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LIBMEMSTAT(3)          FreeBSD Library Functions Manual          LIBMEMSTAT(3)

NAME
     libmemstat - library interface to retrieve kernel memory allocator
     statistics

LIBRARY
     Kernel Memory Allocator Statistics Library (libmemstat, -lmemstat)

SYNOPSIS
     #include <sys/types.h>
     #include <memstat.h>

   General Functions
     const char *
     memstat_strerror(int error);

   Memory Type List Management Functions
     struct memory_type_list *
     memstat_mtl_alloc(void);

     struct memory_type *
     memstat_mtl_first(struct memory_type_list *list);

     struct memory_type *
     memstat_mtl_next(struct memory_type *mtp);

     struct memory_type *
     memstat_mtl_find(struct memory_type_list *list, int allocator,
         const char *name);

     void
     memstat_mtl_free(struct memory_type_list *list);

     int
     memstat_mtl_geterror(struct memory_type_list *list);

   Allocator Query Functions
     int
     memstat_kvm_all(struct memory_type_list *list, void *kvm_handle);

     int
     memstat_kvm_malloc(struct memory_type_list *list, void *kvm_handle);

     int
     memstat_kvm_uma(struct memory_type_list *list, void *kvm_handle);

     int
     memstat_sysctl_all(struct memory_type_list *list, int flags);

     int
     memstat_sysctl_malloc(struct memory_type_list *list, int flags);

     int
     memstat_sysctl_uma(struct memory_type_list *list, int flags);

   Memory Type Accessor Methods
     const char *
     memstat_get_name(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     int
     memstat_get_allocator(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_countlimit(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_byteslimit(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_sizemask(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_size(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_rsize(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_memalloced(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_memfreed(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_numallocs(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_numfrees(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_bytes(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_count(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_free(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_failures(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     void *
     memstat_get_caller_pointer(const struct memory_type *mtp, int index);

     void
     memstat_set_caller_pointer(struct memory_type *mtp, int index,
         void *value);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_caller_uint64(const struct memory_type *mtp, int index);

     void
     memstat_set_caller_uint64(struct memory_type *mtp, int index,
         uint64_t value);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_zonefree(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_kegfree(const struct memory_type *mtp);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_percpu_memalloced(const struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_percpu_memfreed(const struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_percpu_numallocs(const struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_percpu_numfrees(const struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_percpu_sizemask(const struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu);

     void *
     memstat_get_percpu_caller_pointer(const struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu,
         int index);

     void
     memstat_set_percpu_caller_pointer(struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu,
         int index, void *value);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_percpu_caller_uint64(const struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu,
         int index);

     void
     memstat_set_percpu_caller_uint64(struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu,
         int index, uint64_t value);

     uint64_t
     memstat_get_percpu_free(const struct memory_type *mtp, int cpu);

DESCRIPTION
     libmemstat provides an interface to retrieve kernel memory allocator
     statistics, for the purposes of debugging and system monitoring,
     insulating applications from implementation details of the allocators,
     and allowing a tool to transparently support multiple allocators.
     libmemstat supports both retrieving a single statistics snapshot, as well
     as incrementally updating statistics for long-term monitoring.

     libmemstat describes each memory type using a struct memory_type, an
     opaque memory type accessed by the application using accessor functions
     in the library.  libmemstat returns and updates chains of struct
     memory_type via a struct memory_type_list, which will be allocated by
     calling memstat_mtl_alloc(), and freed on completion using
     memstat_mtl_free().  Lists of memory types are populated via calls that
     query the kernel for statistics information; currently:
     memstat_kvm_all(), memstat_kvm_malloc(), memstat_kvm_uma(),
     memstat_sysctl_all(), memstat_sysctl_uma(), and memstat_sysctl_malloc().
     Repeated calls will incrementally update the list of memory types,
     permitting tracking over time without recreating all list state.  If an
     error is detected during a query call, error condition information may be
     retrieved using memstat_mtl_geterror(), and converted to a user-readable
     string using memstat_strerror().

     Freeing the list will free all memory type data in the list, and so
     invalidates any outstanding pointers to entries in the list.  struct
     memory_type entries in the list may be iterated over using
     memstat_mtl_first() and memstat_mtl_next(), which respectively return the
     first entry in a list, and the next entry in a list.  memstat_mtl_find(),
     which will return a pointer to the first entry matching the passed
     parameters.

     A series of accessor methods is provided to access fields of the
     structure, including retrieving statistics and properties, as well as
     setting of caller owned fields.  Direct application access to the data
     structure fields is not supported.

   Library memory_type Ss Fields
     Each struct memory_type holds a description of the memory type, including
     its name and the allocator it is managed by, as well as current
     statistics on use.  Some statistics are directly measured, others are
     derived from directly measured statistics.  Certain high level statistics
     are present across all available allocators, such as the number of
     allocation and free operations; other measurements, such as the quantity
     of free items in per-CPU caches, or administrative limit on the number of
     allocations, is available only for specific allocators.

