pcap_set_immediate_mode(3PCAP) man page

Updated: 23 August 2018 • View in plain text • Return to Main Contents

This man page documents libpcap version 1.11.0-PRE-GIT (see also: 1.10.2, 1.10.1, 1.10.0, 1.9.1, 1.9.0, 1.8.1, 1.7.4, 1.6.2, 1.5.3).

Your system may have a different version installed, possibly with some local modifications. To achieve the best results, please make sure this version of this man page suits your needs. If necessary, try to look for a different version on this web site or in the man pages available in your installation.

NAME

pcap_set_immediate_mode - set immediate mode for a not-yet-activated capture handle

SYNOPSIS

#include <pcap/pcap.h>

int pcap_set_immediate_mode(pcap_t *p, int immediate_mode);

DESCRIPTION

pcap_set_immediate_mode() sets whether immediate mode should be set on a capture handle when the handle is activated. In immediate mode, packets are always delivered as soon as they arrive, with no buffering. If immediate_mode is non-zero, immediate mode will be set, otherwise it will not be set.

RETURN VALUE

pcap_set_immediate_mode() returns 0 on success or PCAP_ERROR_ACTIVATED if called on a capture handle that has been activated.

BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY

This function became available in libpcap release 1.5.0. In previous releases, if immediate delivery of packets is required:

: on FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, DragonFly BSD, macOS, and Solaris 11, immediate mode must be turned on with a BIOCIMMEDIATE ioctl(2), as documented in bpf(4), on the descriptor returned by pcap_fileno(3PCAP), after pcap_activate(3PCAP) is called;
: on Solaris 10 and earlier versions of Solaris, immediate mode must be turned on by using a read timeout of 0 when opening the device (this will not provide immediate delivery of packets on other platforms, so don't assume it's sufficient);
: on Digital UNIX/Tru64 UNIX, immediate mode must be turned on by doing a BIOCMBIC ioctl(), as documented in packetfilter(7), to clear the ENBATCH flag on the descriptor returned by pcap_fileno(3PCAP), after pcap_activate(3PCAP) is called;
: on Windows, immediate mode must be turned on by calling pcap_setmintocopy() with a size of 0.

On Linux, with previous releases of libpcap, capture devices are always in immediate mode; however, in 1.5.0 and later, they are, by default, not in immediate mode, so if pcap_set_immediate_mode() is available, it should be used.

On other platforms, capture devices are always in immediate mode.

COLOPHON

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