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ng_socket(4)

NAME

     ng_socket -- netgraph socket node type

SYNOPSIS

     #include <netgraph/ng_message.h>
     #include <netgraph/ng_socket.h>

DESCRIPTION

     A socket node is both a BSD socket and a netgraph node.  The ng_socket
     node type allows user-mode processes to participate in the kernel
     netgraph(4) networking subsystem using the BSD socket interface.  The
     process must have root privileges to be able to create netgraph sockets
     however once created, any process that has one may use it.

     A new ng_socket node is created by creating a new socket of type
     NG_CONTROL in the protocol family PF_NETGRAPH, using the socket(2) system
     call.  Any control messages received by the node and not having a cookie
     value of NGM_SOCKET_COOKIE are received by the process, using
     recvfrom(2); the socket address argument is a struct sockaddr_ng contain-
     ing the sender's netgraph address.  Conversely, control messages can be
     sent to any node by calling sendto(2), supplying the recipient's address
     in a struct sockaddr_ng.  The bind(2) system call may be used to assign a
     global netgraph name to the node.

     To transmit and receive netgraph data packets, a NG_DATA socket must also
     be created using socket(2) and associated with a ng_socket node.  NG_DATA
     sockets do not automatically have nodes associated with them; they are
     bound to a specific node via the connect(2) system call.  The address
     argument is the netgraph address of the ng_socket node already created.
     Once a data socket is associated with a node, any data packets received
     by the node are read using recvfrom(2) and any packets to be sent out
     from the node are written using sendto(2).  In the case of data sockets,
     the struct sockaddr_ng contains the name of the hook on which the data
     was received or should be sent.

     As a special case, to allow netgraph data sockets to be used as stdin or
     stdout on naive programs, a sendto(2) with a NULL sockaddr pointer, a
     send(2) or a write(2) will succeed in the case where there is exactly ONE
     hook attached to the socket node, (and thus the path is unambiguous).

     There is a user library that simplifies using netgraph sockets; see
     netgraph(3).

HOOKS

     This node type supports hooks with arbitrary names (as long as they are
     unique) and always accepts hook connection requests.

CONTROL MESSAGES

     This node type supports the generic control messages, plus the following:

     NGM_SOCK_CMD_NOLINGER
	  When the last hook is removed from this node, it will shut down as
	  if it had received a NGM_SHUTDOWN message.  Attempts to access the
	  sockets associated will return ENOTCONN.

     NGM_SOCK_CMD_LINGER
	  This is the default mode.  When the last hook is removed, the node
     NG_CONTROL and NG_DATA sockets have been closed, or a NGM_SHUTDOWN con-
     trol message is received.	In the latter case, attempts to write to the
     still-open sockets will return ENOTCONN.  If the NGM_SOCK_CMD_NOLINGER
     message has been received, closure of the last hook will also initiate a
     shutdown of the node.

BUGS

     It is not possible to reject the connection of a hook, though any data
     received on that hook can certainly be ignored.

     The controlling process is not notified of all events that an in-kernel
     node would be notified of, e.g. a new hook, or hook removal.  Some node-
     initiated messages should be defined for this purpose (to be sent up the
     control socket).

SEE ALSO

     socket(2), netgraph(3), netgraph(4), ng_ksocket(4), ngctl(8)

HISTORY

     The ng_socket node type was implemented in FreeBSD 4.0.

AUTHORS

     Julian Elischer <julian@FreeBSD.org>

FreeBSD 5.4		       January 19, 1999 		   FreeBSD 5.4

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