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chroot(2)

NAME

     chroot -- change root directory

LIBRARY

     Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

SYNOPSIS

     #include <unistd.h>

     int
     chroot(const char *dirname);

DESCRIPTION

     The dirname argument is the address of the pathname of a directory, ter-
     minated by an ASCII NUL.  The chroot() system call causes dirname to
     become the root directory, that is, the starting point for path searches
     of pathnames beginning with `/'.

     In order for a directory to become the root directory a process must have
     execute (search) access for that directory.

     It should be noted that chroot() has no effect on the process's current
     directory.

     This call is restricted to the super-user.

     Depending on the setting of the `kern.chroot_allow_open_directories'
     sysctl variable, open filedescriptors which reference directories will
     make the chroot() fail as follows:

     If `kern.chroot_allow_open_directories' is set to zero, chroot() will
     always fail with EPERM if there are any directories open.

     If `kern.chroot_allow_open_directories' is set to one (the default),
     chroot() will fail with EPERM if there are any directories open and the
     process is already subject to the chroot() system call.

     Any other value for `kern.chroot_allow_open_directories' will bypass the
     check for open directories

     Upon successful completion, a value of 0 is returned.  Otherwise, a value
     of -1 is returned and errno is set to indicate an error.

ERRORS

     The chroot() system call will fail and the root directory will be
     unchanged if:

     [ENOTDIR]		A component of the path name is not a directory.

     [EPERM]		The effective user ID is not the super-user, or one or
			more filedescriptors are open directories.

     [ENAMETOOLONG]	A component of a pathname exceeded 255 characters, or
			an entire path name exceeded 1023 characters.

     [ENOENT]		The named directory does not exist.


     [EIO]		An I/O error occurred while reading from or writing to
			the file system.

SEE ALSO

     chdir(2), jail(2)

HISTORY

     The chroot() system call appeared in 4.2BSD.

BUGS

     If the process is able to change its working directory to the target
     directory, but another access control check fails (such as a check for
     open directories, or a MAC check), it is possible that this system call
     may return an error, with the working directory of the process left
     changed.

FreeBSD 5.4			 June 4, 1993			   FreeBSD 5.4

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