   Caller memory_type Ss Fields
     struct memory_type includes fields to allow the application to store
     data, in the form of pointers and 64-bit integers, with memory types.
     For example, the application author might make use of one of the caller
     pointers to reference a more complex data structure tracking long-term
     behavior of the memory type, or a window system object that is used to
     render the state of the memory type.  General and per-CPU storage is
     provided with each struct memory_type in the form of an array of pointers
     and integers.  The array entries are accessed via the index argument to
     the get and set accessor methods.  Possible values of index range between
     0 and MEMSTAT_MAXCALLER.

     Caller-owned fields are initialized to 0 or NULL when a new struct
     memory_type is allocated and attached to a memory type list; these fields
     retain their values across queries that update library-owned fields.

   Allocator Types
     Currently, libmemstat supports two kernel allocators: ALLOCATOR_UMA for
     uma(9), and ALLOCATOR_MALLOC for malloc(9).  These values may be passed
     to memstat_mtl_find(), and will be returned by memstat_get_allocator().
     Two additional constants in the allocator name space are defined:
     ALLOCATOR_UNKNOWN, which will only be returned as a result of a library
     error, and ALLOCATOR_ANY, which can be used to specify that returning
     types matching any allocator is permittable from memstat_mtl_find().

   Access Method List
     The following accessor methods are defined, of which some will be valid
     for a given memory type:

     memstat_get_name()
             Return a pointer to the name of the memory type.  Memory for the
             name is owned by libmemstat and will be valid through a call to
             memstat_mtl_free().  Note that names will be unique with respect
             to a single allocator, but that the same name might be used by
             different memory types owned by different memory allocators.

     memstat_get_allocator()
             Return an integer identifier for the memory allocator that owns
             the memory type.

     memstat_get_countlimit()
             If the memory type has an administrative limit on the number of
             simultaneous allocations, return it.

     memstat_get_byteslimit()
             If the memory type has an administrative limit on the number of
             bytes of memory that may be simultaneously allocated for the
             memory type, return it.

     memstat_get_sizemask()
             If the memory type supports variable allocation sizes, return a
             bitmask of sizes allocated for the memory type.

     memstat_get_size()
             If the memory type supports a fixed allocation size, return that
             size.

     memstat_get_rsize()
             If the memory type supports a fixed allocation size, return real
             size of an allocation.  Real size can exceed requested size due
             to alignment constraints or implicit padding.

     memstat_get_memalloced()
             Return the total number of bytes allocated for the memory type
             over its lifetime.

     memstat_get_memfreed()
             Return the total number of bytes freed for the memory type over
             its lifetime.

     memstat_get_numallocs()
             Return the total number of allocations for the memory type over
             its lifetime.

     memstat_get_numfrees()
             Return the total number of frees for the memory type over its
             lifetime.

     memstat_get_bytes()
             Return the current number of bytes allocated to the memory type.

     memstat_get_count()
             Return the current number of allocations for the memory type.

     memstat_get_free()
             If the memory allocator supports a cache, return the number of
             items in the cache.

     memstat_get_failures()
             If the memory allocator and type permit allocation failures,
             return the number of allocation failures measured.

     memstat_get_caller_pointer()
             Return a caller-owned pointer for the memory type.

     memstat_set_caller_pointer()
             Set a caller-owned pointer for the memory type.

     memstat_get_caller_uint64()
             Return a caller-owned integer for the memory type.

     memstat_set_caller_uint64()
             Set a caller-owned integer for the memory type.

     memstat_get_zonefree()
             If the memory allocator supports a multi-level allocation
             structure, return the number of cached items in the zone.  These
             items will be in a fully constructed state available for
             immediate use.

     memstat_get_kegfree()
             If the memory allocator supports a multi-level allocation
             structure, return the number of cached items in the keg.  These
             items may be in a partially constructed state, and may require
             further processing before they can be made available for use.

     memstat_get_percpu_memalloced()
             If the memory allocator supports per-CPU statistics, return the
             number of bytes of memory allocated for the memory type on the
             CPU over its lifetime.

     memstat_get_percpu_memfreed()
             If the memory allocator supports per-CPU statistics, return the
             number of bytes of memory freed from the memory type on the CPU
             over its lifetime.

     memstat_get_percpu_numallocs()
             If the memory allocator supports per-CPU statistics, return the
             number of allocations for the memory type on the CPU over its
             lifetime.

     memstat_get_percpu_numfrees()
             If the memory allocator supports per-CPU statistics, return the
             number of frees for the memory type on the CPU over its lifetime.

     memstat_get_percpu_sizemask()
             If the memory allocator supports variable size memory allocation
             and per-CPU statistics, return the size bitmask for the memory
             type on the CPU.

     memstat_get_percpu_caller_pointer()
             Return a caller-owned per-CPU pointer for the memory type.

     memstat_set_percpu_caller_pointer()
             Set a caller-owned per-CPU pointer for the memory type.

     memstat_get_percpu_caller_uint64()
             Return a caller-owned per-CPU integer for the memory type.

     memstat_set_percpu_caller_uint64()
             Set a caller-owned per-CPU integer for the memory type.

     memstat_get_percpu_free()
             If the memory allocator supports a per-CPU cache, return the
             number of free items in the per-CPU cache of the designated CPU.

