EXTATTRCTL(8)

💖 NAME 💖

Okay bestie, so extattrctl(8) is literally the management utility for extended attributes over the UFS1 file system. It’s giving filesystem admin main character energy 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

extattrctl start path
extattrctl stop path
extattrctl initattr [-f] [-p path] attrsize attrfile
extattrctl showattr attrfile
extattrctl enable path attrnamespace attrname attrfile
extattrctl disable path attrnamespace attrname

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

So extattrctl is the management utility for extended attributes over the UFS1 file system — yes, UFS1 specifically, no cap. It lets you start and stop extended attributes on a file system, initialize attribute backing files, and enable or disable specific extended attributes on a file system. Obsessed with the range 💖

The first argument on the command line indicates the operation to be performed. Operation must be one of the following:

• start path — Start extended attribute support on the file system named using path. The file system must be an UFS1 file system, and the UFS_EXTATTR kernel option must have been enabled. That kernel option is not optional, bestie 😭
• stop path — Stop extended attribute support on the file system named using path. Extended attribute support must previously have been started. You can’t stop what was never started, periodt.
• initattr [-f] [-p path] attrsize attrfile — Create and initialize a file to use as an attribute backing file. You must specify a maximum per-inode size for the attribute in bytes in attrsize, as well as the file where the attribute will be stored, using attrfile.
  • The -f argument may be used to indicate that it is alright to overwrite an existing attribute backing file; otherwise, if the target file exists, an error will be returned. So -f is the “yeah yeah overwrite it” flag 💅
  • The -p path argument may be used to preallocate space for all attributes rather than relying on sparse files to conserve space. This has the advantage of guaranteeing that space will be available for attributes when they are written, preventing low disk space conditions from denying attribute service. Highkey a vibe-check for your disk space 🫶
  • This file should not exist before running initattr.

🚨 Little warning moment: this file should not exist before running initattr.

• showattr attrfile — Show the attribute header values in the attribute file named by attrfile. It’s giving peek-behind-the-curtain energy ✨
• enable path attrnamespace attrname attrfile — Enable an attribute named attrname in the namespace attrnamespace on the file system identified using path, and backed by initialized attribute file attrfile. Available namespaces are "user" and "system". The backing file must have been initialized using initattr before its first use. Attributes must have been started on the file system prior to the enabling of any attributes. So many prerequisites, but we love a thorough queen 👑
• disable path attrnamespace attrname — Disable the attribute named attrname in namespace attrnamespace on the file system identified by path. Available namespaces are "user" and "system". The file system must have attributes started on it, and the attribute must have been enabled using enable. No skipping steps, bestie 🎀

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🌸 EXAMPLES 🌸

extattrctl start /

Start extended attributes on the root file system. Slay the root directory 👑

extattrctl initattr 17 /.attribute/system/md5

Create an attribute backing file in /.attribute/system/md5, and set the maximum size of each attribute to 17 bytes, with a sparse file used for storing the attributes. Seventeen bytes, tiny but fierce 🍓

extattrctl enable / system md5 /.attribute/system/md5

Enable an attribute named md5 on the root file system, backed from the file /.attribute/system/md5. Look at her go 💅

extattrctl disable / md5

Disable the attribute named md5 on the root file system. Bye-bye, attribute ✨

extattrctl stop /

Stop extended attributes on the root file system. Shut it down, respectfully 💀

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Go read up, bestie: ffs(4), getextattr(8), setextattr(8), extattr(9) 🌈

👑 HISTORY 👑

Extended attribute support was developed as part of the TrustedBSD Project, and introduced in FreeBSD 5.0. It was developed to support security extensions requiring additional labels to be associated with each file or directory. Historical icon behavior, fr fr 🎀

🧚 AUTHORS 🧚

Robert N M Watson 🫶

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Signed, sealed, and delivered by the Debian manual pages on March 30, 2000 — periodt, mwah 💋💖