862 * static oid number.
863 */
864char kernelname[MAXPATHLEN] = "/kernel";	/* XXX bloat */
865SYSCTL_STRING(_kern, KERN_BOOTFILE, bootfile, CTLFLAG_RW,
866    kernelname, sizeof(kernelname), "Name of kernel file booted");
867
868/*
869 * Example of an opaque data type exported by sysctl.  Notice that
870 * the variable pointer and size are provided, as well as a format
871 * string for sysctl(8).
872 */
873static l_fp pps_freq;	/* scaled frequency offset (ns/s) */
874SYSCTL_OPAQUE(_kern_ntp_pll, OID_AUTO, pps_freq, CTLFLAG_RD,
875    &pps_freq, sizeof(pps_freq), "I", "");
876
877/*
878 * Example of a procedure based sysctl exporting string
879 * information.  Notice that the data type is declared, the NULL
880 * variable pointer and 0 size, the function pointer, and the
881 * format string for sysctl(8).
882 */
883SYSCTL_PROC(_kern_timecounter, OID_AUTO, hardware, CTLTYPE_STRING |
884    CTLFLAG_RW, NULL, 0, sysctl_kern_timecounter_hardware, "A",
885    "");
886.Ed
887.Pp
888The following is an example of
889how to create a new top-level category
890and how to hook up another subtree to an existing static node.
891This example does not use contexts,
892which results in tedious management of all intermediate oids,
893as they need to be freed later on:
894.Bd -literal -offset indent
895#include <sys/sysctl.h>
896 ...
897/*
898 * Need to preserve pointers to newly created subtrees,
899 * to be able to free them later:
900 */
901static struct sysctl_oid *root1;
902static struct sysctl_oid *root2;
903static struct sysctl_oid *oidp;
904static int a_int;
905static char *string = "dynamic sysctl";
906 ...
907
908root1 = SYSCTL_ADD_ROOT_NODE(NULL,
909	OID_AUTO, "newtree", CTLFLAG_RW, 0, "new top level tree");
910oidp = SYSCTL_ADD_INT(NULL, SYSCTL_CHILDREN(root1),
911	OID_AUTO, "newint", CTLFLAG_RW, &a_int, 0, "new int leaf");
912 ...
913root2 = SYSCTL_ADD_NODE(NULL, SYSCTL_STATIC_CHILDREN(_debug),
914	OID_AUTO, "newtree", CTLFLAG_RW, 0, "new tree under debug");
915oidp = SYSCTL_ADD_STRING(NULL, SYSCTL_CHILDREN(root2),
916	OID_AUTO, "newstring", CTLFLAG_RD, string, 0, "new string leaf");
917.Ed
918.Pp
919This example creates the following subtrees:
920.Bd -literal -offset indent
921debug.newtree.newstring
922newtree.newint
923.Ed
924.Pp
925.Em "Care should be taken to free all OIDs once they are no longer needed!"
926.Sh SYSCTL NAMING
927When adding, modifying, or removing sysctl names, it is important to be
928aware that these interfaces may be used by users, libraries, applications,
929or documentation (such as published books), and are implicitly published application interfaces.
930As with other application interfaces, caution must be taken not to break
931existing applications, and to think about future use of new name spaces so as
932to avoid the need to rename or remove interfaces that might be depended on in
933the future.
934.Pp
935The semantics chosen for a new sysctl should be as clear as possible,
936and the name of the sysctl must closely reflect its semantics.
937Therefore the sysctl name deserves a fair amount of consideration.
938It should be short but yet representative of the sysctl meaning.
939If the name consists of several words, they should be separated by
940underscore characters, as in
941.Va compute_summary_at_mount .
942Underscore characters may be omitted only if the name consists of not more
943than two words, each being not longer than four characters, as in
944.Va bootfile .
945For boolean sysctls, negative logic should be totally avoided.
946That is, do not use names like
947.Va no_foobar
948or
949.Va foobar_disable .
950They are confusing and lead to configuration errors.
951Use positive logic instead:
952.Va foobar ,
953.Va foobar_enable .
954.Pp
955A temporary sysctl node OID that should not be relied upon must be designated
956as such by a leading underscore character in its name.
957For example:
958.Va _dirty_hack .
959.Sh SEE ALSO
960.Xr sysctl 3 ,
961.Xr sysctl 8 ,
962.Xr sysctl_add_oid 9 ,
963.Xr sysctl_ctx_free 9 ,
964.Xr sysctl_ctx_init 9 ,
965.Xr sysctl_remove_oid 9
966.Sh HISTORY
967The
968.Xr sysctl 8
969utility first appeared in
970.Bx 4.4 .
971.Sh AUTHORS
972.An -nosplit
973The
974.Nm sysctl
975implementation originally found in
976.Bx
977has been extensively rewritten by
978.An Poul-Henning Kamp
979in order to add support for name lookups, name space iteration, and dynamic
980addition of MIB nodes.
981.Pp
982This man page was written by
983.An Robert N. M. Watson .
984.Sh SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
985When creating new sysctls, careful attention should be paid to the security
986implications of the monitoring or management interface being created.
987Most sysctls present in the kernel are read-only or writable only by the
988superuser.
989Sysctls exporting extensive information on system data structures and
990operation, especially those implemented using procedures, will wish to
991implement access control to limit the undesired exposure of information about
992other processes, network connections, etc.
993.Pp
994The following top level sysctl name spaces are commonly used:
995.Bl -tag -width ".Va regression"
996.It Va compat
997Compatibility layer information.
998.It Va debug
999Debugging information.
1000Various name spaces exist under
1001.Va debug .
1002.It Va hw
1003Hardware and device driver information.
1004.It Va kern
1005Kernel behavior tuning; generally deprecated in favor of more specific
1006name spaces.
1007.It Va machdep
1008Machine-dependent configuration parameters.
1009.It Va net
1010Network subsystem.
1011Various protocols have name spaces under
1012.Va net .
1013.It Va regression
1014Regression test configuration and information.
1015.It Va security
1016Security and security-policy configuration and information.
1017.It Va sysctl
1018Reserved name space for the implementation of sysctl.
1019.It Va user
1020Configuration settings relating to user application behavior.
1021Generally, configuring applications using kernel sysctls is discouraged.
1022.It Va vfs
1023Virtual file system configuration and information.
1024.It Va vm
1025Virtual memory subsystem configuration and information.
1026.El
1027