LSOF(8) LSOF(8)
Revision-4.87
NAME
lsof - list open files
SYNOPSIS
lsof [ -?abChKlnNOPRtUvVX ] [ -A A ] [ -c c ] [ +c c ] [ +|-d d ] [
+|-D D ] [ +|-e s ] [ +|-f [cfgGn] ] [ -F [f] ] [ -g [s] ] [ -i [i] ] [
-k k ] [ +|-L [l] ] [ +|-m m ] [ +|-M ] [ -o [o] ] [ -p s ] [ +|-r
[t[m<fmt>]] ] [ -s [p:s] ] [ -S [t] ] [ -T [t] ] [ -u s ] [ +|-w ] [ -x
[fl] ] [ -z [z] ] [ -Z [Z] ] [ -- ] [names]
DESCRIPTION
Lsof revision 4.87 lists on its standard output file information about
files opened by processes for the following UNIX dialects:
Apple Darwin 9 and Mac OS X 10.[567]
FreeBSD 4.9 and 6.4 for x86-based systems
FreeBSD 8.2, 9.0 and 10.0 for AMD64-based systems
Linux 2.1.72 and above for x86-based systems
Solaris 9, 10 and 11
(See the DISTRIBUTION section of this manual page for information on
how to obtain the latest lsof revision.)
An open file may be a regular file, a directory, a block special file,
a character special file, an executing text reference, a library, a
stream or a network file (Internet socket, NFS file or UNIX domain
socket.) A specific file or all the files in a file system may be
selected by path.
Instead of a formatted display, lsof will produce output that can be
parsed by other programs. See the -F, option description, and the
OUTPUT FOR OTHER PROGRAMS section for more information.
In addition to producing a single output list, lsof will run in repeat
mode. In repeat mode it will produce output, delay, then repeat the
output operation until stopped with an interrupt or quit signal. See
the +|-r [t[m<fmt>]] option description for more information.
OPTIONS
In the absence of any options, lsof lists all open files belonging to
all active processes.
If any list request option is specified, other list requests must be
specifically requested - e.g., if -U is specified for the listing of
UNIX socket files, NFS files won't be listed unless -N is also
specified; or if a user list is specified with the -u option, UNIX
domain socket files, belonging to users not in the list, won't be
listed unless the -U option is also specified.
Normally list options that are specifically stated are ORed - i.e.,
specifying the -i option without an address and the -ufoo option
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produces a listing of all network files OR files belonging to
processes owned by user ``foo''. The exceptions are:
1) the `^' (negated) login name or user ID (UID), specified with the
-u option;
2) the `^' (negated) process ID (PID), specified with the -p option;
3) the `^' (negated) process group ID (PGID), specified with the -g
option;
4) the `^' (negated) command, specified with the -c option;
5) the (`^') negated TCP or UDP protocol state names, specified with
the -s [p:s] option.
Since they represent exclusions, they are applied without ORing or
ANDing and take effect before any other selection criteria are
applied.
The -a option may be used to AND the selections. For example,
specifying -a, -U, and -ufoo produces a listing of only UNIX socket
files that belong to processes owned by user ``foo''.
Caution: the -a option causes all list selection options to be ANDed;
it can't be used to cause ANDing of selected pairs of selection
options by placing it between them, even though its placement there is
acceptable. Wherever -a is placed, it causes the ANDing of all
selection options.
Items of the same selection set - command names, file descriptors,
network addresses, process identifiers, user identifiers, zone names,
security contexts - are joined in a single ORed set and applied before
the result participates in ANDing. Thus, for example, specifying
-i@aaa.bbb, -i@ccc.ddd, -a, and -ufff,ggg will select the listing of
files that belong to either login ``fff'' OR ``ggg'' AND have network
connections to either host aaa.bbb OR ccc.ddd.
Options may be grouped together following a single prefix -- e.g., the
option set ``-a -b -C'' may be stated as -abC. However, since values
are optional following +|-f, -F, -g, -i, +|-L, -o, +|-r, -s, -S, -T,
-x and -z. when you have no values for them be careful that the
following character isn't ambiguous. For example, -Fn might represent
the -F and -n options, or it might represent the n field identifier
character following the -F option. When ambiguity is possible, start
a new option with a `-' character - e.g., ``-F -n''. If the next
option is a file name, follow the possibly ambiguous option with ``--
'' - e.g., ``-F -- name''.
Either the `+' or the `-' prefix may be applied to a group of options.
Options that don't take on separate meanings for each prefix - e.g.,
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-i - may be grouped under either prefix. Thus, for example, ``+M -i''
may be stated as ``+Mi'' and the group means the same as the separate
options. Be careful of prefix grouping when one or more options in
the group does take on separate meanings under different prefixes -
e.g., +|-M; ``-iM'' is not the same request as ``-i +M''. When in
doubt, use separate options with appropriate prefixes.
-? -h These two equivalent options select a usage (help) output
list. Lsof displays a shortened form of this output when it
detects an error in the options supplied to it, after it has
displayed messages explaining each error. (Escape the `?'
character as your shell requires.)
-a causes list selection options to be ANDed, as described
above.
-A A is available on systems configured for AFS whose AFS kernel
code is implemented via dynamic modules. It allows the lsof
user to specify A as an alternate name list file where the
kernel addresses of the dynamic modules might be found. See
the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.) for more
information about dynamic modules, their symbols, and how
they affect lsof.
-b causes lsof to avoid kernel functions that might block -
lstat(2), readlink(2), and stat(2).
See the BLOCKS AND TIMEOUTS and AVOIDING KERNEL BLOCKS
sections for information on using this option.
-c c selects the listing of files for processes executing the
command that begins with the characters of c. Multiple
commands may be specified, using multiple -c options. They
are joined in a single ORed set before participating in AND
option selection.
If c begins with a `^', then the following characters specify
a command name whose processes are to be ignored (excluded.)
If c begins and ends with a slash ('/'), the characters
between the slashes are interpreted as a regular expression.
Shell meta-characters in the regular expression must be
quoted to prevent their interpretation by the shell. The
closing slash may be followed by these modifiers:
b the regular expression is a basic one.
i ignore the case of letters.
x the regular expression is an extended one
(default).
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See the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.) for
more information on basic and extended regular expressions.
The simple command specification is tested first. If that
test fails, the command regular expression is applied. If
the simple command test succeeds, the command regular
expression test isn't made. This may result in ``no command
found for regex:'' messages when lsof's -V option is
specified.
+c w defines the maximum number of initial characters of the name,
supplied by the UNIX dialect, of the UNIX command associated
with a process to be printed in the COMMAND column. (The
lsof default is nine.)
Note that many UNIX dialects do not supply all command name
characters to lsof in the files and structures from which
lsof obtains command name. Often dialects limit the number
of characters supplied in those sources. For example, Linux
2.4.27 and Solaris 9 both limit command name length to 16
characters.
If w is zero ('0'), all command characters supplied to lsof
by the UNIX dialect will be printed.
If w is less than the length of the column title,
``COMMAND'', it will be raised to that length.
-C disables the reporting of any path name components from the
kernel's name cache. See the KERNEL NAME CACHE section for
more information.
+d s causes lsof to search for all open instances of directory s
and the files and directories it contains at its top level.
+d does NOT descend the directory tree, rooted at s. The +D
D option may be used to request a full-descent directory tree
search, rooted at directory D.
Processing of the +d option does not follow symbolic links
within s unless the -x or -x l option is also specified.
Nor does it search for open files on file system mount points
on subdirectories of s unless the -x or -x f option is also
specified.
Note: the authority of the user of this option limits it to
searching for files that the user has permission to examine
with the system stat(2) function.
-d s specifies a list of file descriptors (FDs) to exclude from or
include in the output listing. The file descriptors are
specified in the comma-separated set s - e.g., ``cwd,1,3'',
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``^6,^2''. (There should be no spaces in the set.)
The list is an exclusion list if all entries of the set begin
with `^'. It is an inclusion list if no entry begins with
`^'. Mixed lists are not permitted.
A file descriptor number range may be in the set as long as
neither member is empty, both members are numbers, and the
ending member is larger than the starting one - e.g., ``0-7''
or ``3-10''. Ranges may be specified for exclusion if they
have the `^' prefix - e.g., ``^0-7'' excludes all file
descriptors 0 through 7.
Multiple file descriptor numbers are joined in a single ORed
set before participating in AND option selection.
When there are exclusion and inclusion members in the set,
lsof reports them as errors and exits with a non-zero return
code.
See the description of File Descriptor (FD) output values in
the OUTPUT section for more information on file descriptor
names.
+D D causes lsof to search for all open instances of directory D
and all the files and directories it contains to its complete
depth.
Processing of the +D option does not follow symbolic links
within D unless the -x or -x l option is also specified.
Nor does it search for open files on file system mount points
on subdirectories of D unless the -x or -x f option is also
specified.
Note: the authority of the user of this option limits it to
searching for files that the user has permission to examine
with the system stat(2) function.
Further note: lsof may process this option slowly and require
a large amount of dynamic memory to do it. This is because
it must descend the entire directory tree, rooted at D,
calling stat(2) for each file and directory, building a list
of all the files it finds, and searching that list for a
match with every open file. When directory D is large, these
steps can take a long time, so use this option prudently.
-D D directs lsof's use of the device cache file. The use of this
option is sometimes restricted. See the DEVICE CACHE FILE
section and the sections that follow it for more information
on this option.
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-D must be followed by a function letter; the function letter
may optionally be followed by a path name. Lsof recognizes
these function letters:
? - report device cache file paths
b - build the device cache file
i - ignore the device cache file
r - read the device cache file
u - read and update the device cache file
The b, r, and u functions, accompanied by a path name, are
sometimes restricted. When these functions are restricted,
they will not appear in the description of the -D option that
accompanies -h or -? option output. See the DEVICE CACHE
FILE section and the sections that follow it for more
information on these functions and when they're restricted.
The ? function reports the read-only and write paths that
lsof can use for the device cache file, the names of any
environment variables whose values lsof will examine when
forming the device cache file path, and the format for the
personal device cache file path. (Escape the `?' character
as your shell requires.)
When available, the b, r, and u functions may be followed by
the device cache file's path. The standard default is
.lsof_hostname in the home directory of the real user ID that
executes lsof, but this could have been changed when lsof was
configured and compiled. (The output of the -h and -?
options show the current default prefix - e.g., ``.lsof''.)
The suffix, hostname, is the first component of the host's
name returned by gethostname(2).
When available, the b function directs lsof to build a new
device cache file at the default or specified path.
The i function directs lsof to ignore the default device
cache file and obtain its information about devices via
direct calls to the kernel.
The r function directs lsof to read the device cache at the
default or specified path, but prevents it from creating a
new device cache file when none exists or the existing one is
improperly structured. The r function, when specified
without a path name, prevents lsof from updating an incorrect
or outdated device cache file, or creating a new one in its
place. The r function is always available when it is
specified without a path name argument; it may be restricted
by the permissions of the lsof process.
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When available, the u function directs lsof to read the
device cache file at the default or specified path, if
possible, and to rebuild it, if necessary. This is the
default device cache file function when no -D option has been
specified.
+|-e s exempts the file system whose path name is s from being
subjected to kernel function calls that might block. The +e
option exempts stat(2), lstat(2) and most readlink(2) kernel
function calls. The -e option exempts only stat(2) and
lstat(2) kernel function calls. Multiple file systems may be
specified with separate +|-e specifications and each may have
readlink(2) calls exempted or not.
This option is currently implemented only for Linux.
CAUTION: this option can easily be mis-applied to other than
the file system of interest, because it uses path name rather
than the more reliable device and inode numbers. (Device and
inode numbers are acquired via the potentially blocking
stat(2) kernel call and are thus not available, but see the
+|-m m option as a possible alternative way to supply device
numbers.) Use this option with great care and fully specify
the path name of the file system to be exempted.
