/usr/bin/getconf [-v specification] system_var

/usr/bin/getconf [-v specification] path_var pathname

/usr/bin/getconf -a

/usr/xpg4/bin/getconf [-v specification] system_var

/usr/xpg4/bin/getconf [-v specification] path_var pathname

/usr/xpg4/bin/getconf -a

/usr/xpg6/bin/getconf [-v specification] system_var

/usr/xpg6/bin/getconf [-v specification] path_var pathname

/usr/xpg6/bin/getconf -a

getconf [-abdlpqrtw] [-c RE] [-n RE] [-s RE] [-v name][name [path [value]] ...]

In the first synopsis form, the getconf utility writes to the standard output the value of the variable specified by system_var, in accordance with specification if the -v option is used.

In the second synopsis form, getconf writes to the standard output the value of the variable specified by path_var for the path specified by pathname, in accordance with specification if the -v option is used.

In the third synopsis form, config writes to the standard output the names of the current system configuration variables.

The value of each configuration variable is determined as if it were obtained by calling the function from which it is defined to be available. The value reflects conditions in the current operating environment.

The getconf built-in in ksh93 is associated with the /bin and /usr/bin paths. It is invoked when getconf is executed without a pathname prefix and the pathname search finds a /bin/getconf or /usr/bin/getconf executable.

getconf displays the system configuration value for name. If name is a filesystem specific variable, the value is determined relative to path, or, the current directory, if path is omitted. If value is specified, getconf attempts to change the process local value to value. - can be used in place of path when it is not relevant. Only writable variables can be set. readonly variables cannot be changed.

The current value for name is written to the standard output. If name is valid but undefined, undefined is written to the standard output. If name is invalid or an error occurs in determining its value, a diagnostic is written to standard error and getconf exits with a non-zero exit status.

More than one variable can be set or queried by providing the name path value 3-tuple for each variable, specifying - for value when querying.

If no operands are specified, all known variables are written in name=value form to the standard output, one per line. Only one of --call, --name or --standard can be specified.

The following options are supported by /usr/bin/getconf, /usr/xpg4/bin/getconf, and /usr/xpg6/bin/getconf -a

The following options are supported by the getconf built-in command in ksh93: -a

--all

--base

--call=RE

--defined

--lowercase

--name=RE

--portable

--quote

--readonly

--standard=RE

AES
AST
C
GNU
POSIX
SVID
XBS5
XOPEN
XPG

--table

--writable

--specification=name

The following operands are supported by /usr/bin/getconf, /usr/xpg4/bin/getconf, and /usr/xpg6/bin/getconf: path_var

The symbol PATH also is recognized, yielding the same value as the confstr() name value CS_PATH.

See largefile(7) for the description of the behavior of /usr/bin/getconf when encountering files greater than or equal to 2 Gbyte ( 2^31 bytes).

Example 1 Writing the Value of a Variable

This example illustrates the value of {NGROUPS_MAX}:

example% getconf NGROUPS_MAX

Example 2 Writing the Value of a Variable for a Specific Directory

This example illustrates the value of NAME_MAX for a specific directory:

example% getconf NAME_MAX /usr

Example 3 Dealing with Unspecified Results

This example shows how to deal more carefully with results that might be unspecified:

if value=$(getconf PATH_MAX /usr); then
if [ "$value" = "undefined" ]; then
echo PATH_MAX in /usr is infinite.
else
echo PATH_MAX in /usr is $value.
fi
else
echo Error in getconf.
fi

For example:

sysconf(_SC_POSIX_C_BIND);

and

system("getconf POSIX2_C_BIND");

in a C program could give different answers. The sysconf call supplies a value that corresponds to the conditions when the program was either compiled or executed, depending on the implementation. The system call to getconf always supplies a value corresponding to conditions when the program is executed.

See environ(7) for descriptions of the following environment variables that affect the execution of getconf: LANG, LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE, LC_MESSAGES, and NLSPATH.

The following environment variable is supported by the ksh93 built-in getconf command: _AST_FEATURES

The following exit values are returned: 0

See attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:

The ksh93 built-in binding to /bin and /usr/bin is Volatile. The built-in command-line interface is Committed.

ksh93 (1), sh (1), pathconf (2), sysinfo (2), confstr (3C), sysconf (3C), attributes (7), environ (7), largefile (7), standards (7)