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NG_SOCKET(4)		     Kernel Interfaces Manual		    NG_SOCKET(4)

NAME
     ng_socket -- netgraph socket node type

SYNOPSIS
     #include <sys/types.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 containing 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 sock-
     addr_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 argu-
     ment 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  net-
     graph(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 sock-
	  ets associated will return ENOTCONN.

     NGM_SOCK_CMD_LINGER
	  This is the default mode.  When the last hook  is  removed,  the  node
	  will	continue to exist, ready to accept new hooks until it is explic-
	  itly shut down.

     All other messages with neither the NGM_SOCKET_COOKIE or NGM_GENERIC_COOKIE
     will be passed unaltered up the NG_CONTROL socket.

SHUTDOWN
     This  node  type  shuts  down  and  disappears  when  both  the  associated
     NG_CONTROL  and NG_DATA sockets have been closed, or a NGM_SHUTDOWN control
     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.

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>

BUGS
     It  is not possible to reject the connection of a hook, though any data re-
     ceived 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).

FreeBSD ports 15.quarterly	January 19, 1999		    NG_SOCKET(4)

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