When open files on exempted file systems are reported, it may
not be possible to obtain all their information. Therefore,
some information columns will be blank, the characters
``UNKN'' preface the values in the TYPE column, and the
applicable exemption option is added in parentheses to the
end of the NAME column. (Some device number information
might be made available via the +|-m m option.)
+|-f [cfgGn]
f by itself clarifies how path name arguments are to be
interpreted. When followed by c, f, g, G, or n in any
combination it specifies that the listing of kernel file
structure information is to be enabled (`+') or inhibited
(`-').
Normally a path name argument is taken to be a file system
name if it matches a mounted-on directory name reported by
mount(8), or if it represents a block device, named in the
mount output and associated with a mounted directory name.
When +f is specified, all path name arguments will be taken
to be file system names, and lsof will complain if any are
not. This can be useful, for example, when the file system
name (mounted-on device) isn't a block device. This happens
for some CD-ROM file systems.
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When -f is specified by itself, all path name arguments will
be taken to be simple files. Thus, for example, the ``-f --
/'' arguments direct lsof to search for open files with a `/'
path name, not all open files in the `/' (root) file system.
Be careful to make sure +f and -f are properly terminated and
aren't followed by a character (e.g., of the file or file
system name) that might be taken as a parameter. For
example, use ``--'' after +f and -f as in these examples.
$ lsof +f -- /file/system/name
$ lsof -f -- /file/name
The listing of information from kernel file structures,
requested with the +f [cfgGn] option form, is normally
inhibited, and is not available in whole or part for some
dialects - e.g., /proc-based Linux kernels below 2.6.22.
When the prefix to f is a plus sign (`+'), these characters
request file structure information:
c file structure use count (not Linux)
f file structure address (not Linux)
g file flag abbreviations (Linux 2.6.22 and up)
G file flags in hexadecimal (Linux 2.6.22 and up)
n file structure node address (not Linux)
When the prefix is minus (`-') the same characters disable
the listing of the indicated values.
File structure addresses, use counts, flags, and node
addresses may be used to detect more readily identical files
inherited by child processes and identical files in use by
different processes. Lsof column output can be sorted by
output columns holding the values and listed to identify
identical file use, or lsof field output can be parsed by an
AWK or Perl post-filter script, or by a C program.
-F f specifies a character list, f, that selects the fields to be
output for processing by another program, and the character
that terminates each output field. Each field to be output
is specified with a single character in f. The field
terminator defaults to NL, but may be changed to NUL (000).
See the OUTPUT FOR OTHER PROGRAMS section for a description
of the field identification characters and the field output
process.
When the field selection character list is empty, all
standard fields are selected (except the raw device field,
security context and zone field for compatibility reasons)
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and the NL field terminator is used.
When the field selection character list contains only a zero
(`0'), all fields are selected (except the raw device field
for compatibility reasons) and the NUL terminator character
is used.
Other combinations of fields and their associated field
terminator character must be set with explicit entries in f,
as described in the OUTPUT FOR OTHER PROGRAMS section.
When a field selection character identifies an item lsof does
not normally list - e.g., PPID, selected with -R -
specification of the field character - e.g., ``-FR'' - also
selects the listing of the item.
When the field selection character list contains the single
character `?', lsof will display a help list of the field
identification characters. (Escape the `?' character as your
shell requires.)
-g [s] excludes or selects the listing of files for the processes
whose optional process group IDentification (PGID) numbers
are in the comma-separated set s - e.g., ``123'' or
``123,^456''. (There should be no spaces in the set.)
PGID numbers that begin with `^' (negation) represent
exclusions.
Multiple PGID numbers are joined in a single ORed set before
participating in AND option selection. However, PGID
exclusions are applied without ORing or ANDing and take
effect before other selection criteria are applied.
The -g option also enables the output display of PGID
numbers. When specified without a PGID set that's all it
does.
-i [i] selects the listing of files any of whose Internet address
matches the address specified in i. If no address is
specified, this option selects the listing of all Internet
and x.25 (HP-UX) network files.
If -i4 or -i6 is specified with no following address, only
files of the indicated IP version, IPv4 or IPv6, are
displayed. (An IPv6 specification may be used only if the
dialects supports IPv6, as indicated by ``[46]'' and
``IPv[46]'' in lsof's -h or -? output.) Sequentially
specifying -i4, followed by -i6 is the same as specifying -i,
and vice-versa. Specifying -i4, or -i6 after -i is the same
as specifying -i4 or -i6 by itself.
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Multiple addresses (up to a limit of 100) may be specified
with multiple -i options. (A port number or service name
range is counted as one address.) They are joined in a single
ORed set before participating in AND option selection.
An Internet address is specified in the form (Items in square
brackets are optional.):
[46][protocol][@hostname|hostaddr][:service|port]
where:
46 specifies the IP version, IPv4 or IPv6
that applies to the following address.
'6' may be be specified only if the UNIX
dialect supports IPv6. If neither '4' nor
'6' is specified, the following address
applies to all IP versions.
protocol is a protocol name - TCP, UDP
hostname is an Internet host name. Unless a
specific IP version is specified, open
network files associated with host names
of all versions will be selected.
hostaddr is a numeric Internet IPv4 address in
dot form; or an IPv6 numeric address in
colon form, enclosed in brackets, if the
UNIX dialect supports IPv6. When an IP
version is selected, only its numeric
addresses may be specified.
service is an /etc/services name - e.g., smtp -
or a list of them.
port is a port number, or a list of them.
IPv6 options may be used only if the UNIX dialect supports
IPv6. To see if the dialect supports IPv6, run lsof and
specify the -h or -? (help) option. If the displayed
description of the -i option contains ``[46]'' and
``IPv[46]'', IPv6 is supported.
IPv4 host names and addresses may not be specified if network
file selection is limited to IPv6 with -i 6. IPv6 host names
and addresses may not be specified if network file selection
is limited to IPv4 with -i 4. When an open IPv4 network
file's address is mapped in an IPv6 address, the open file's
type will be IPv6, not IPv4, and its display will be selected
by '6', not '4'.
At least one address component - 4, 6, protocol, hostname,
hostaddr, or service - must be supplied. The `@' character,
leading the host specification, is always required; as is the
`:', leading the port specification. Specify either hostname
or hostaddr. Specify either service name list or port number
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list. If a service name list is specified, the protocol may
also need to be specified if the TCP, UDP and UDPLITE port
numbers for the service name are different. Use any case -
lower or upper - for protocol.
Service names and port numbers may be combined in a list
whose entries are separated by commas and whose numeric range
entries are separated by minus signs. There may be no
embedded spaces, and all service names must belong to the
specified protocol. Since service names may contain embedded
minus signs, the starting entry of a range can't be a service
name; it can be a port number, however.
Here are some sample addresses:
-i6 - IPv6 only
TCP:25 - TCP and port 25
@1.2.3.4 - Internet IPv4 host address 1.2.3.4
@[3ffe:1ebc::1]:1234 - Internet IPv6 host address
3ffe:1ebc::1, port 1234
UDP:who - UDP who service port
TCP@lsof.itap:513 - TCP, port 513 and host name lsof.itap
tcp@foo:1-10,smtp,99 - TCP, ports 1 through 10,
service name smtp, port 99, host name foo
tcp@bar:1-smtp - TCP, ports 1 through smtp, host bar
:time - either TCP, UDP or UDPLITE time service port
-K selects the listing of tasks (threads) of processes, on
dialects where task (thread) reporting is supported. (If
help output - i.e., the output of the -h or -? options -
shows this option, then task (thread) reporting is supported
by the dialect.)
When -K and -a are both specified on Linux, and the tasks of
a main process are selected by other options, the main
process will also be listed as though it were a task, but
without a task ID. (See the description of the TID column in
the OUTPUT section.)
Where the FreeBSD version supports threads, all threads will
be listed with their IDs.
In general threads and tasks inherit the files of the caller,
but may close some and open others, so lsof always reports
all the open files of threads and tasks.
-k k specifies a kernel name list file, k, in place of /vmunix,
/mach, etc. -k is not available under AIX on the IBM
RISC/System 6000.
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-l inhibits the conversion of user ID numbers to login names.
It is also useful when login name lookup is working
improperly or slowly.
+|-L [l] enables (`+') or disables (`-') the listing of file link
counts, where they are available - e.g., they aren't
available for sockets, or most FIFOs and pipes.
When +L is specified without a following number, all link
counts will be listed. When -L is specified (the default),
no link counts will be listed.
When +L is followed by a number, only files having a link
count less than that number will be listed. (No number may
follow -L.) A specification of the form ``+L1'' will select
open files that have been unlinked. A specification of the
form ``+aL1 <file_system>'' will select unlinked open files
on the specified file system.
For other link count comparisons, use field output (-F) and a
post-processing script or program.
+|-m m specifies an alternate kernel memory file or activates mount
table supplement processing.
The option form -m m specifies a kernel memory file, m, in
place of /dev/kmem or /dev/mem - e.g., a crash dump file.
The option form +m requests that a mount supplement file be
written to the standard output file. All other options are
silently ignored.
There will be a line in the mount supplement file for each
mounted file system, containing the mounted file system
directory, followed by a single space, followed by the device
number in hexadecimal "0x" format - e.g.,
/ 0x801
Lsof can use the mount supplement file to get device numbers
for file systems when it can't get them via stat(2) or
lstat(2).
The option form +m m identifies m as a mount supplement file.
Note: the +m and +m m options are not available for all
supported dialects. Check the output of lsof's -h or -?
options to see if the +m and +m m options are available.
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+|-M Enables (+) or disables (-) the reporting of portmapper
registrations for local TCP, UDP and UDPLITE ports, where
port mapping is supported. (See the last paragraph of this
option description for information about where portmapper
registration reporting is suported.)
The default reporting mode is set by the lsof builder with
the HASPMAPENABLED #define in the dialect's machine.h header
file; lsof is distributed with the HASPMAPENABLED #define
deactivated, so portmapper reporting is disabled by default
and must be requested with +M. Specifying lsof's -h or -?
option will report the default mode. Disabling portmapper
registration when it is already disabled or enabling it when
already enabled is acceptable. When portmapper registration
reporting is enabled, lsof displays the portmapper
registration (if any) for local TCP, UDP or UDPLITE ports in
square brackets immediately following the port numbers or
service names - e.g., ``:1234[name]'' or ``:name[100083]''.
The registration information may be a name or number,
depending on what the registering program supplied to the
portmapper when it registered the port.
When portmapper registration reporting is enabled, lsof may
run a little more slowly or even become blocked when access
to the portmapper becomes congested or stopped. Reverse the
reporting mode to determine if portmapper registration
reporting is slowing or blocking lsof.
For purposes of portmapper registration reporting lsof
considers a TCP, UDP or UDPLITE port local if: it is found in
the local part of its containing kernel structure; or if it
is located in the foreign part of its containing kernel
structure and the local and foreign Internet addresses are
the same; or if it is located in the foreign part of its
containing kernel structure and the foreign Internet address
is INADDR_LOOPBACK (127.0.0.1). This rule may make lsof
ignore some foreign ports on machines with multiple
interfaces when the foreign Internet address is on a
different interface from the local one.
See the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.) for
further discussion of portmapper registration reporting
issues.
Portmapper registration reporting is supported only on
dialects that have RPC header files. (Some Linux
distributions with GlibC 2.14 do not have them.) When
portmapper registration reporting is supported, the -h or -?
help output will show the +|-M option.
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-n inhibits the conversion of network numbers to host names for
network files. Inhibiting conversion may make lsof run
faster. It is also useful when host name lookup is not
working properly.
-N selects the listing of NFS files.
-o directs lsof to display file offset at all times. It causes
the SIZE/OFF output column title to be changed to OFFSET.
