LSOF(8)

System Manager's Manual

LSOF(8)

NAME
lsof - list open files

SYNOPSIS
lsof [ -?abChlnNOPRtUvVX ] [ -A A ] [ -c c ] [ +c c ] [ +|-d d ] [ +|-D D ]
[ +|-e s ] [ +|-E ] [ +|-f [cfgGn] ] [ -F [f] ] [ -g [s] ] [ -i [i] ] [ -k k ] [ -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 4.93.2 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 8.[234], 9.0 and 1[012].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 infor‐
mation.

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 inter‐
rupt 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 un‐
less -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 produces a listing
of all network files OR files be‐
longing 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 op‐
tion 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., -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).

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 ex‐
pression 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'', ``^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 infor‐
mation on this option.

-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.

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. (De‐
vice 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 sup‐
ply 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.)

+|-E +E specifies that Linux pipe, Linux UNIX socket and Linux
pseudoterminal files should be displayed with endpoint information and the files of
the endpoints should also be dis‐
played. Note: UNIX socket file endpoint information is only
available when the compile flags line of -v output contains HASUXSOCKEPT, and
psudoterminal endpoint information is
only available when the compile flags line contains HASPTYEPT.

Pipe endpoint information is displayed in the NAME column in the

form ``PID,cmd,FDmode'', where PID is the endpoint process ID; cmd is the endpoint
process command; FD is the
endpoint file's descriptor; and mode is the endpoint file's access
mode.

Pseudoterminal endpoint information is displayed in the NAME column

as ``->/dev/ptsmin PID,cmd,FDmode'' or ``PID,cmd,FDmode''. The first form is for a
master device; the sec‐
ond, for a slave device. min is a slave device's minor device
number; and PID, cmd, FD and mode are the same as with pipe endpoint information.
Note: psudoterminal endpoint
information is only available when the compile flags line of -V
output contains HASPTYEPT.
 UNIX socket file endpoint information is displayed in the NAME
column in the form
``type=TYPE ->INO=INODE PID,cmd,FDmode'', where TYPE is the socket
type; INODE is the i-node number of the connected socket; and PID, cmd, FD and mode
are the same as with pipe
endpoint information. Note: UNIX socket file endpoint information
is available only when the compile flags line of -v output contains HASUXSOCKEPT.

Multiple occurrences of this information can appear in a file's

NAME column.

-E specfies that Linux pipe and Linux UNIX socket files should be
displayed with endpoint information, but not the files of the endpoints.

+|-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.

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 ex‐
ample, 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 de‐
scription 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) 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 char‐
acter 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 se‐
lects 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 di‐
alects 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.

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 sin‐
gle 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 de‐
scription 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 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 em‐
bedded 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 ser‐
vice 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 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.)

If -K is followed by a value, k, it must be ``i''. That causes

lsof to ignore tasks, particularly in the default, list-everything case when no
other options are specified.

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.

-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 se‐
lect 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.

+|-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 op‐
tion description for information about where portmapper
registration reporting is supported.)

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 portmap‐
per 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 con‐
taining 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 regis‐
tration reporting is supported, the -h or -? help output will show
the +|-M option.

-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 avail‐
able 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 ei‐
ther 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.

-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 repeti‐
tively 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 af‐
fect the shell's interpretation of arguments, <fmt> must be quoted
appropriately.

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 mini‐
mum. 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 dis‐
played.

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 `^'.

Dialects that support this option may support only one protocol.
When an unsupported protocol is specified, a message will be displayed indicating
state names for the protocol
are unavailable.

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

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 possi‐
ble.

-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>

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 se‐
lected 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
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 infor‐
mation, typically the output of uname's -a option.

-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. Dis‐
 abling 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 di‐
rectory 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 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.

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.
 -- 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 di‐
rectory 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 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.

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-read‐
able 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 fol‐
low 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 de‐
fined, 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 /de‐
vices) - read the discussion 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 sup‐
plied 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). Other‐
wise 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.

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.

TASKCMD is the task command name. Generally this will be the same as the
process named in the COMMAND column, but some task implementations (e.g., Linux)
permit a task to change its
command name.

The TASKCMD column width is subject to the same size limitation

as the COMMAND column.

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.

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;
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;

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;

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 ``PTS'' for a /dev/pts file;

or ``PUSG'' for a /proc/usage file;

or ``PW'' for a /proc/watch file;

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
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
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;

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 appro‐
priate 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 de‐
scriptors (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 exclu‐
sive; they can't both be specified.

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., ``(ESTAB‐
LISHED)'', ``(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;

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 sec‐
tion 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);

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 con‐
nection 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 col‐
umn. <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 ad‐
ditions.

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
remote locks in local struc‐
tures.

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 spec‐
ified.) 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, in‐
ode, 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 selec‐
tion 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 termina‐
tors). For compatibility reasons neither -F nor -F0 select the raw device
field.

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 (always selected)
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
M the task comMand name
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.)

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 infor‐
mation 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'' se‐
lects 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 num‐
bers; 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 out‐
put, 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 termi‐
nator 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 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.

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 ap‐
propriate 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
 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 appar‐
ently 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 be‐
cause 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

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 admin‐
istrator 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 ef‐
fect 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 per‐
sonal 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 up‐
date 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.

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 mem‐
ory 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, [6789].x and 1[012].8for 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.

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 per‐
mission.)

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 vari‐
able'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 proce‐
dure 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 compo‐
nent 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 ap‐
plied 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 con‐
tents be incorrect or outdated.

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.

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 defini‐
tion. 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

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:

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 indi‐
vidual 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.

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[cfn] 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 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 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).

Revision-4.93.2
LSOF(8)