path: root/share/man/man9/namei.9

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.Dd $Mdocdate: May 31 2007 $
.Dt NAMEI 9
.Os
.Sh NAME
.Nm namei ,
.Nm lookup ,
.Nm relookup ,
.Nm NDINIT
.Nd pathname lookup
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.Fd #include <sys/param.h>
.Fd #include <sys/namei.h>
.Ft int
.Fn namei "struct nameidata *ndp"
.Ft int
.Fn lookup "struct nameidata *ndp"
.Ft int
.Fn relookup "struct vnode *dvp" "struct vnode **vpp" \
"struct componentname *cnp"
.Ft void
.Fn NDINIT "struct nameidata *ndp" "u_long op" "u_long flags" \
"enum uio_seg segflg" "const char *namep" "struct proc *p"
.Sh DESCRIPTION
The
.Nm
interface is used to convert pathnames to file system vnodes.
The
name of the interface is actually a contraction of the words
.Em name
and
.Em inode
for name-to-inode conversion, in the days before the
.Xr vfs 9
interface was implemented.
.Pp
The arguments passed to the functions are encapsulated in the
.Em nameidata
structure.
It has the following structure:
.Bd -literal
struct nameidata {
        /*
         * Arguments to namei/lookup.
         */
        const char *ni_dirp;            /* pathname pointer */
        enum    uio_seg ni_segflg;      /* location of pathname */
        /*
         * Arguments to lookup.
         */
        struct  vnode *ni_startdir;     /* starting directory */
        struct  vnode *ni_rootdir;      /* logical root directory */
        /*
         * Results: returned from/manipulated by lookup
         */
        struct  vnode *ni_vp;           /* vnode of result */
        struct  vnode *ni_dvp;          /* vnode of intermediate dir */
        /*
         * Shared between namei and lookup/commit routines.
         */
        size_t  ni_pathlen;             /* remaining chars in path */
        const char *ni_next;            /* next location in pathname */
        u_long  ni_loopcnt;             /* count of symlinks encountered */
        /*
         * Lookup parameters
         */
        struct componentname ni_cnd;
};
.Ed
.Pp
The
.Nm
interface accesses vnode operations by passing arguments in the
partially initialised
.Em componentname
structure
.Em ni_cnd .
This structure describes the subset of information from the nameidata
structure that is passed through to the vnode operations.
See
.Xr VOP_LOOKUP 9
for more information.
The details of the componentname structure are not absolutely necessary
since the members are initialised by the helper macro
.Fn NDINIT .
It is useful to know the operations and flags as specified in
.Xr VOP_LOOKUP 9 .
.Pp
The
.Nm
interface overloads
.Em ni_cnd.cn_flags
with some additional flags.
These flags should be specific to the
.Nm
interface and ignored by vnode operations.
However, due to the historic close relationship between the
.Nm
interface and the vnode operations, these flags are sometimes used
(and set) by vnode operations, particularly
.Fn VOP_LOOKUP .
The additional flags are:
.Pp
.Bl -tag -offset indent -width NOCROSSMOUNT -compact
.It NOCROSSMOUNT
do not cross mount points
.It RDONLY
lookup with read-only semantics
.It HASBUF
caller has allocated pathname buffer
.Em ni_cnd.cn_pnbuf
.It SAVENAME
save pathname buffer
.It SAVESTART
save starting directory
.It ISDOTDOT
current pathname component is ..
.It MAKEENTRY
add entry to the name cache
.It ISLASTCN
this is last component of pathname
.It ISSYMLINK
symlink needs interpretation
.It REQUIREDIR
must be a directory
.It PDIRUNLOCK
.Fn VOP_LOOKUP
unlocked parent dir
.El
.Pp
If the caller of
.Fn namei
sets the SAVENAME flag, then it must free the buffer.
If
.Fn VOP_LOOKUP
sets the flag, then the buffer must be freed by either the commit
routine or the
.Fn VOP_ABORT
routine.
The SAVESTART flag is set only by the callers of
.Fn namei .
It implies SAVENAME plus the addition of saving the parent directory
that contains the name in
.Em ni_startdir .
It allows repeated calls to
.Fn lookup
for the name being sought.
The caller is responsible for releasing the buffer and for invoking
.Fn vrele
on
.Em ni_startdir .
.Pp
All access to the
.Nm
interface must be in process context.
Pathname lookups cannot be done in interrupt context.
.Sh FUNCTIONS
.Bl -tag -width compact
.It Fn namei "ndp"
Convert a pathname into a pointer to a vnode.
The pathname is specified by
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_dirp
and is of length
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_pathlen .
The
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]segflg
flags defines whether the name in
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_dirp
is an address in kernel space (UIO_SYSSPACE) or an address in user
space (UIO_USERSPACE).
The vnode for the pathname is referenced and returned in
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_vp .
.Pp
If
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_cnd.cn_flags
has the FOLLOW flag set then symbolic links are followed when they
occur at the end of the name translation process.
Symbolic links are always followed for all other pathname components
other than the last.
.Pp
If the LOCKLEAF flag is set, a locked vnode is returned.
.It Fn lookup "ndp"
Search for a pathname.
This is a very central and rather complicated routine.
.Pp
The pathname is specified by
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_dirp
and is of length
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_pathlen .
The starting directory is taken from
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_startdir .
The pathname is descended until done, or a symbolic link is
encountered.
.Pp
The semantics of
.Fn lookup
are altered by the operation specified by
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_cnd.cn_nameiop .
When CREATE, RENAME, or DELETE is specified, information usable in
creating, renaming, or deleting a directory entry may be calculated.
.Pp
If
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ci_cnd.cn_flags
has LOCKPARENT set, the parent directory is returned locked in
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_dvp .
If WANTPARENT is set, the parent directory is returned unlocked.
Otherwise the parent directory is not returned.
If the target of the pathname exists and LOCKLEAF is set, the target
is returned locked in
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_vp ,
otherwise it is returned unlocked.
.It Fn relookup "dvp" "vpp" "cnp"
Reacquire a path name component in a directory.
This is a quicker way to lookup a pathname component when the parent
directory is known.
The unlocked parent directory vnode is specified by
.Fa dvp
and the pathname component by
.Fa cnp .
The vnode of the pathname is returned in the address specified by
.Fa vpp .
.It Fn NDINIT "ndp" "op" "flags" "segflg" "namep" "p"
Initialise a nameidata structure pointed to by
.Fa ndp
for use by the
.Nm
interface.
It saves having to deal with the componentname structure inside
.Fa ndp .
The operation and flags are specified by
.Fa op
and
.Fa flags
respectively.
These are the values to which
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_cnd.cn_nameiop
and
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_cnd.cn_flags
are respectively set.
The segment flags which defines whether the pathname is in kernel
address space or user address space is specified by
.Fa segflg .
The argument
.Fa namep
is a pointer to the pathname that
.Em ndp-\*[Gt]ni_dirp
is set to and
.Fa p
is the calling process.
.El
.Sh CODE REFERENCES
The name lookup subsystem is implemented within the file
.Pa sys/kern/vfs_lookup.c .
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Xr intro 9 ,
.\" .Xr namecache 9 ,
.Xr vfs 9 ,
.Xr vnode 9 ,
.Xr VOP_LOOKUP 9
.Sh BUGS
It is unfortunate that much of the
.Nm
interface makes assumptions on the underlying vnode operations.
These assumptions are an artefact of the introduction of the vfs
interface to split a file system interface which was historically
designed as a tightly coupled module.