Note: on some UNIX dialects lsof can't obtain accurate or
consistent file offset information from its kernel data
sources, sometimes just for particular kinds of files (e.g.,
socket files.) Consult the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives
its location.) for more information.
The -o and -s options are mutually exclusive; they can't both
be specified. When neither is specified, lsof displays
whatever value - size or offset - is appropriate and
available for the type of the file.
-o o defines the number of decimal digits (o) to be printed after
the ``0t'' for a file offset before the form is switched to
``0x...''. An o value of zero (unlimited) directs lsof to
use the ``0t'' form for all offset output.
This option does NOT direct lsof to display offset at all
times; specify -o (without a trailing number) to do that. -o
o only specifies the number of digits after ``0t'' in either
mixed size and offset or offset-only output. Thus, for
example, to direct lsof to display offset at all times with a
decimal digit count of 10, use:
-o -o 10
or
-oo10
The default number of digits allowed after ``0t'' is normally
8, but may have been changed by the lsof builder. Consult
the description of the -o o option in the output of the -h or
-? option to determine the default that is in effect.
-O directs lsof to bypass the strategy it uses to avoid being
blocked by some kernel operations - i.e., doing them in
forked child processes. See the BLOCKS AND TIMEOUTS and
AVOIDING KERNEL BLOCKS sections for more information on
kernel operations that may block lsof.
While use of this option will reduce lsof startup overhead,
it may also cause lsof to hang when the kernel doesn't
respond to a function. Use this option cautiously.
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-p s excludes or selects the listing of files for the processes
whose optional process IDentification (PID) numbers are in
the comma-separated set s - e.g., ``123'' or ``123,^456''.
(There should be no spaces in the set.)
PID numbers that begin with `^' (negation) represent
exclusions.
Multiple process ID numbers are joined in a single ORed set
before participating in AND option selection. However, PID
exclusions are applied without ORing or ANDing and take
effect before other selection criteria are applied.
-P inhibits the conversion of port numbers to port names for
network files. Inhibiting the conversion may make lsof run a
little faster. It is also useful when port name lookup is
not working properly.
+|-r [t[m<fmt>]]
puts lsof in repeat mode. There lsof lists open files as
selected by other options, delays t seconds (default
fifteen), then repeats the listing, delaying and listing
repetitively until stopped by a condition defined by the
prefix to the option.
If the prefix is a `-', repeat mode is endless. Lsof must be
terminated with an interrupt or quit signal.
If the prefix is `+', repeat mode will end the first cycle no
open files are listed - and of course when lsof is stopped
with an interrupt or quit signal. When repeat mode ends
because no files are listed, the process exit code will be
zero if any open files were ever listed; one, if none were
ever listed.
Lsof marks the end of each listing: if field output is in
progress (the -F, option has been specified), the default
marker is `m'; otherwise the default marker is ``========''.
The marker is followed by a NL character.
The optional "m<fmt>" argument specifies a format for the
marker line. The <fmt> characters following `m' are
interpreted as a format specification to the strftime(3)
function, when both it and the localtime(3) function are
available in the dialect's C library. Consult the
strftime(3) documentation for what may appear in its format
specification. Note that when field output is requested with
the -F option, <fmt> cannot contain the NL format, ``%n''.
Note also that when <fmt> contains spaces or other characters
that affect the shell's interpretation of arguments, <fmt>
must be quoted appropriately.
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Repeat mode reduces lsof startup overhead, so it is more
efficient to use this mode than to call lsof repetitively
from a shell script, for example.
To use repeat mode most efficiently, accompany +|-r with
specification of other lsof selection options, so the amount
of kernel memory access lsof does will be kept to a minimum.
Options that filter at the process level - e.g., -c, -g, -p,
-u - are the most efficient selectors.
Repeat mode is useful when coupled with field output (see the
-F, option description) and a supervising awk or Perl script,
or a C program.
-R directs lsof to list the Parent Process IDentification number
in the PPID column.
-s [p:s] s alone directs lsof to display file size at all times. It
causes the SIZE/OFF output column title to be changed to
SIZE. If the file does not have a size, nothing is
displayed.
The optional -s p:s form is available only for selected
dialects, and only when the -h or -? help output lists it.
When the optional form is available, the s may be followed by
a protocol name (p), either TCP or UDP, a colon (`:') and a
comma-separated protocol state name list, the option causes
open TCP and UDP files to be excluded if their state name(s)
are in the list (s) preceded by a `^'; or included if their
name(s) are not preceded by a `^'.
When an inclusion list is defined, only network files with
state names in the list will be present in the lsof output.
Thus, specifying one state name means that only network files
with that lone state name will be listed.
Case is unimportant in the protocol or state names, but there
may be no spaces and the colon (`:') separating the protocol
name (p) and the state name list (s) is required.
If only TCP and UDP files are to be listed, as controlled by
the specified exclusions and inclusions, the -i option must
be specified, too. If only a single protocol's files are to
be listed, add its name as an argument to the -i option.
For example, to list only network files with TCP state
LISTEN, use:
-iTCP -sTCP:LISTEN
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Or, for example, to list network files with all UDP states
except Idle, use:
-iUDP -sUDP:Idle
State names vary with UNIX dialects, so it's not possible to
provide a complete list. Some common TCP state names are:
CLOSED, IDLE, BOUND, LISTEN, ESTABLISHED, SYN_SENT, SYN_RCDV,
ESTABLISHED, CLOSE_WAIT, FIN_WAIT1, CLOSING, LAST_ACK,
FIN_WAIT_2, and TIME_WAIT. Two common UDP state names are
Unbound and Idle.
See the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.) for
more information on how to use protocol state exclusion and
inclusion, including examples.
The -o (without a following decimal digit count) and -s
option (without a following protocol and state name list) are
mutually exclusive; they can't both be specified. When
neither is specified, lsof displays whatever value - size or
offset - is appropriate and available for the type of file.
Since some types of files don't have true sizes - sockets,
FIFOs, pipes, etc. - lsof displays for their sizes the
content amounts in their associated kernel buffers, if
possible.
-S [t] specifies an optional time-out seconds value for kernel
functions - lstat(2), readlink(2), and stat(2) - that might
otherwise deadlock. The minimum for t is two; the default,
fifteen; when no value is specified, the default is used.
See the BLOCKS AND TIMEOUTS section for more information.
-T [t] controls the reporting of some TCP/TPI information, also
reported by netstat(1), following the network addresses. In
normal output the information appears in parentheses, each
item except TCP or TPI state name identified by a keyword,
followed by `=', separated from others by a single space:
<TCP or TPI state name>
QR=<read queue length>
QS=<send queue length>
SO=<socket options and values>
SS=<socket states>
TF=<TCP flags and values>
WR=<window read length>
WW=<window write length>
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Not all values are reported for all UNIX dialects. Items
values (when available) are reported after the item name and
'='.
When the field output mode is in effect (See OUTPUT FOR OTHER
PROGRAMS.) each item appears as a field with a `T' leading
character.
-T with no following key characters disables TCP/TPI
information reporting.
-T with following characters selects the reporting of
specific TCP/TPI information:
f selects reporting of socket options,
states and values, and TCP flags and
values.
q selects queue length reporting.
s selects connection state reporting.
w selects window size reporting.
Not all selections are enabled for some UNIX dialects. State
may be selected for all dialects and is reported by default.
The -h or -? help output for the -T option will show what
selections may be used with the UNIX dialect.
When -T is used to select information - i.e., it is followed
by one or more selection characters - the displaying of state
is disabled by default, and it must be explicitly selected
again in the characters following -T. (In effect, then, the
default is equivalent to -Ts.) For example, if queue lengths
and state are desired, use -Tqs.
Socket options, socket states, some socket values, TCP flags
and one TCP value may be reported (when available in the UNIX
dialect) in the form of the names that commonly appear after
SO_, so_, SS_, TCP_ and TF_ in the dialect's header files -
most often <sys/socket.h>, <sys/socketvar.h> and
<netinet/tcp_var.h>. Consult those header files for the
meaning of the flags, options, states and values.
``SO='' precedes socket options and values; ``SS='', socket
states; and ``TF='', TCP flags and values.
If a flag or option has a value, the value will follow an '='
and the name -- e.g., ``SO=LINGER=5'', ``SO=QLIM=5'',
``TF=MSS=512''. The following seven values may be reported:
Name
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Reported Description (Common Symbol)
KEEPALIVE keep alive time (SO_KEEPALIVE)
LINGER linger time (SO_LINGER)
MSS maximum segment size (TCP_MAXSEG)
PQLEN partial listen queue connections
QLEN established listen queue connections
QLIM established listen queue limit
RCVBUF receive buffer length (SO_RCVBUF)
SNDBUF send buffer length (SO_SNDBUF)
Details on what socket options and values, socket states, and
TCP flags and values may be displayed for particular UNIX
dialects may be found in the answer to the ``Why doesn't lsof
report socket options, socket states, and TCP flags and
values for my dialect?'' and ``Why doesn't lsof report the
partial listen queue connection count for my dialect?''
questions in the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its
location.)
-t specifies that lsof should produce terse output with process
identifiers only and no header - e.g., so that the output may
be piped to kill(1). -t selects the -w option.
-u s selects the listing of files for the user whose login names
or user ID numbers are in the comma-separated set s - e.g.,
``abe'', or ``548,root''. (There should be no spaces in the
set.)
Multiple login names or user ID numbers are joined in a
single ORed set before participating in AND option selection.
If a login name or user ID is preceded by a `^', it becomes a
negation - i.e., files of processes owned by the login name
or user ID will never be listed. A negated login name or
user ID selection is neither ANDed nor ORed with other
selections; it is applied before all other selections and
absolutely excludes the listing of the files of the process.
For example, to direct lsof to exclude the listing of files
belonging to root processes, specify ``-u^root'' or ``-u^0''.
-U selects the listing of UNIX domain socket files.
-v selects the listing of lsof version information, including:
revision number; when the lsof binary was constructed; who
constructed the binary and where; the name of the compiler
used to construct the lsof binary; the version number of the
compiler when readily available; the compiler and loader
flags used to construct the lsof binary; and system
information, typically the output of uname's -a option.
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-V directs lsof to indicate the items it was asked to list and
failed to find - command names, file names, Internet
addresses or files, login names, NFS files, PIDs, PGIDs, and
UIDs.
When other options are ANDed to search options, or
compile-time options restrict the listing of some files, lsof
may not report that it failed to find a search item when an
ANDed option or compile-time option prevents the listing of
the open file containing the located search item.
For example, ``lsof -V -iTCP@foobar -a -d 999'' may not
report a failure to locate open files at ``TCP@foobar'' and
may not list any, if none have a file descriptor number of
999. A similar situation arises when HASSECURITY and
HASNOSOCKSECURITY are defined at compile time and they
prevent the listing of open files.
+|-w Enables (+) or disables (-) the suppression of warning
messages.
The lsof builder may choose to have warning messages disabled
or enabled by default. The default warning message state is
indicated in the output of the -h or -? option. Disabling
warning messages when they are already disabled or enabling
them when already enabled is acceptable.
The -t option selects the -w option.
-x [fl] may accompany the +d and +D options to direct their
processing to cross over symbolic links and|or file system
mount points encountered when scanning the directory (+d) or
directory tree (+D).
If -x is specified by itself without a following parameter,
cross-over processing of both symbolic links and file system
mount points is enabled. Note that when -x is specified
without a parameter, the next argument must begin with '-' or
'+'.
The optional 'f' parameter enables file system mount point
cross-over processing; 'l', symbolic link cross-over
processing.
The -x option may not be supplied without also supplying a +d
or +D option.
-X This is a dialect-specific option.
AIX:
This IBM AIX RISC/System 6000 option requests the reporting
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of executed text file and shared library references.
