GETRPCENT(3)

💖 GETRPCENT 💖

okay bestie, gather round, because we're diving into the Library Functions Manual and honestly? this one's a little vintage gem 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

getrpcent, getrpcbyname, getrpcbynumber, endrpcent, setrpcent — get an RPC entry, fr fr 👑

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <rpc/rpc.h>

struct rpcent *
getrpcent(void);

struct rpcent *
getrpcbyname(char *name);

struct rpcent *
getrpcbynumber(int number);

void
setrpcent(int stayopen);

void
endrpcent(void);

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so here's the tea ☕ — getrpcent(), getrpcbyname(), and getrpcbynumber() all hand you back a pointer to an object. that object has the structure below, and it's literally just the broken-out fields of one line from the rpc program number data base, which lives at /etc/rpc 🗂️

struct rpcent {
        char    *r_name;        /* name of server for this rpc program */
        char    **r_aliases;    /* alias list */
        long    r_number;       /* rpc program number */
};

and the members of that struct? let me break it down for you 💅

• r_name — the name of the server for this rpc program. that's it, that's the name 🏷️
• r_aliases — a zero terminated list of alternate names for the rpc program. so like, the government names, plural 🌈
• r_number — the rpc program number for this service. the digits, the ID, the whole vibe 🔢

getrpcent() reads the next line of the file, and it'll open the file for you if it needs to. no prep required, she's self-sufficient 💅✨

setrpcent() opens and rewinds the file. and here's the key part: if the stayopen flag is non-zero, the net data base will not be closed after each call to getrpcent() — whether you call it directly or sneakily indirectly through one of the other “getrpc” calls 👀 keep that file held open, queen.

endrpcent() closes the file. that's the whole job, and she does it flawlessly 🫶

getrpcbyname() and getrpcbynumber() do a sequential search from the beginning of the file — just walking it down, line by line — until they hit a matching rpc program name or program number, or until they smash into end-of-file. no shortcuts, no index, just vibes and determination 😭

📁 FILES 📁

• /etc/rpc

🌟 AVAILABILITY 🌟

these functions are part of libtirpc. that's the home, that's where they live 🏡

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

• rpc(5)
• rpcinfo(8)

go read those too, i'm not asking 💜

🩺 DIAGNOSTICS 🩺

a NULL pointer is returned on EOF or error. so if you get NULL, that's the universe telling you something went sideways or you just ran out of file 📉

💀 BUGS 💀

okay so this is the important one, bestie, listen up:

all information is contained in a static area, so it must be copied if it is to be saved. do not, i repeat, do not just hold onto that pointer and assume it'll still say the same thing later. she will change on you. copy it. periodt. 💅

🎀 the cute sign-off 🎀

this page is from Debian, and it's been serving looks since December 14, 1987 — an absolute icon, aging like fine wine, still relevant, still slaying 🌈👑✨