libvmdk(3)

💖 libvmdk(3) 💖

okay so real talk: welcome to libvmdk(3), straight out of the Library Functions Manual 👑 this is the C library for reading the VMware Virtual Disk — aka VMDK — format. yes, the format your entire VM is quietly living in. no cap.

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✨ NAME ✨

libvmdk.h — Library to access the VMware Virtual Disk (VMDK) format 🦋

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

first things first, you gotta pull the header in, bestie:

#include <libvmdk.h>

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🌸 Support functions

const char *
libvmdk_get_version(void);

int
libvmdk_get_access_flags_read(void);

int
libvmdk_get_codepage(int *codepage, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_set_codepage(int codepage, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_check_file_signature(const char *filename,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

💫 Available when compiled with wide character string support:

int
libvmdk_check_file_signature_wide(const wchar_t *filename,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

💫 Available when compiled with libbfio support:

int
libvmdk_check_file_signature_file_io_handle(libbfio_handle_t *file_io_handle,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

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🌸 Notify functions

void
libvmdk_notify_set_verbose(int verbose);

int
libvmdk_notify_set_stream(FILE *stream, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_notify_stream_open(const char *filename,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_notify_stream_close(libvmdk_error_t **error);

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🌸 Error functions

void
libvmdk_error_free(libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_error_fprint(libvmdk_error_t *error, FILE *stream);

int
libvmdk_error_sprint(libvmdk_error_t *error, char *string, size_t size);

int
libvmdk_error_backtrace_fprint(libvmdk_error_t *error, FILE *stream);

int
libvmdk_error_backtrace_sprint(libvmdk_error_t *error, char *string,
    size_t size);

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🌸 Handle functions

int
libvmdk_handle_initialize(libvmdk_handle_t **handle,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_free(libvmdk_handle_t **handle, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_signal_abort(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_open(libvmdk_handle_t *handle, const char *filename,
    int access_flags, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_open_extent_data_files(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_close(libvmdk_handle_t *handle, libvmdk_error_t **error);

ssize_t
libvmdk_handle_read_buffer(libvmdk_handle_t *handle, void *buffer,
    size_t buffer_size, libvmdk_error_t **error);

ssize_t
libvmdk_handle_read_buffer_at_offset(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    void *buffer, size_t buffer_size, off64_t offset,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

off64_t
libvmdk_handle_seek_offset(libvmdk_handle_t *handle, off64_t offset,
    int whence, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_offset(libvmdk_handle_t *handle, off64_t *offset,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_set_maximum_number_of_open_handles(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    int maximum_number_of_open_handles, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_set_parent_handle(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    libvmdk_handle_t *parent_handle, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_set_extent_data_files_path(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    const char *path, size_t path_length, libvmdk_error_t **error);

💫 Available when compiled with wide character string support:

int
libvmdk_handle_open_wide(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    const wchar_t *filename, int access_flags, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_set_extent_data_files_path_wide(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    const wchar_t *path, size_t path_length, libvmdk_error_t **error);

💫 Available when compiled with libbfio support:

int
libvmdk_handle_open_file_io_handle(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    libbfio_handle_t *file_io_handle, int access_flags,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_open_extent_data_files_file_io_pool(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    libbfio_pool_t *file_io_pool, libvmdk_error_t **error);

---

🌸 Meta data functions

int
libvmdk_handle_get_disk_type(libvmdk_handle_t *handle, int *disk_type,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_media_size(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    size64_t *media_size, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_content_identifier(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    uint32_t *content_identifier, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_parent_content_identifier(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    uint32_t *parent_content_identifier, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_utf8_parent_filename_size(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    size_t *utf8_string_size, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_utf8_parent_filename(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    uint8_t *utf8_string, size_t utf8_string_size,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_utf16_parent_filename_size(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    size_t *utf16_string_size, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_utf16_parent_filename(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    uint16_t *utf16_string, size_t utf16_string_size,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_number_of_extents(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    int *number_of_extents, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_handle_get_extent_descriptor(libvmdk_handle_t *handle,
    int extent_index, libvmdk_extent_descriptor_t **extent_descriptor,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

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🌸 Extent descriptor functions

int
libvmdk_extent_descriptor_free(libvmdk_extent_descriptor_t **extent_descriptor,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_extent_descriptor_get_type(libvmdk_extent_descriptor_t *extent_descriptor,
    int *type, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_extent_descriptor_get_range(libvmdk_extent_descriptor_t *extent_descriptor,
    off64_t *offset, size64_t *size, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_extent_descriptor_get_utf8_filename_size(libvmdk_extent_descriptor_t *extent_descriptor,
    size_t *utf8_string_size, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_extent_descriptor_get_utf8_filename(libvmdk_extent_descriptor_t *extent_descriptor,
    uint8_t *utf8_string, size_t utf8_string_size,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_extent_descriptor_get_utf16_filename_size(libvmdk_extent_descriptor_t *extent_descriptor,
    size_t *utf16_string_size, libvmdk_error_t **error);

int
libvmdk_extent_descriptor_get_utf16_filename(libvmdk_extent_descriptor_t *extent_descriptor,
    uint16_t *utf16_string, size_t utf16_string_size,
    libvmdk_error_t **error);

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so the one function the description actually spills the tea on is libvmdk_get_version() — it's the girl whose whole job is retrieving the library version. that's it. that's the description.

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✨ RETURN VALUES ✨

okay bestie here's the thing: most of these functions return NULL or -1 on error, but it depends on the return type, so it's giving "it depends" 💀 for the actual return values you gotta go look at "libvmdk.h". she's the source of truth, periodt.

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✨ ENVIRONMENT ✨

None 🙈

like... literally none. no env vars here. that section is empty and that's on purpose.

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✨ FILES ✨

None 🙈

again — nothing. no files listed. the emptiness is the whole vibe.

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✨ NOTES ✨

• libvmdk can be compiled with wide character support (wchar_t). 🦋
• To compile libvmdk with wide character support use:

./configure --enable-wide-character-type=yes

or define:

_UNICODE

or:

UNICODE

during compilation. 👑

• LIBVMDK_WIDE_CHARACTER_TYPE

in libvmdk/features.h can be used to determine if libvmdk was compiled with wide character support. so if you're ever wondering "was this built wide or not", that's your girl. 💅

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✨ BUGS ✨

found a bug? 😭 please report bugs of any kind on the project issue tracker:

https://github.com/libyal/libvmdk/issues

bestie do NOT suffer in silence. the tracker is right there. 🫶

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✨ AUTHOR ✨

These man pages are generated from "libvmdk.h". 📜✨

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✨ COPYRIGHT ✨

Copyright (C) 2009-2024, Joachim Metz <joachim.metz@gmail.com>.

This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 🚨

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✨ SEE ALSO ✨

• the libvmdk.h include file

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and that's the whole page, bestie 🌈 this was libvmdk from the Library Functions Manual, dated October 4, 2020, brought to you as libvmdk(3) 💖 mwah, go read your VMDKs responsibly 🎀