WARNING: because this option uses the kernel readx()
function, its use on a busy AIX system might cause an
application process to hang so completely that it can neither
be killed nor stopped. I have never seen this happen or had
a report of its happening, but I think there is a remote
possibility it could happen.
By default use of readx() is disabled. On AIX 5L and above
lsof may need setuid-root permission to perform the actions
this option requests.
The lsof builder may specify that the -X option be restricted
to processes whose real UID is root. If that has been done,
the -X option will not appear in the -h or -? help output
unless the real UID of the lsof process is root. The default
lsof distribution allows any UID to specify -X, so by default
it will appear in the help output.
When AIX readx() use is disabled, lsof may not be able to
report information for all text and loader file references,
but it may also avoid exacerbating an AIX kernel directory
search kernel error, known as the Stale Segment ID bug.
The readx() function, used by lsof or any other program to
access some sections of kernel virtual memory, can trigger
the Stale Segment ID bug. It can cause the kernel's
dir_search() function to believe erroneously that part of an
in-memory copy of a file system directory has been zeroed.
Another application process, distinct from lsof, asking the
kernel to search the directory - e.g., by using open(2) - can
cause dir_search() to loop forever, thus hanging the
application process.
Consult the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.)
and the 00README file of the lsof distribution for a more
complete description of the Stale Segment ID bug, its APAR,
and methods for defining readx() use when compiling lsof.
Linux:
This Linux option requests that lsof skip the reporting of
information on all open TCP, UDP and UDPLITE IPv4 and IPv6
files.
This Linux option is most useful when the system has an
extremely large number of open TCP, UDP and UDPLITE files,
the processing of whose information in the /proc/net/tcp* and
/proc/net/udp* files would take lsof a long time, and whose
reporting is not of interest.
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Use this option with care and only when you are sure that the
information you want lsof to display isn't associated with
open TCP, UDP or UDPLITE socket files.
Solaris 10 and above:
This Solaris 10 and above option requests the reporting of
cached paths for files that have been deleted - i.e., removed
with rm(1) or unlink(2).
The cached path is followed by the string `` (deleted)'' to
indicate that the path by which the file was opened has been
deleted.
Because intervening changes made to the path - i.e., renames
with mv(1) or rename(2) - are not recorded in the cached
path, what lsof reports is only the path by which the file
was opened, not its possibly different final path.
-z [z] specifies how Solaris 10 and higher zone information is to be
handled.
Without a following argument - e.g., NO z - the option
specifies that zone names are to be listed in the ZONE output
column.
The -z option may be followed by a zone name, z. That causes
lsof to list only open files for processes in that zone.
Multiple -z z option and argument pairs may be specified to
form a list of named zones. Any open file of any process in
any of the zones will be listed, subject to other conditions
specified by other options and arguments.
-Z [Z] specifies how SELinux security contexts are to be handled.
It and 'Z' field output character support are inhibited when
SELinux is disabled in the running Linux kernel. See OUTPUT
FOR OTHER PROGRAMS for more information on the 'Z' field
output character.
Without a following argument - e.g., NO Z - the option
specifies that security contexts are to be listed in the
SECURITY-CONTEXT output column.
The -Z option may be followed by a wildcard security context
name, Z. That causes lsof to list only open files for
processes in that security context. Multiple -Z Z option and
argument pairs may be specified to form a list of security
contexts. Any open file of any process in any of the
security contexts will be listed, subject to other conditions
specified by other options and arguments. Note that Z can be
A:B:C or *:B:C or A:B:* or *:*:C to match against the A:B:C
context.
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-- The double minus sign option is a marker that signals the end
of the keyed options. It may be used, for example, when the
first file name begins with a minus sign. It may also be
used when the absence of a value for the last keyed option
must be signified by the presence of a minus sign in the
following option and before the start of the file names.
names These are path names of specific files to list. Symbolic
links are resolved before use. The first name may be
separated from the preceding options with the ``--'' option.
If a name is the mounted-on directory of a file system or the
device of the file system, lsof will list all the files open
on the file system. To be considered a file system, the name
must match a mounted-on directory name in mount(8) output, or
match the name of a block device associated with a mounted-on
directory name. The +|-f option may be used to force lsof to
consider a name a file system identifier (+f) or a simple
file (-f).
If name is a path to a directory that is not the mounted-on
directory name of a file system, it is treated just as a
regular file is treated - i.e., its listing is restricted to
processes that have it open as a file or as a
process-specific directory, such as the root or current
working directory. To request that lsof look for open files
inside a directory name, use the +d s and +D D options.
If a name is the base name of a family of multiplexed files -
e. g, AIX's /dev/pt[cs] - lsof will list all the associated
multiplexed files on the device that are open - e.g.,
/dev/pt[cs]/1, /dev/pt[cs]/2, etc.
If a name is a UNIX domain socket name, lsof will usually
search for it by the characters of the name alone - exactly
as it is specified and is recorded in the kernel socket
structure. (See the next paragraph for an exception to that
rule for Linux.) Specifying a relative path - e.g., ./file -
in place of the file's absolute path - e.g., /tmp/file -
won't work because lsof must match the characters you specify
with what it finds in the kernel UNIX domain socket
structures.
If a name is a Linux UNIX domain socket name, in one case
lsof is able to search for it by its device and inode number,
allowing name to be a relative path. The case requires that
the absolute path -- i.e., one beginning with a slash ('/')
be used by the process that created the socket, and hence be
stored in the /proc/net/unix file; and it requires that lsof
be able to obtain the device and node numbers of both the
absolute path in /proc/net/unix and name via successful
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stat(2) system calls. When those conditions are met, lsof
will be able to search for the UNIX domain socket when some
path to it is is specified in name. Thus, for example, if
the path is /dev/log, and an lsof search is initiated when
the working directory is /dev, then name could be ./log.
If a name is none of the above, lsof will list any open files
whose device and inode match that of the specified path name.
If you have also specified the -b option, the only names you
may safely specify are file systems for which your mount
table supplies alternate device numbers. See the AVOIDING
KERNEL BLOCKS and ALTERNATE DEVICE NUMBERS sections for more
information.
Multiple file names are joined in a single ORed set before
participating in AND option selection.
AFS
Lsof supports the recognition of AFS files for these dialects (and AFS
versions):
AIX 4.1.4 (AFS 3.4a)
HP-UX 9.0.5 (AFS 3.4a)
Linux 1.2.13 (AFS 3.3)
Solaris 2.[56] (AFS 3.4a)
It may recognize AFS files on other versions of these dialects, but
has not been tested there. Depending on how AFS is implemented, lsof
may recognize AFS files in other dialects, or may have difficulties
recognizing AFS files in the supported dialects.
Lsof may have trouble identifying all aspects of AFS files in
supported dialects when AFS kernel support is implemented via dynamic
modules whose addresses do not appear in the kernel's variable name
list. In that case, lsof may have to guess at the identity of AFS
files, and might not be able to obtain volume information from the
kernel that is needed for calculating AFS volume node numbers. When
lsof can't compute volume node numbers, it reports blank in the NODE
column.
The -A A option is available in some dialect implementations of lsof
for specifying the name list file where dynamic module kernel
addresses may be found. When this option is available, it will be
listed in the lsof help output, presented in response to the -h or -?
See the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.) for more
information about dynamic modules, their symbols, and how they affect
lsof options.
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Because AFS path lookups don't seem to participate in the kernel's
name cache operations, lsof can't identify path name components for
AFS files.
SECURITY
Lsof has three features that may cause security concerns. First, its
default compilation mode allows anyone to list all open files with it.
Second, by default it creates a user-readable and user-writable device
cache file in the home directory of the real user ID that executes
lsof. (The list-all-open-files and device cache features may be
disabled when lsof is compiled.) Third, its -k and -m options name
alternate kernel name list or memory files.
Restricting the listing of all open files is controlled by the
compile-time HASSECURITY and HASNOSOCKSECURITY options. When
HASSECURITY is defined, lsof will allow only the root user to list all
open files. The non-root user may list only open files of processes
with the same user IDentification number as the real user ID number of
the lsof process (the one that its user logged on with).
However, if HASSECURITY and HASNOSOCKSECURITY are both defined, anyone
may list open socket files, provided they are selected with the -i
option.
When HASSECURITY is not defined, anyone may list all open files.
Help output, presented in response to the -h or -? option, gives the
status of the HASSECURITY and HASNOSOCKSECURITY definitions.
See the Security section of the 00README file of the lsof distribution
for information on building lsof with the HASSECURITY and
HASNOSOCKSECURITY options enabled.
Creation and use of a user-readable and user-writable device cache
file is controlled by the compile-time HASDCACHE option. See the
DEVICE CACHE FILE section and the sections that follow it for details
on how its path is formed. For security considerations it is
important to note that in the default lsof distribution, if the real
user ID under which lsof is executed is root, the device cache file
will be written in root's home directory - e.g., / or /root. When
HASDCACHE is not defined, lsof does not write or attempt to read a
device cache file.
When HASDCACHE is defined, the lsof help output, presented in response
to the -h, -D?, or -? options, will provide device cache file handling
information. When HASDCACHE is not defined, the -h or -? output will
have no -D option description.
Before you decide to disable the device cache file feature - enabling
it improves the performance of lsof by reducing the startup overhead
of examining all the nodes in /dev (or /devices) - read the discussion
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of it in the 00DCACHE file of the lsof distribution and the lsof FAQ
(The FAQ section gives its location.)
WHEN IN DOUBT, YOU CAN TEMPORARILY DISABLE THE USE OF THE DEVICE CACHE
FILE WITH THE -Di OPTION.
When lsof user declares alternate kernel name list or memory files
with the -k and -m options, lsof checks the user's authority to read
them with access(2). This is intended to prevent whatever special
power lsof's modes might confer on it from letting it read files not
normally accessible via the authority of the real user ID.
OUTPUT
This section describes the information lsof lists for each open file.
See the OUTPUT FOR OTHER PROGRAMS section for additional information
on output that can be processed by another program.
Lsof only outputs printable (declared so by isprint(3)) 8 bit
characters. Non-printable characters are printed in one of three
forms: the C ``\[bfrnt]'' form; the control character `^' form (e.g.,
``^@''); or hexadecimal leading ``\x'' form (e.g., ``\xab''). Space
is non-printable in the COMMAND column (``\x20'') and printable
elsewhere.
For some dialects - if HASSETLOCALE is defined in the dialect's
machine.h header file - lsof will print the extended 8 bit characters
of a language locale. The lsof process must be supplied a language
locale environment variable (e.g., LANG) whose value represents a
known language locale in which the extended characters are considered
printable by isprint(3). Otherwise lsof considers the extended
characters non-printable and prints them according to its rules for
non-printable characters, stated above. Consult your dialect's
setlocale(3) man page for the names of other environment variables
that may be used in place of LANG - e.g., LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE, etc.
Lsof's language locale support for a dialect also covers wide
characters - e.g., UTF-8 - when HASSETLOCALE and HASWIDECHAR are
defined in the dialect's machine.h header file, and when a suitable
language locale has been defined in the appropriate environment
variable for the lsof process. Wide characters are printable under
those conditions if iswprint(3) reports them to be. If HASSETLOCALE,
HASWIDECHAR and a suitable language locale aren't defined, or if
iswprint(3) reports wide characters that aren't printable, lsof
considers the wide characters non-printable and prints each of their 8
bits according to its rules for non-printable characters, stated
above.
Consult the answers to the "Language locale support" questions in the
lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.) for more information.
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Lsof dynamically sizes the output columns each time it runs,
guaranteeing that each column is a minimum size. It also guarantees
that each column is separated from its predecessor by at least one
space.
COMMAND contains the first nine characters of the name of the UNIX
command associated with the process. If a non-zero w value
is specified to the +c w option, the column contains the
first w characters of the name of the UNIX command
associated with the process up to the limit of characters
supplied to lsof by the UNIX dialect. (See the description
of the +c w command or the lsof FAQ for more information.