RETURN VALUES
     libmemstat functions fall into three categories: functions returning a
     pointer to an object, functions returning an integer return value, and
     functions implementing accessor methods returning data from a struct
     memory_type.

     Functions returning a pointer to an object will generally return NULL on
     failure.  memstat_mtl_alloc() will return an error value via errno, which
     will consist of the value ENOMEM.  Functions memstat_mtl_first(),
     memstat_mtl_next(), and memstat_mtl_find() will return NULL when there is
     no entry or match in the list; however, this is not considered a failure
     mode and no error value is available.

     Functions returning an integer success value will return 0 on success, or
     -1 on failure.  If a failure is returned, the list error access method,
     memstat_mtl_geterror(), may be used to retrieve the error state.  The
     string representation of the error may be retrieved using
     memstat_strerror().  Possible error values are:

     MEMSTAT_ERROR_UNDEFINED          Undefined error.  Occurs if
                                      memstat_mtl_geterror() is called on a
                                      list before an error associated with the
                                      list has occurred.

     MEMSTAT_ERROR_NOMEMORY           Insufficient memory.  Occurs if library
                                      calls to malloc(3) fail, or if a system
                                      call to retrieve kernel statistics fails
                                      with ENOMEM.

     MEMSTAT_ERROR_VERSION            Returned if the current version of
                                      libmemstat is unable to interpret the
                                      statistics data returned by the kernel
                                      due to an explicit version mismatch, or
                                      to differences in data structures that
                                      cannot be reconciled.

     MEMSTAT_ERROR_PERMISSION         Returned if a statistics source returns
                                      errno values of EACCES or EPERM.

     MEMSTAT_ERROR_DATAERROR          Returned if libmemstat is unable to
                                      interpret statistics data returned by
                                      the data source, even though there does
                                      not appear to be a version problem.

     MEMSTAT_ERROR_KVM                Returned if libmemstat experiences an
                                      error while using kvm(3) interfaces to
                                      query statistics data.  Use
                                      kvm_geterr(3) to retrieve the error.

     MEMSTAT_ERROR_KVM_NOSYMBOL       Returned if libmemstat is unable to read
                                      a required symbol from the kernel being
                                      operated on.

     MEMSTAT_ERROR_KVM_SHORTREAD      Returned if libmemstat attempts to read
                                      data from a live memory image or kernel
                                      core dump and insufficient data is
                                      returned.

     Finally, functions returning data from a struct memory_type pointer are
     not permitted to fail, and directly return either a statistic or pointer
     to a string.

EXAMPLES
     Create a memory type list, query the uma(9) memory allocator for
     available statistics, and print out the number of allocations performed
     by the mbuf zone.

           struct memory_type_list *mtlp;
           struct memory_type *mtp;
           uint64_t mbuf_count;

           mtlp = memstat_mtl_alloc();
           if (mtlp == NULL)
               err(-1, "memstat_mtl_alloc");
           if (memstat_sysctl_uma(mtlp, 0) < 0)
               err(-1, "memstat_sysctl_uma");
           mtp = memstat_mtl_find(mtlp, ALLOCATOR_UMA, "mbuf");
           if (mtp == NULL)
               errx(-1, "memstat_mtl_find: mbuf not found");
           mbuf_count = memstat_get_count(mtp);
           memstat_mtl_free(mtlp);

           printf("mbufs: %llu\n", (unsigned long long)mbuf_count);

SEE ALSO
     malloc(9), uma(9)

HISTORY
     The libmemstat library appeared in FreeBSD 6.0.

AUTHORS
     The kernel memory allocator changes necessary to support a general
     purpose monitoring library, along with the library, were written by
     Robert Watson <rwatson@FreeBSD.org>.

BUGS
     There are memory allocators in the kernel, such as the VM page allocator
     and sf_buf allocator, which are not currently supported by libmemstat.

     Once a memory type is present on a memory type list, it will not be
     removed even if the kernel no longer presents information on the type via
     its monitoring interfaces.  In order to flush removed memory types, it is
     necessary to free the entire list and allocate a new one.

FreeBSD 13.1-RELEASE-p6        February 11, 2014       FreeBSD 13.1-RELEASE-p6

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