1PCAP_STATS(3PCAP) PCAP_STATS(3PCAP)
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6 pcap_stats - get capture statistics
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9 #include <pcap/pcap.h>
10 int pcap_stats(pcap_t *p, struct pcap_stat *ps);
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14 pcap_stats() fills in the struct pcap_stat pointed to by its second ar‐
15 gument. The values represent packet statistics from the start of the
16 run to the time of the call.
17 pcap_stats() is supported only on live captures, not on ``savefiles'';
19 no statistics are stored in ``savefiles'', so no statistics are avail‐
20 able when reading from a ``savefile''.
21 A struct pcap_stat has the following members:
23 ps_recv
25 number of packets received;
26 ps_drop
28 number of packets dropped because there was no room in
29 the operating system's buffer when they arrived, because
30 packets weren't being read fast enough;
31 ps_ifdrop
33 number of packets dropped by the network interface or its
34 driver.
35 The statistics do not behave the same way on all platforms. ps_recv
37 might count packets whether they passed any filter set with pcap_set‐
38 filter(3PCAP) or not, or it might count only packets that pass the fil‐
39 ter. It also might, or might not, count packets dropped because there
40 was no room in the operating system's buffer when they arrived.
41 ps_drop is not available on all platforms; it is zero on platforms
42 where it's not available. If packet filtering is done in libpcap,
43 rather than in the operating system, it would count packets that don't
44 pass the filter. Both ps_recv and ps_drop might, or might not, count
45 packets not yet read from the operating system and thus not yet seen by
46 the application. ps_ifdrop might, or might not, be implemented; if
47 it's zero, that might mean that no packets were dropped by the inter‐
48 face, or it might mean that the statistic is unavailable, so it should
49 not be treated as an indication that the interface did not drop any
50 packets.
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53 pcap_stats() returns 0 on success, PCAP_ERROR_NOT_ACTIVATED if called
54 on a capture handle that has been created but not activated, or
55 PCAP_ERROR if there is another error or if p doesn't support packet
56 statistics. If PCAP_ERROR is returned, pcap_geterr(3PCAP) or pcap_per‐
57 ror(3PCAP) may be called with p as an argument to fetch or display the
58 error text.
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61 pcap(3PCAP)
62 5 March 2022 PCAP_STATS(3PCAP)