The FAQ section gives its location.)
If w is less than the length of the column title,
``COMMAND'', it will be raised to that length.
If a zero w value is specified to the +c w option, the
column contains all the characters of the name of the UNIX
command associated with the process.
All command name characters maintained by the kernel in its
structures are displayed in field output when the command
name descriptor (`c') is specified. See the OUTPUT FOR
OTHER COMMANDS section for information on selecting field
output and the associated command name descriptor.
PID is the Process IDentification number of the process.
TID is the task (thread) IDentification number, if task
(thread) reporting is supported by the dialect and a task
(thread) is being listed. (If help output - i.e., the
output of the -h or -? options - shows this option, then
task (thread) reporting is supported by the dialect.)
A blank TID column in Linux indicates a process - i.e., a
non-task.
ZONE is the Solaris 10 and higher zone name. This column must
be selected with the -z option.
SECURITY-CONTEXT
is the SELinux security context. This column must be
selected with the -Z option. Note that the -Z option is
inhibited when SELinux is disabled in the running Linux
kernel.
PPID is the Parent Process IDentification number of the process.
It is only displayed when the -R option has been specified.
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PGID is the process group IDentification number associated with
the process. It is only displayed when the -g option has
been specified.
USER is the user ID number or login name of the user to whom the
process belongs, usually the same as reported by ps(1).
However, on Linux USER is the user ID number or login that
owns the directory in /proc where lsof finds information
about the process. Usually that is the same value reported
by ps(1), but may differ when the process has changed its
effective user ID. (See the -l option description for
information on when a user ID number or login name is
displayed.)
FD is the File Descriptor number of the file or:
cwd current working directory;
Lnn library references (AIX);
err FD information error (see NAME column);
jld jail directory (FreeBSD);
ltx shared library text (code and data);
Mxx hex memory-mapped type number xx.
m86 DOS Merge mapped file;
mem memory-mapped file;
mmap memory-mapped device;
pd parent directory;
rtd root directory;
tr kernel trace file (OpenBSD);
txt program text (code and data);
v86 VP/ix mapped file;
FD is followed by one of these characters, describing the
mode under which the file is open:
r for read access;
w for write access;
u for read and write access;
space if mode unknown and no lock
character follows;
`-' if mode unknown and lock
character follows.
The mode character is followed by one of these lock
characters, describing the type of lock applied to the
file:
N for a Solaris NFS lock of unknown type;
r for read lock on part of the file;
R for a read lock on the entire file;
w for a write lock on part of the file;
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W for a write lock on the entire file;
u for a read and write lock of any length;
U for a lock of unknown type;
x for an SCO OpenServer Xenix lock on part of the
file;
X for an SCO OpenServer Xenix lock on the entire
file;
space if there is no lock.
See the LOCKS section for more information on the lock
information character.
The FD column contents constitutes a single field for
parsing in post-processing scripts.
TYPE is the type of the node associated with the file - e.g.,
GDIR, GREG, VDIR, VREG, etc.
or ``IPv4'' for an IPv4 socket;
or ``IPv6'' for an open IPv6 network file - even if its
address is IPv4, mapped in an IPv6 address;
or ``ax25'' for a Linux AX.25 socket;
or ``inet'' for an Internet domain socket;
or ``lla'' for a HP-UX link level access file;
or ``rte'' for an AF_ROUTE socket;
or ``sock'' for a socket of unknown domain;
or ``unix'' for a UNIX domain socket;
or ``x.25'' for an HP-UX x.25 socket;
or ``BLK'' for a block special file;
or ``CHR'' for a character special file;
or ``DEL'' for a Linux map file that has been deleted;
or ``DIR'' for a directory;
or ``DOOR'' for a VDOOR file;
or ``FIFO'' for a FIFO special file;
or ``KQUEUE'' for a BSD style kernel event queue file;
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or ``LINK'' for a symbolic link file;
or ``MPB'' for a multiplexed block file;
or ``MPC'' for a multiplexed character file;
or ``NOFD'' for a Linux /proc/<PID>/fd directory that can't
be opened -- the directory path appears in the NAME column,
followed by an error message;
or ``PAS'' for a /proc/as file;
or ``PAXV'' for a /proc/auxv file;
or ``PCRE'' for a /proc/cred file;
or ``PCTL'' for a /proc control file;
or ``PCUR'' for the current /proc process;
or ``PCWD'' for a /proc current working directory;
or ``PDIR'' for a /proc directory;
or ``PETY'' for a /proc executable type (etype);
or ``PFD'' for a /proc file descriptor;
or ``PFDR'' for a /proc file descriptor directory;
or ``PFIL'' for an executable /proc file;
or ``PFPR'' for a /proc FP register set;
or ``PGD'' for a /proc/pagedata file;
or ``PGID'' for a /proc group notifier file;
or ``PIPE'' for pipes;
or ``PLC'' for a /proc/lwpctl file;
or ``PLDR'' for a /proc/lpw directory;
or ``PLDT'' for a /proc/ldt file;
or ``PLPI'' for a /proc/lpsinfo file;
or ``PLST'' for a /proc/lstatus file;
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or ``PLU'' for a /proc/lusage file;
or ``PLWG'' for a /proc/gwindows file;
or ``PLWI'' for a /proc/lwpsinfo file;
or ``PLWS'' for a /proc/lwpstatus file;
or ``PLWU'' for a /proc/lwpusage file;
or ``PLWX'' for a /proc/xregs file'
or ``PMAP'' for a /proc map file (map);
or ``PMEM'' for a /proc memory image file;
or ``PNTF'' for a /proc process notifier file;
or ``POBJ'' for a /proc/object file;
or ``PODR'' for a /proc/object directory;
or ``POLP'' for an old format /proc light weight process
file;
or ``POPF'' for an old format /proc PID file;
or ``POPG'' for an old format /proc page data file;
or ``PORT'' for a SYSV named pipe;
or ``PREG'' for a /proc register file;
or ``PRMP'' for a /proc/rmap file;
or ``PRTD'' for a /proc root directory;
or ``PSGA'' for a /proc/sigact file;
or ``PSIN'' for a /proc/psinfo file;
or ``PSTA'' for a /proc status file;
or ``PSXSEM'' for a POSIX semaphore file;
or ``PSXSHM'' for a POSIX shared memory file;
or ``PUSG'' for a /proc/usage file;
or ``PW'' for a /proc/watch file;
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or ``PXMP'' for a /proc/xmap file;
or ``REG'' for a regular file;
or ``SMT'' for a shared memory transport file;
or ``STSO'' for a stream socket;
or ``UNNM'' for an unnamed type file;
or ``XNAM'' for an OpenServer Xenix special file of unknown
type;
or ``XSEM'' for an OpenServer Xenix semaphore file;
or ``XSD'' for an OpenServer Xenix shared data file;
or the four type number octets if the corresponding name
isn't known.
FILE-ADDR contains the kernel file structure address when f has been
specified to +f;
FCT contains the file reference count from the kernel file
structure when c has been specified to +f;
FILE-FLAG when g or G has been specified to +f, this field contains
the contents of the f_flag[s] member of the kernel file
structure and the kernel's per-process open file flags (if
available); `G' causes them to be displayed in hexadecimal;
`g', as short-hand names; two lists may be displayed with
entries separated by commas, the lists separated by a
semicolon (`;'); the first list may contain short-hand
names for f_flag[s] values from the following table:
AIO asynchronous I/O (e.g., FAIO)
AP append
ASYN asynchronous I/O (e.g., FASYNC)
BAS block, test, and set in use
BKIU block if in use
BL use block offsets
BSK block seek
CA copy avoid
CIO concurrent I/O
CLON clone
CLRD CL read
CR create
DF defer
DFI defer IND
DFLU data flush
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DIR direct
DLY delay
DOCL do clone
DSYN data-only integrity
DTY must be a directory
EVO event only
EX open for exec
EXCL exclusive open
FSYN synchronous writes
GCDF defer during unp_gc() (AIX)
GCMK mark during unp_gc() (AIX)
GTTY accessed via /dev/tty
HUP HUP in progress
KERN kernel
KIOC kernel-issued ioctl
LCK has lock
LG large file
MBLK stream message block
MK mark
MNT mount
MSYN multiplex synchronization
NATM don't update atime
NB non-blocking I/O
NBDR no BDRM check
NBIO SYSV non-blocking I/O
NBF n-buffering in effect
NC no cache
ND no delay
NDSY no data synchronization
NET network
NFLK don't follow links
NMFS NM file system
NOTO disable background stop
NSH no share
NTTY no controlling TTY
OLRM OLR mirror
PAIO POSIX asynchronous I/O
PP POSIX pipe
R read
RC file and record locking cache
REV revoked
RSH shared read
RSYN read synchronization
RW read and write access
SL shared lock
SNAP cooked snapshot
SOCK socket
SQSH Sequent shared set on open
SQSV Sequent SVM set on open
SQR Sequent set repair on open
SQS1 Sequent full shared open
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SQS2 Sequent partial shared open
STPI stop I/O
SWR synchronous read
SYN file integrity while writing
TCPM avoid TCP collision
TR truncate
W write
WKUP parallel I/O synchronization
WTG parallel I/O synchronization
VH vhangup pending
VTXT virtual text
XL exclusive lock
this list of names was derived from F* #define's in dialect
header files <fcntl.h>, <linux</fs.h>, <sys/fcntl.c>,
<sys/fcntlcom.h>, and <sys/file.h>; see the lsof.h header
file for a list showing the correspondence between the
above short-hand names and the header file definitions;
the second list (after the semicolon) may contain
short-hand names for kernel per-process open file flags
from this table:
ALLC allocated
BR the file has been read
BHUP activity stopped by SIGHUP
BW the file has been written
CLSG closing
CX close-on-exec (see fcntl(F_SETFD))
LCK lock was applied
MP memory-mapped
OPIP open pending - in progress
RSVW reserved wait
SHMT UF_FSHMAT set (AIX)
USE in use (multi-threaded)
NODE-ID (or INODE-ADDR for some dialects) contains a unique
identifier for the file node (usually the kernel vnode or
inode address, but also occasionally a concatenation of
device and node number) when n has been specified to +f;
DEVICE contains the device numbers, separated by commas, for a
character special, block special, regular, directory or NFS
file;
or ``memory'' for a memory file system node under Tru64
UNIX;
or the address of the private data area of a Solaris socket
stream;
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or a kernel reference address that identifies the file (The
kernel reference address may be used for FIFO's, for
example.);
or the base address or device name of a Linux AX.25 socket
device.
Usually only the lower thirty two bits of Tru64 UNIX kernel
addresses are displayed.
SIZE, SIZE/OFF, or OFFSET
is the size of the file or the file offset in bytes. A
value is displayed in this column only if it is available.
Lsof displays whatever value - size or offset - is
appropriate for the type of the file and the version of
lsof.
On some UNIX dialects lsof can't obtain accurate or
consistent file offset information from its kernel data
sources, sometimes just for particular kinds of files
(e.g., socket files.) In other cases, files don't have true
sizes - e.g., sockets, FIFOs, pipes - so lsof displays for
their sizes the content amounts it finds in their kernel
buffer descriptors (e.g., socket buffer size counts or
TCP/IP window sizes.) Consult the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section
gives its location.) for more information.
The file size is displayed in decimal; the offset is
normally displayed in decimal with a leading ``0t'' if it
contains 8 digits or less; in hexadecimal with a leading
``0x'' if it is longer than 8 digits. (Consult the -o o
option description for information on when 8 might default
to some other value.)
Thus the leading ``0t'' and ``0x'' identify an offset when
the column may contain both a size and an offset (i.e., its
title is SIZE/OFF).
If the -o option is specified, lsof always displays the
file offset (or nothing if no offset is available) and
labels the column OFFSET. The offset always begins with
``0t'' or ``0x'' as described above.
