1explain(1) General Commands Manual explain(1)
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6 explain - explain system call error messages
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9 explain [ option ... ] function [ argument ... ]
10 explain --version
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14 The explain command is used to decode an error return read from an
15 strace(1) listing, or silimar. Because thisd is being deciphered in a
16 different process than the orginal, the results will be less accurate
17 than if the program itself were to use libexplain(3).
18 Functions
20 The functions understood include:
21 accept fildes addr addrlen
23 The accept(2) system call.
24 accept4 fildes [[ sock_addr sock_addr_size ] flags ]
26 The accept4(2) system call.
27 access pathname
29 The access(2) system call.
30 acct pathname
32 The acct(2) system call.
33 adjtime delta olddelta
35 The adjtime(2) system call.
36 adjtimex data
38 The adjtimex(2) system call.
39 bind fildes addr sockaddr_size
41 The bind(2) system call.
42 calloc nmemb size
44 The calloc(3) system call.
45 chdir pathname
47 The chdir(2) system call.
48 chmod pathname permission‐mode
50 The chmod(2) system call.
51 chown pathname owner group
53 The chown(2) system call.
54 chroot pathname
56 The chroot(2) system call.
57 close fildes
59 The close(2) system call.
60 closedir dir
62 The closedir(3) system call.
63 connect fildes serv_addr serv_addr_size
65 The connect(2) system call.
66 creat pathname [ permission‐mode
68 The creat(2) system call.
69 dirfd dir
71 The dirfd(3) system call.
72 dup fildes
74 The dup(2) system call.
75 dup2 oldfd newfd
77 The dup2(2) system call.
78 eventfd initval flags
80 The eventfd(2) system call.
81 execlp pathname arg...
83 The execlp(3) system call.
84 execve pathname arg...
86 The execve(2) system call.
87 execvp pathname arg...
89 The execvp(3) system call.
90 fchdir pathname
92 The fchdir(2) system call.
93 fchown fildes owner group
95 The fchown(2) system call.
96 fclose fp
98 The fclose(3) system call.
99 fcntl fildes command [ arg ]
101 The fcntl(2) system call.
102 fdopen fd mode
104 The fdopen(3) system call.
105 fdopendir fildes
107 The fdopendir(3) system call.
108 feof fp The feof(3) system call.
110 ferror fp
112 The ferror(3) system call.
113 fflush fp
115 The fflush(3) system call.
116 fgetc fp
118 The fgetc(3) system call.
119 fgetpos fp pos
121 The fgetpos(3) system call.
122 fgets data data_size fp
124 The fgets(3) system call.
125 fileno fp
127 The fileno(3) system call.
128 flock fildes command
130 The flock(2) system call.
131 fork The fork(2) system call.
133 fpathconf fildes name
135 The fpathconf(3) system call.
136 fpurge fp
138 The fpurge(3) system call.
139 fread ptr size nmemb fp
141 The fread(3) system call.
142 fopen pathname mode
144 The fopen(2) system call. The pathname argument may need to be
145 quoted to insulate white space and punctuation from the shell.
146 The mode argument (a textual equivalent of the open system
147 call's flags argument). See fopen(3) for more information.
148 fputc c [ fp ]
150 The fputc(3) system call.
151 fputs s fp
153 The fputs(3) system call.
154 freopen pathname flags fp
156 The freopen(3) system call.
157 fseek fp offset whence
159 The fseek(3) system call.
160 fsetpos fp pos
162 The fsetpos(3) system call.
163 fstat pathname
165 The fstat(2) system call.
166 fstatfs fildes data
168 The fstatfs(2) system call.
169 fstatvfs fildes data
171 The fstatvfs(2) system call.
172 fsync fildes
174 The fsync(2) system call.
175 ftell fp
177 The ftell(3) system call.
178 ftime tp
180 The ftime(3) system call.
181 ftruncate fildes length
183 The ftruncate(2) system call.
184 futimes fildes tv[0] tv[1]
186 The futimes(3) system call.
187 getc fp The getc(3) system call.
189 getchar The getchar(3) system call.
191 getcwd buf size
193 The getcwd(2) system call.
194 getdomainname data data_size
196 The getdomainname(2) system call.
197 getgroups data_size data
199 The getgroups(2) system call.
200 getpeername fildes sock_addr sock_addr_size
202 The getpeername(2) system call.
203 gethostname [ data data_size ]
205 The gethostname(2) system call.
206 setsockopt fildes level name data data_size
208 The setsockopt(2) system call.
209 setvbuf fp data mode size
211 The setvbuf(3) system call.
212 getrlimit resource rlim
214 The getrlimit(2) system call.
215 getsockname fildes [ sock_addr [ sock_addr_size ]]
217 The getsockname(2) system call.
218 getsockopt fildes level name data data_size
220 The getsockopt(2) system call.
221 gettimeofday [ tv [ tz ] ]
223 The gettimeofday(2) system call.
224 getw fp The getw(3) system call.
226 ioctl fildes request data
228 The ioctl(2) system call.
229 kill pid sig
231 The kill(2) system call.
232 lchown pathname owner group
234 The lchown(2) system call.
235 link oldpath newpath
237 The link(2) system call.
238 listen fildes backlog
240 The listen(2) system call.
241 lseek fildes offset whence
243 The lseek(2) system call.
244 lstat pathname
246 The lstat(2) system call.
247 malloc size
249 The malloc(3) system call.
250 mkdir pathname [ mode ]
252 The mkdir(2) system call.
253 mkdtemp pathname
255 The mkdtemp(3) system call.
256 mknod pathname mode dev
258 The mknod(2) system call.
259 mkostemp template flags
261 The mkostemp(3) system call.
262 mkstemp template
264 The mkstemp(3) system call.
265 mktemp pathname
267 The mktemp(3) system call.
268 mmap data data_size prot flags fildes offset
270 The mmap(2) system call.
271 munmap data data_size
273 The munmap(2) system call.
274 nice inc
276 The nice(2) system call.
277 open pathname flags [ mode ]
279 The open(2) system call. The pathname argument may need to be
280 quoted to insulate white space and punctuation from the shell.
