Updated: 2022/Sep/29

Please read Privacy Policy. It's for your privacy.

PCAP_SET_IMMEDIATE_MODE(3)                            Library Functions Manual



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(@MAN_DEVICES@), on the descriptor
              returned by pcap_fileno(3), after pcap_activate(3) 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(3), after pcap_activate(3) 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.

SEE ALSO
       pcap(3), pcap_create(3), pcap_activate(3)



                                23 August 2018      PCAP_SET_IMMEDIATE_MODE(3)