The lsof user can control the switch from ``0t'' to ``0x''
with the -o o option. Consult its description for more
information.
If the -s option is specified, lsof always displays the
file size (or nothing if no size is available) and labels
the column SIZE. The -o and -s options are mutually
exclusive; they can't both be specified.
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For files that don't have a fixed size - e.g., don't reside
on a disk device - lsof will display appropriate
information about the current size or position of the file
if it is available in the kernel structures that define the
file.
NLINK contains the file link count when +L has been specified;
NODE is the node number of a local file;
or the inode number of an NFS file in the server host;
or the Internet protocol type - e. g, ``TCP'';
or ``STR'' for a stream;
or ``CCITT'' for an HP-UX x.25 socket;
or the IRQ or inode number of a Linux AX.25 socket device.
NAME is the name of the mount point and file system on which the
file resides;
or the name of a file specified in the names option (after
any symbolic links have been resolved);
or the name of a character special or block special device;
or the local and remote Internet addresses of a network
file; the local host name or IP number is followed by a
colon (':'), the port, ``->'', and the two-part remote
address; IP addresses may be reported as numbers or names,
depending on the +|-M, -n, and -P options; colon-separated
IPv6 numbers are enclosed in square brackets; IPv4
INADDR_ANY and IPv6 IN6_IS_ADDR_UNSPECIFIED addresses, and
zero port numbers are represented by an asterisk ('*'); a
UDP destination address may be followed by the amount of
time elapsed since the last packet was sent to the
destination; TCP, UDP and UDPLITE remote addresses may be
followed by TCP/TPI information in parentheses - state
(e.g., ``(ESTABLISHED)'', ``(Unbound)''), queue sizes, and
window sizes (not all dialects) - in a fashion similar to
what netstat(1) reports; see the -T option description or
the description of the TCP/TPI field in OUTPUT FOR OTHER
PROGRAMS for more information on state, queue size, and
window size;
or the address or name of a UNIX domain socket, possibly
including a stream clone device name, a file system
object's path name, local and foreign kernel addresses,
socket pair information, and a bound vnode address;
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or the local and remote mount point names of an NFS file;
or ``STR'', followed by the stream name;
or a stream character device name, followed by ``->'' and
the stream name or a list of stream module names, separated
by ``->'';
or ``STR:'' followed by the SCO OpenServer stream device
and module names, separated by ``->'';
or system directory name, `` -- '', and as many components
of the path name as lsof can find in the kernel's name
cache for selected dialects (See the KERNEL NAME CACHE
section for more information.);
or ``PIPE->'', followed by a Solaris kernel pipe
destination address;
or ``COMMON:'', followed by the vnode device information
structure's device name, for a Solaris common vnode;
or the address family, followed by a slash (`/'), followed
by fourteen comma-separated bytes of a non-Internet raw
socket address;
or the HP-UX x.25 local address, followed by the virtual
connection number (if any), followed by the remote address
(if any);
or ``(dead)'' for disassociated Tru64 UNIX files -
typically terminal files that have been flagged with the
TIOCNOTTY ioctl and closed by daemons;
or ``rd=<offset>'' and ``wr=<offset>'' for the values of
the read and write offsets of a FIFO;
or ``clone n:/dev/event'' for SCO OpenServer file clones of
the /dev/event device, where n is the minor device number
of the file;
or ``(socketpair: n)'' for a Solaris 2.6, 8, 9 or 10 UNIX
domain socket, created by the socketpair(3N) network
function;
or ``no PCB'' for socket files that do not have a protocol
block associated with them, optionally followed by ``,
CANTSENDMORE'' if sending on the socket has been disabled,
or ``, CANTRCVMORE'' if receiving on the socket has been
disabled (e.g., by the shutdown(2) function);
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or the local and remote addresses of a Linux IPX socket
file in the form <net>:[<node>:]<port>, followed in
parentheses by the transmit and receive queue sizes, and
the connection state;
or ``dgram'' or ``stream'' for the type UnixWare 7.1.1 and
above in-kernel UNIX domain sockets, followed by a colon
(':') and the local path name when available, followed by
``->'' and the remote path name or kernel socket address in
hexadecimal when available;
or the association value, association index, endpoint
value, local address, local port, remote address and remote
port for Linux SCTP sockets;
or ``protocol: '' followed by the Linux socket's protocol
attribute.
For dialects that support a ``namefs'' file system, allowing one file
to be attached to another with fattach(3C), lsof will add
``(FA:<address1><direction><address2>)'' to the NAME column.
<address1> and <address2> are hexadecimal vnode addresses.
<direction> will be ``<-'' if <address2> has been fattach'ed to this
vnode whose address is <address1>; and ``->'' if <address1>, the vnode
address of this vnode, has been fattach'ed to <address2>. <address1>
may be omitted if it already appears in the DEVICE column.
Lsof may add two parenthetical notes to the NAME column for open
Solaris 10 files: ``(?)'' if lsof considers the path name of
questionable accuracy; and ``(deleted)'' if the -X option has been
specified and lsof detects the open file's path name has been deleted.
Consult the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.) for more
information on these NAME column additions.
LOCKS
Lsof can't adequately report the wide variety of UNIX dialect file
locks in a single character. What it reports in a single character is
a compromise between the information it finds in the kernel and the
limitations of the reporting format.
Moreover, when a process holds several byte level locks on a file,
lsof only reports the status of the first lock it encounters. If it
is a byte level lock, then the lock character will be reported in
lower case - i.e., `r', `w', or `x' - rather than the upper case
equivalent reported for a full file lock.
Generally lsof can only report on locks held by local processes on
local files. When a local process sets a lock on a remotely mounted
(e.g., NFS) file, the remote server host usually records the lock
state. One exception is Solaris - at some patch levels of 2.3, and in
all versions above 2.4, the Solaris kernel records information on
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remote locks in local structures.
Lsof has trouble reporting locks for some UNIX dialects. Consult the
BUGS section of this manual page or the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section
gives its location.) for more information.
OUTPUT FOR OTHER PROGRAMS
When the -F option is specified, lsof produces output that is suitable
for processing by another program - e.g, an awk or Perl script, or a C
program.
Each unit of information is output in a field that is identified with
a leading character and terminated by a NL (012) (or a NUL (000) if
the 0 (zero) field identifier character is specified.) The data of the
field follows immediately after the field identification character and
extends to the field terminator.
It is possible to think of field output as process and file sets. A
process set begins with a field whose identifier is `p' (for process
IDentifier (PID)). It extends to the beginning of the next PID field
or the beginning of the first file set of the process, whichever comes
first. Included in the process set are fields that identify the
command, the process group IDentification (PGID) number, the task
(thread) ID (TID), and the user ID (UID) number or login name.
A file set begins with a field whose identifier is `f' (for file
descriptor). It is followed by lines that describe the file's access
mode, lock state, type, device, size, offset, inode, protocol, name
and stream module names. It extends to the beginning of the next file
or process set, whichever comes first.
When the NUL (000) field terminator has been selected with the 0
(zero) field identifier character, lsof ends each process and file set
with a NL (012) character.
Lsof always produces one field, the PID (`p') field. All other fields
may be declared optionally in the field identifier character list that
follows the -F option. When a field selection character identifies an
item lsof does not normally list - e.g., PPID, selected with -R -
specification of the field character - e.g., ``-FR'' - also selects
the listing of the item.
It is entirely possible to select a set of fields that cannot easily
be parsed - e.g., if the field descriptor field is not selected, it
may be difficult to identify file sets. To help you avoid this
difficulty, lsof supports the -F option; it selects the output of all
fields with NL terminators (the -F0 option pair selects the output of
all fields with NUL terminators). For compatibility reasons neither
-F nor -F0 select the raw device field.
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These are the fields that lsof will produce. The single character
listed first is the field identifier.
a file access mode
c process command name (all characters from proc or
user structure)
C file structure share count
d file's device character code
D file's major/minor device number (0x<hexadecimal>)
f file descriptor
F file structure address (0x<hexadecimal>)
G file flaGs (0x<hexadecimal>; names if +fg follows)
g process group ID
i file's inode number
K tasK ID
k link count
l file's lock status
L process login name
m marker between repeated output
n file name, comment, Internet address
N node identifier (ox<hexadecimal>
o file's offset (decimal)
p process ID (always selected)
P protocol name
r raw device number (0x<hexadecimal>)
R parent process ID
s file's size (decimal)
S file's stream identification
t file's type
T TCP/TPI information, identified by prefixes (the
`=' is part of the prefix):
QR=<read queue size>
QS=<send queue size>
SO=<socket options and values> (not all dialects)
SS=<socket states> (not all dialects)
ST=<connection state>
TF=<TCP flags and values> (not all dialects)
WR=<window read size> (not all dialects)
WW=<window write size> (not all dialects)
(TCP/TPI information isn't reported for all supported
UNIX dialects. The -h or -? help output for the
-T option will show what TCP/TPI reporting can be
requested.)
u process user ID
z Solaris 10 and higher zone name
Z SELinux security context (inhibited when SELinux is disabled)
0 use NUL field terminator character in place of NL
1-9 dialect-specific field identifiers (The output
of -F? identifies the information to be found
in dialect-specific fields.)
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You can get on-line help information on these characters and their
descriptions by specifying the -F? option pair. (Escape the `?'
character as your shell requires.) Additional information on field
content can be found in the OUTPUT section.
As an example, ``-F pcfn'' will select the process ID (`p'), command
name (`c'), file descriptor (`f') and file name (`n') fields with an
NL field terminator character; ``-F pcfn0'' selects the same output
with a NUL (000) field terminator character.
Lsof doesn't produce all fields for every process or file set, only
those that are available. Some fields are mutually exclusive: file
device characters and file major/minor device numbers; file inode
number and protocol name; file name and stream identification; file
size and offset. One or the other member of these mutually exclusive
sets will appear in field output, but not both.
Normally lsof ends each field with a NL (012) character. The 0 (zero)
field identifier character may be specified to change the field
terminator character to a NUL (000). A NUL terminator may be easier
to process with xargs (1), for example, or with programs whose quoting
mechanisms may not easily cope with the range of characters in the
field output. When the NUL field terminator is in use, lsof ends each
process and file set with a NL (012).
Three aids to producing programs that can process lsof field output
are included in the lsof distribution. The first is a C header file,
lsof_fields.h, that contains symbols for the field identification
characters, indexes for storing them in a table, and explanation
strings that may be compiled into programs. Lsof uses this header
file.
The second aid is a set of sample scripts that process field output,
written in awk, Perl 4, and Perl 5. They're located in the scripts
subdirectory of the lsof distribution.
The third aid is the C library used for the lsof test suite. The test
suite is written in C and uses field output to validate the correct
operation of lsof. The library can be found in the tests/LTlib.c file
of the lsof distribution. The library uses the first aid, the
lsof_fields.h header file.
BLOCKS AND TIMEOUTS
Lsof can be blocked by some kernel functions that it uses - lstat(2),
readlink(2), and stat(2). These functions are stalled in the kernel,
for example, when the hosts where mounted NFS file systems reside
become inaccessible.
Lsof attempts to break these blocks with timers and child processes,
but the techniques are not wholly reliable. When lsof does manage to
break a block, it will report the break with an error message. The
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messages may be suppressed with the -t and -w options.
The default timeout value may be displayed with the -h or -? option,
and it may be changed with the -S [t] option. The minimum for t is
two seconds, but you should avoid small values, since slow system
responsiveness can cause short timeouts to expire unexpectedly and
perhaps stop lsof before it can produce any output.
When lsof has to break a block during its access of mounted file
system information, it normally continues, although with less
information available to display about open files.
Lsof can also be directed to avoid the protection of timers and child
processes when using the kernel functions that might block by
specifying the -O option. While this will allow lsof to start up with
less overhead, it exposes lsof completely to the kernel situations
that might block it. Use this option cautiously.
