chroot(2) - NetBSD Manual Pages

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CHROOT(2)                 NetBSD Programmer's Manual                 CHROOT(2)


NAME

     chroot - change root directory


SYNOPSIS

     #include <unistd.h>

     int
     chroot(const char *dirname);


DESCRIPTION

     Dirname is the address of the pathname of a directory, terminated by an
     ASCII NUL.  Chroot() causes dirname to become the root directory, that
     is, the starting point for path searches of pathnames beginning with `/'.

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

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

     This call is restricted to the super-user.


RETURN VALUES

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


ERRORS

     Chroot() will fail and the root directory will be unchanged if:

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

     [ENAMETOOLONG]
                   A component of a pathname exceeded {NAME_MAX} characters,
                   or an entire path name exceeded {PATH_MAX} characters.

     [ENOENT]      The named directory does not exist.

     [EACCES]      Search permission is denied for any component of the path
                   name.

     [ELOOP]       Too many symbolic links were encountered in translating the
                   pathname.

     [EFAULT]      Dirname points outside the process's allocated address
                   space.

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


SEE ALSO

     chdir(2)


HISTORY

     The chroot() function call appeared in 4.2BSD.

4.2 Berkeley Distribution        June 4, 1993                                1