281 The flags argument may be numeric or symbolic. The mode argu‐
282 ment may be numeric or symbolic.
283 opendir pathname
285 The opendir(3) system call.
286 pathconf pathname name
288 The pathconf(3) system call.
289 pclose fp
291 The pclose(3) system call.
292 pipe pipefd
294 The pipe(2) system call.
295 poll fds nfds timeout
297 The poll(2) system call.
298 popen command flags
300 The popen(3) system call.
301 pread fildes data data_size offset
303 The pread(2) system call.
304 putc c fp
306 The putc(3) system call.
307 putchar c
309 The putchar(3) system call.
310 putenv string
312 The putenv(3) system call.
313 puts s The puts(3) system call.
315 putw value fp
317 The putw(3) system call.
318 pwrite fildes data data_size offset
320 The pwrite(2) system call.
321 raise sig
323 The raise(3) system call.
324 read fildes data data‐size
326 The read(2) system call.
327 realloc ptr size
329 The realloc(3) system call.
330 rename oldpath newpath
332 The rename(2) system call.
333 readv fildes iov ...
335 The readv(2) system call.
336 select nfds readfds writefds exceptfds timeout
338 The select(2) system call.
339 setbuf fp data
341 The setbuf(3) system call.
342 setbuffer fp data size
344 The setbuffer(3) system call.
345 setdomainname data data_size
347 The setdomainname(2) system call.
348 setenv name value overwrite
350 The setenv(3) system call.
351 setgroups data_size data
353 The setgroups(2) system call.
354 sethostname name [ name_size ]
356 The sethostname(2) system call.
357 setlinebuf fp
359 The setlinebuf(3) system call.
360 signalfd fildes mask flags
362 The signalfd(2) system call.
363 socket domain type protocol
365 The socket(2) system call.
366 socketpair domain type protocol sv
368 The socketpair(2) system call.
369 stat pathname
371 The stat(2) system call.
372 statfs pathname data
374 The statfs(2) system call.
375 statvfs pathname data
377 The statvfs(2) system call.
378 stime t The stime(2) system call.
380 strdup data
382 The strdup(3) system call.
383 strerror
385 The error given will be printed out with all known detail.
386 strndup data data_size
388 The strndup(3) system call.
389 strtod nptr endptr
391 The strtod(3) system call.
392 strtof nptr endptr
394 The strtof(3) system call.
395 strtol nptr endptr base
397 The strtol(3) system call.
398 strtold nptr endptr
400 The strtold(3) system call.
401 strtoll nptr endptr base
403 The strtoll(3) system call.
404 strtoul nptr endptr base
406 The strtoul(3) system call.
407 strtoull nptr endptr base
409 The strtoull(3) system call.
410 symlink oldpath newpath
412 The symlink(2) system call.
413 system command
415 The system(3) system call.
416 tcdrain fildes
418 The tcdrain(3) system call.
419 tcflow fildes action
421 The tcflow(3) system call.
422 tcflush fildes selector
424 The tcflush(3) system call.
425 tcgetattr fildes data
427 The tcgetattr(3) system call.
428 tcsendbreak fildes duration
430 The tcsendbreak(3) system call.
431 tcsetattr fildes options data
433 The tcsetattr(3) system call.
434 telldir dir
436 The telldir(3) system call.
437 tempnam dir prefix
439 The tempnam(3) system call.
440 time t The time(2) system call.
442 timerfd_create clockid flags
444 The timerfd_create(2) system call.
445 tmpfile The tmpfile(3) system call.
447 tmpnam pathname
449 The tmpnam(3) system call.
450 truncate pathname size
452 The truncate(2) system call.
453 ungetc c fp
455 The ungetc(3) system call.
456 unlink pathname
458 The unlink(2) system call.
459 unsetenv name
461 The unsetenv(3) system call.
462 ustat dev ubuf
464 The ustat(2) system call.
465 utime pathname [ times ]
467 The utime(2) system call.
468 utimes pathname data
470 The utimes(2) system call.
471 vfork The vfork(2) system call.
473 wait status
475 The wait(2) system call.
476 wait3 status options rusage
478 The wait3(2) system call.
479 wait4 pid status options rusage
481 The wait4(2) system call.
482 waitpid pid status options
484 The waitpid(2) system call.
485 write fildes data data‐size
487 The write(2) system call.
488 writev fildes data data‐size
490 The writev(2) system call.
491 Do not include the perentheses used to make the call.
493
495 The explain command understands the following options:
496 -E The exit staus, success or fail, will be printed immediately
498 before the access command terminates.
499 -e number
501 The value of errno as a number (e.g. 2), or as a symbol (e.g.
502 ENOENT), or as the text of its meaning (e.g. No such file or
503 directory). You will need quotes to insulate spaces and punc‐
504 tuation from the shell.
505 -V Print the version of the explain executing.
507
509 The explain command exits with status 1 on any error. The explain com‐
510 mand only exits with status 0 if there are no errors.
511
513 explain version 0.40
514 Copyright (C) 2008, 2009, 2010 Peter Miller
515
517 Written by Peter Miller <pmiller@opensource.org.au>
518 explain(1)