AVOIDING KERNEL BLOCKS
You can use the -b option to tell lsof to avoid using kernel functions
that would block. Some cautions apply.
First, using this option usually requires that your system supply
alternate device numbers in place of the device numbers that lsof
would normally obtain with the lstat(2) and stat(2) kernel functions.
See the ALTERNATE DEVICE NUMBERS section for more information on
alternate device numbers.
Second, you can't specify names for lsof to locate unless they're file
system names. This is because lsof needs to know the device and inode
numbers of files listed with names in the lsof options, and the -b
option prevents lsof from obtaining them. Moreover, since lsof only
has device numbers for the file systems that have alternates, its
ability to locate files on file systems depends completely on the
availability and accuracy of the alternates. If no alternates are
available, or if they're incorrect, lsof won't be able to locate files
on the named file systems.
Third, if the names of your file system directories that lsof obtains
from your system's mount table are symbolic links, lsof won't be able
to resolve the links. This is because the -b option causes lsof to
avoid the kernel readlink(2) function it uses to resolve symbolic
links.
Finally, using the -b option causes lsof to issue warning messages
when it needs to use the kernel functions that the -b option directs
it to avoid. You can suppress these messages by specifying the -w
option, but if you do, you won't see the alternate device numbers
reported in the warning messages.
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ALTERNATE DEVICE NUMBERS
On some dialects, when lsof has to break a block because it can't get
information about a mounted file system via the lstat(2) and stat(2)
kernel functions, or because you specified the -b option, lsof can
obtain some of the information it needs - the device number and
possibly the file system type - from the system mount table. When
that is possible, lsof will report the device number it obtained.
(You can suppress the report by specifying the -w option.)
You can assist this process if your mount table is supported with an
/etc/mtab or /etc/mnttab file that contains an options field by adding
a ``dev=xxxx'' field for mount points that do not have one in their
options strings. Note: you must be able to edit the file - i.e., some
mount tables like recent Solaris /etc/mnttab or Linux /proc/mounts are
read-only and can't be modified.
You may also be able to supply device numbers using the +m and +m m
options, provided they are supported by your dialect. Check the
output of lsof's -h or -? options to see if the +m and +m m options
are available.
The ``xxxx'' portion of the field is the hexadecimal value of the file
system's device number. (Consult the st_dev field of the output of
the lstat(2) and stat(2) functions for the appropriate values for your
file systems.) Here's an example from a Sun Solaris 2.6 /etc/mnttab
for a file system remotely mounted via NFS:
nfs ignore,noquota,dev=2a40001
There's an advantage to having ``dev=xxxx'' entries in your mount
table file, especially for file systems that are mounted from remote
NFS servers. When a remote server crashes and you want to identify
its users by running lsof on one of its clients, lsof probably won't
be able to get output from the lstat(2) and stat(2) functions for the
file system. If it can obtain the file system's device number from
the mount table, it will be able to display the files open on the
crashed NFS server.
Some dialects that do not use an ASCII /etc/mtab or /etc/mnttab file
for the mount table may still provide an alternative device number in
their internal mount tables. This includes AIX, Apple Darwin,
FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and Tru64 UNIX. Lsof knows how to obtain
the alternative device number for these dialects and uses it when its
attempt to lstat(2) or stat(2) the file system is blocked.
If you're not sure your dialect supplies alternate device numbers for
file systems from its mount table, use this lsof incantation to see if
it reports any alternate device numbers:
lsof -b
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Look for standard error file warning messages that begin ``assuming
"dev=xxxx" from ...''.
KERNEL NAME CACHE
Lsof is able to examine the kernel's name cache or use other kernel
facilities (e.g., the ADVFS 4.x tag_to_path() function under Tru64
UNIX) on some dialects for most file system types, excluding AFS, and
extract recently used path name components from it. (AFS file system
path lookups don't use the kernel's name cache; some Solaris VxFS file
system operations apparently don't use it, either.)
Lsof reports the complete paths it finds in the NAME column. If lsof
can't report all components in a path, it reports in the NAME column
the file system name, followed by a space, two `-' characters, another
space, and the name components it has located, separated by the `/'
character.
When lsof is run in repeat mode - i.e., with the -r option specified -
the extent to which it can report path name components for the same
file may vary from cycle to cycle. That's because other running
processes can cause the kernel to remove entries from its name cache
and replace them with others.
Lsof's use of the kernel name cache to identify the paths of files can
lead it to report incorrect components under some circumstances. This
can happen when the kernel name cache uses device and node number as a
key (e.g., SCO OpenServer) and a key on a rapidly changing file system
is reused. If the UNIX dialect's kernel doesn't purge the name cache
entry for a file when it is unlinked, lsof may find a reference to the
wrong entry in the cache. The lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its
location.) has more information on this situation.
Lsof can report path name components for these dialects:
FreeBSD
HP-UX
Linux
NetBSD
NEXTSTEP
OpenBSD
OPENSTEP
SCO OpenServer
SCO|Caldera UnixWare
Solaris
Tru64 UNIX
Lsof can't report path name components for these dialects:
AIX
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If you want to know why lsof can't report path name components for
some dialects, see the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.)
DEVICE CACHE FILE
Examining all members of the /dev (or /devices) node tree with stat(2)
functions can be time consuming. What's more, the information that
lsof needs - device number, inode number, and path - rarely changes.
Consequently, lsof normally maintains an ASCII text file of cached
/dev (or /devices) information (exception: the /proc-based Linux lsof
where it's not needed.) The local system administrator who builds lsof
can control the way the device cache file path is formed, selecting
from these options:
Path from the -D option;
Path from an environment variable;
System-wide path;
Personal path (the default);
Personal path, modified by an environment variable.
Consult the output of the -h, -D? , or -? help options for the current
state of device cache support. The help output lists the default
read-mode device cache file path that is in effect for the current
invocation of lsof. The -D? option output lists the read-only and
write device cache file paths, the names of any applicable environment
variables, and the personal device cache path format.
Lsof can detect that the current device cache file has been
accidentally or maliciously modified by integrity checks, including
the computation and verification of a sixteen bit Cyclic Redundancy
Check (CRC) sum on the file's contents. When lsof senses something
wrong with the file, it issues a warning and attempts to remove the
current cache file and create a new copy, but only to a path that the
process can legitimately write.
The path from which a lsof process may attempt to read a device cache
file may not be the same as the path to which it can legitimately
write. Thus when lsof senses that it needs to update the device cache
file, it may choose a different path for writing it from the path from
which it read an incorrect or outdated version.
If available, the -Dr option will inhibit the writing of a new device
cache file. (It's always available when specified without a path name
argument.)
When a new device is added to the system, the device cache file may
need to be recreated. Since lsof compares the mtime of the device
cache file with the mtime and ctime of the /dev (or /devices)
directory, it usually detects that a new device has been added; in
that case lsof issues a warning message and attempts to rebuild the
device cache file.
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Whenever lsof writes a device cache file, it sets its ownership to the
real UID of the executing process, and its permission modes to 0600,
this restricting its reading and writing to the file's owner.
LSOF PERMISSIONS THAT AFFECT DEVICE CACHE FILE ACCESS
Two permissions of the lsof executable affect its ability to access
device cache files. The permissions are set by the local system
administrator when lsof is installed.
The first and rarer permission is setuid-root. It comes into effect
when lsof is executed; its effective UID is then root, while its real
(i.e., that of the logged-on user) UID is not. The lsof distribution
recommends that versions for these dialects run setuid-root.
HP-UX 11.11 and 11.23
Linux
The second and more common permission is setgid. It comes into effect
when the effective group IDentification number (GID) of the lsof
process is set to one that can access kernel memory devices - e.g.,
``kmem'', ``sys'', or ``system''.
An lsof process that has setgid permission usually surrenders the
permission after it has accessed the kernel memory devices. When it
does that, lsof can allow more liberal device cache path formations.
The lsof distribution recommends that versions for these dialects run
setgid and be allowed to surrender setgid permission.
AIX 5.[12] and 5.3-ML1
Apple Darwin 7.x Power Macintosh systems
FreeBSD 4.x, 4.1x, 5.x and [6789].x for x86-based systems
FreeBSD 5.x and [6789].x for Alpha, AMD64 and Sparc64-based
systems
HP-UX 11.00
NetBSD 1.[456], 2.x and 3.x for Alpha, x86, and SPARC-based
systems
NEXTSTEP 3.[13] for NEXTSTEP architectures
OpenBSD 2.[89] and 3.[0-9] for x86-based systems
OPENSTEP 4.x
SCO OpenServer Release 5.0.6 for x86-based systems
SCO|Caldera UnixWare 7.1.4 for x86-based systems
Solaris 2.6, 8, 9 and 10
Tru64 UNIX 5.1
(Note: lsof for AIX 5L and above needs setuid-root permission if its
-X option is used.)
Lsof for these dialects does not support a device cache, so the
permissions given to the executable don't apply to the device cache
file.
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Linux
DEVICE CACHE FILE PATH FROM THE -D OPTION
The -D option provides limited means for specifying the device cache
file path. Its ? function will report the read-only and write device
cache file paths that lsof will use.
When the -D b, r, and u functions are available, you can use them to
request that the cache file be built in a specific location (b[path]);
read but not rebuilt (r[path]); or read and rebuilt (u[path]). The b,
r, and u functions are restricted under some conditions. They are
restricted when the lsof process is setuid-root. The path specified
with the r function is always read-only, even when it is available.
The b, r, and u functions are also restricted when the lsof process
runs setgid and lsof doesn't surrender the setgid permission. (See
the LSOF PERMISSIONS THAT AFFECT DEVICE CACHE FILE ACCESS section for
a list of implementations that normally don't surrender their setgid
permission.)
A further -D function, i (for ignore), is always available.
When available, the b function tells lsof to read device information
from the kernel with the stat(2) function and build a device cache
file at the indicated path.
When available, the r function tells lsof to read the device cache
file, but not update it. When a path argument accompanies -Dr, it
names the device cache file path. The r function is always available
when it is specified without a path name argument. If lsof is not
running setuid-root and surrenders its setgid permission, a path name
argument may accompany the r function.
When available, the u function tells lsof to attempt to read and use
the device cache file. If it can't read the file, or if it finds the
contents of the file incorrect or outdated, it will read information
from the kernel, and attempt to write an updated version of the device
cache file, but only to a path it considers legitimate for the lsof
process effective and real UIDs.
DEVICE CACHE PATH FROM AN ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE
Lsof's second choice for the device cache file is the contents of the
LSOFDEVCACHE environment variable. It avoids this choice if the lsof
process is setuid-root, or the real UID of the process is root.
A further restriction applies to a device cache file path taken from
the LSOFDEVCACHE environment variable: lsof will not write a device
cache file to the path if the lsof process doesn't surrender its
setgid permission. (See the LSOF PERMISSIONS THAT AFFECT DEVICE CACHE
FILE ACCESS section for information on implementations that don't
surrender their setgid permission.)
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The local system administrator can disable the use of the LSOFDEVCACHE
environment variable or change its name when building lsof. Consult
the output of -D? for the environment variable's name.
SYSTEM-WIDE DEVICE CACHE PATH
The local system administrator may choose to have a system-wide device
cache file when building lsof. That file will generally be
constructed by a special system administration procedure when the
system is booted or when the contents of /dev or /devices) changes.
If defined, it is lsof's third device cache file path choice.
You can tell that a system-wide device cache file is in effect for
your local installation by examining the lsof help option output -
i.e., the output from the -h or -? option.
Lsof will never write to the system-wide device cache file path by
default. It must be explicitly named with a -D function in a
root-owned procedure. Once the file has been written, the procedure
must change its permission modes to 0644 (owner-read and owner-write,
group-read, and other-read).
PERSONAL DEVICE CACHE PATH (DEFAULT)
The default device cache file path of the lsof distribution is one
recorded in the home directory of the real UID that executes lsof.
Added to the home directory is a second path component of the form
.lsof_hostname.
This is lsof's fourth device cache file path choice, and is usually
the default. If a system-wide device cache file path was defined when
lsof was built, this fourth choice will be applied when lsof can't
find the system-wide device cache file. This is the only time lsof
uses two paths when reading the device cache file.
The hostname part of the second component is the base name of the
executing host, as returned by gethostname(2). The base name is
defined to be the characters preceding the first `.' in the
gethostname(2) output, or all the gethostname(2) output if it contains
no `.'.
The device cache file belongs to the user ID and is readable and
writable by the user ID alone - i.e., its modes are 0600. Each
distinct real user ID on a given host that executes lsof has a
distinct device cache file. The hostname part of the path
distinguishes device cache files in an NFS-mounted home directory into
which device cache files are written from several different hosts.
The personal device cache file path formed by this method represents a
device cache file that lsof will attempt to read, and will attempt to
write should it not exist or should its contents be incorrect or
outdated.
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The -Dr option without a path name argument will inhibit the writing
of a new device cache file.
The -D? option will list the format specification for constructing the
personal device cache file. The conversions used in the format
specification are described in the 00DCACHE file of the lsof
distribution.
MODIFIED PERSONAL DEVICE CACHE PATH
If this option is defined by the local system administrator when lsof
is built, the LSOFPERSDCPATH environment variable contents may be used
to add a component of the personal device cache file path.
The LSOFPERSDCPATH variable contents are inserted in the path at the
place marked by the local system administrator with the ``%p''
conversion in the HASPERSDC format specification of the dialect's
machine.h header file. (It's placed right after the home directory in
the default lsof distribution.)
Thus, for example, if LSOFPERSDCPATH contains ``LSOF'', the home
directory is ``/Homes/abe'', the host name is
``lsof.itap.purdue.edu'', and the HASPERSDC format is the default
(``%h/%p.lsof_%L''), the modified personal device cache file path is:
/Homes/abe/LSOF/.lsof_vic
The LSOFPERSDCPATH environment variable is ignored when the lsof
process is setuid-root or when the real UID of the process is root.
Lsof will not write to a modified personal device cache file path if
the lsof process doesn't surrender setgid permission. (See the LSOF
PERMISSIONS THAT AFFECT DEVICE CACHE FILE ACCESS section for a list of
implementations that normally don't surrender their setgid
permission.)
If, for example, you want to create a sub-directory of personal device
cache file paths by using the LSOFPERSDCPATH environment variable to
name it, and lsof doesn't surrender its setgid permission, you will
have to allow lsof to create device cache files at the standard
personal path and move them to your subdirectory with shell commands.
The local system administrator may: disable this option when lsof is
built; change the name of the environment variable from LSOFPERSDCPATH
to something else; change the HASPERSDC format to include the personal
path component in another place; or exclude the personal path
component entirely. Consult the output of the -D? option for the
environment variable's name and the HASPERSDC format specification.
DIAGNOSTICS
Errors are identified with messages on the standard error file.
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Lsof returns a one (1) if any error was detected, including the
failure to locate command names, file names, Internet addresses or
files, login names, NFS files, PIDs, PGIDs, or UIDs it was asked to
list. If the -V option is specified, lsof will indicate the search
items it failed to list.
It returns a zero (0) if no errors were detected and if it was able to
list some information about all the specified search arguments.
When lsof cannot open access to /dev (or /devices) or one of its
subdirectories, or get information on a file in them with stat(2), it
issues a warning message and continues. That lsof will issue warning
messages about inaccessible files in /dev (or /devices) is indicated
in its help output - requested with the -h or >B -? options - with
the message:
Inaccessible /dev warnings are enabled.
The warning message may be suppressed with the -w option. It may also
have been suppressed by the system administrator when lsof was
compiled by the setting of the WARNDEVACCESS definition. In this
case, the output from the help options will include the message:
Inaccessible /dev warnings are disabled.
Inaccessible device warning messages usually disappear after lsof has
created a working device cache file.
EXAMPLES
For a more extensive set of examples, documented more fully, see the
00QUICKSTART file of the lsof distribution.
To list all open files, use:
lsof
To list all open Internet, x.25 (HP-UX), and UNIX domain files, use:
lsof -i -U
To list all open IPv4 network files in use by the process whose PID is
1234, use:
lsof -i 4 -a -p 1234
Presuming the UNIX dialect supports IPv6, to list only open IPv6
network files, use:
lsof -i 6
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To list all files using any protocol on ports 513, 514, or 515 of host
wonderland.cc.purdue.edu, use:
lsof -i @wonderland.cc.purdue.edu:513-515
To list all files using any protocol on any port of mace.cc.purdue.edu
(cc.purdue.edu is the default domain), use:
lsof -i @mace
To list all open files for login name ``abe'', or user ID 1234, or
process 456, or process 123, or process 789, use:
lsof -p 456,123,789 -u 1234,abe
To list all open files on device /dev/hd4, use:
lsof /dev/hd4
To find the process that has /u/abe/foo open, use:
lsof /u/abe/foo
To send a SIGHUP to the processes that have /u/abe/bar open, use:
kill -HUP `lsof -t /u/abe/bar`
To find any open file, including an open UNIX domain socket file, with
the name /dev/log, use:
lsof /dev/log
To find processes with open files on the NFS file system named
/nfs/mount/point whose server is inaccessible, and presuming your
mount table supplies the device number for /nfs/mount/point, use:
lsof -b /nfs/mount/point
To do the preceding search with warning messages suppressed, use:
lsof -bw /nfs/mount/point
To ignore the device cache file, use:
lsof -Di
To obtain PID and command name field output for each process, file
descriptor, file device number, and file inode number for each file of
each process, use:
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lsof -FpcfDi
To list the files at descriptors 1 and 3 of every process running the
lsof command for login ID ``abe'' every 10 seconds, use:
lsof -c lsof -a -d 1 -d 3 -u abe -r10
To list the current working directory of processes running a command
that is exactly four characters long and has an 'o' or 'O' in
character three, use this regular expression form of the -c c option:
lsof -c /^..o.$/i -a -d cwd
To find an IP version 4 socket file by its associated numeric dot-form
address, use:
lsof -i@128.210.15.17
To find an IP version 6 socket file (when the UNIX dialect supports
IPv6) by its associated numeric colon-form address, use:
lsof -i@[0:1:2:3:4:5:6:7]
To find an IP version 6 socket file (when the UNIX dialect supports
IPv6) by an associated numeric colon-form address that has a run of
zeroes in it - e.g., the loop-back address - use:
lsof -i@[::1]
To obtain a repeat mode marker line that contains the current time,
use:
lsof -rm====%T====
To add spaces to the previous marker line, use:
lsof -r "m==== %T ===="
BUGS
Since lsof reads kernel memory in its search for open files, rapid
changes in kernel memory may produce unpredictable results.
When a file has multiple record locks, the lock status character
(following the file descriptor) is derived from a test of the first
lock structure, not from any combination of the individual record
locks that might be described by multiple lock structures.
Lsof can't search for files with restrictive access permissions by
name unless it is installed with root set-UID permission. Otherwise
it is limited to searching for files to which its user or its set-GID
group (if any) has access permission.
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The display of the destination address of a raw socket (e.g., for
ping) depends on the UNIX operating system. Some dialects store the
destination address in the raw socket's protocol control block, some
do not.
Lsof can't always represent Solaris device numbers in the same way
that ls(1) does. For example, the major and minor device numbers that
the lstat(2) and stat(2) functions report for the directory on which
CD-ROM files are mounted (typically /cdrom) are not the same as the
ones that it reports for the device on which CD-ROM files are mounted
(typically /dev/sr0). (Lsof reports the directory numbers.)
The support for /proc file systems is available only for BSD and Tru64
UNIX dialects, Linux, and dialects derived from SYSV R4 - e.g.,
FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, UnixWare.
Some /proc file items - device number, inode number, and file size -
are unavailable in some dialects. Searching for files in a /proc file
system may require that the full path name be specified.
No text (txt) file descriptors are displayed for Linux processes. All
entries for files other than the current working directory, the root
directory, and numerical file descriptors are labeled mem descriptors.
Lsof can't search for Tru64 UNIX named pipes by name, because their
kernel implementation of lstat(2) returns an improper device number
for a named pipe.
Lsof can't report fully or correctly on HP-UX 9.01, 10.20, and 11.00
locks because of insufficient access to kernel data or errors in the
kernel data. See the lsof FAQ (The FAQ section gives its location.)
for details.
The AIX SMT file type is a fabrication. It's made up for file
structures whose type (15) isn't defined in the AIX
/usr/include/sys/file.h header file. One way to create such file
structures is to run X clients with the DISPLAY variable set to
``:0.0''.
The +|-f[cfgGn] option is not supported under /proc-based Linux lsof,
because it doesn't read kernel structures from kernel memory.
ENVIRONMENT
Lsof may access these environment variables.
LANG defines a language locale. See setlocale(3) for the
names of other variables that can be used in place
of LANG - e.g., LC_ALL, LC_TYPE, etc.
LSOFDEVCACHE defines the path to a device cache file. See the
DEVICE CACHE PATH FROM AN ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE
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section for more information.
LSOFPERSDCPATH defines the middle component of a modified personal
device cache file path. See the MODIFIED PERSONAL
DEVICE CACHE PATH section for more information.
FAQ
Frequently-asked questions and their answers (an FAQ) are available in
the 00FAQ file of the lsof distribution.
That file is also available via anonymous ftp from
lsof.itap.purdue.edu at pub/tools/unix/lsofFAQ. The URL is:
ftp://lsof.itap.purdue.edu/pub/tools/unix/lsof/FAQ
FILES
/dev/kmem kernel virtual memory device
/dev/mem physical memory device
/dev/swap system paging device
.lsof_hostname lsof's device cache file (The suffix, hostname, is
the first component of the host's name returned by
gethostname(2).)
AUTHORS
Lsof was written by Victor A. Abell <abe@purdue.edu> of Purdue
University. Many others have contributed to lsof. They're listed in
the 00CREDITS file of the lsof distribution.
DISTRIBUTION
The latest distribution of lsof is available via anonymous ftp from
the host lsof.itap.purdue.edu. You'll find the lsof distribution in
the pub/tools/unix/lsof directory.
You can also use this URL:
ftp://lsof.itap.purdue.edu/pub/tools/unix/lsof
Lsof is also mirrored elsewhere. When you access lsof.itap.purdue.edu
and change to its pub/tools/unix/lsof directory, you'll be given a
list of some mirror sites. The pub/tools/unix/lsof directory also
contains a more complete list in its mirrors file. Use mirrors with
caution - not all mirrors always have the latest lsof revision.
Some pre-compiled Lsof executables are available on
lsof.itap.purdue.edu, but their use is discouraged - it's better that
you build your own from the sources. If you feel you must use a
pre-compiled executable, please read the cautions that appear in the
README files of the pub/tools/unix/lsof/binaries subdirectories and in
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LSOF(8) LSOF(8)
Revision-4.87
the 00* files of the distribution.
More information on the lsof distribution can be found in its
README.lsof_<version> file. If you intend to get the lsof
distribution and build it, please read README.lsof_<version> and the
other 00* files of the distribution before sending questions to the
author.
SEE ALSO
Not all the following manual pages may exist in every UNIX dialect to
which lsof has been ported.
access(2), awk(1), crash(1), fattach(3C), ff(1), fstat(8), fuser(1),
gethostname(2), isprint(3), kill(1), localtime(3), lstat(2),
modload(8), mount(8), netstat(1), ofiles(8L), perl(1), ps(1),
readlink(2), setlocale(3), stat(2), strftime(3), time(2), uname(1).
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