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SETXATTR(2)                Linux Programmer's Manual               SETXATTR(2)
NAME
       setxattr, lsetxattr, fsetxattr - set an extended attribute value
SYNOPSIS
       #include <sys/types.h>
       #include <sys/xattr.h>
       int setxattr(const char *path, const char *name,
                     const void *value, size_t size, int flags);
       int lsetxattr(const char *path, const char *name,
                     const void *value, size_t size, int flags);
       int fsetxattr(int fd, const char *name,
                     const void *value, size_t size, int flags);
DESCRIPTION
       Extended attributes are name:value pairs associated with inodes (files,
       directories, symbolic links, etc.).  They are extensions to the  normal
       attributes  which  are  associated with all inodes in the system (i.e.,
       the stat(2) data).  A complete overview of extended attributes concepts
       can be found in xattr(7).
       setxattr()  sets the value of the extended attribute identified by name
       and associated with the given path in the filesystem.  The  size  argu-
       ment  specifies  the  size  (in bytes) of value; a zero-length value is
       permitted.
       lsetxattr() is identical to setxattr(), except in the case  of  a  sym-
       bolic link, where the extended attribute is set on the link itself, not
       the file that it refers to.
       fsetxattr() is identical to setxattr(), only the extended attribute  is
       set  on  the  open  file  referred to by fd (as returned by open(2)) in
       place of path.
       An extended attribute name  is  a  null-terminated  string.   The  name
       includes  a namespace prefix; there may be several, disjoint namespaces
       associated  with  an  individual  inode.   The  value  of  an  extended
       attribute  is  a chunk of arbitrary textual or binary data of specified
       length.
       By default (i.e., flags is zero), the extended attribute will  be  cre-
       ated  if  it  does  not  exist,  or  the  value will be replaced if the
       attribute already exists.  To modify these semantics, one of  the  fol-
       lowing values can be specified in flags:
       XATTR_CREATE
              Perform a pure create, which fails if the named attribute exists
              already.
       XATTR_REPLACE
              Perform a pure replace  operation,  which  fails  if  the  named
              attribute does not already exist.
RETURN VALUE
       On  success, zero is returned.  On failure, -1 is returned and errno is
       set appropriately.
ERRORS
       EDQUOT Disk quota limits meant that there is insufficient space remain-
              ing to store the extended attribute.
       EEXIST XATTR_CREATE was specified, and the attribute exists already.
       ENOATTR
              XATTR_REPLACE  was  specified, and the attribute does not exist.
              (ENOATTR  is  defined  to  be   a   synonym   for   ENODATA   in
              <attr/xattr.h>.)
       ENOSPC There  is  insufficient  space  remaining  to store the extended
              attribute.
       ENOTSUP
              The namespace prefix of name is not valid.
       ENOTSUP
              Extended attributes are not supported by the filesystem, or  are
              disabled,
       EPERM  The   file   is   marked   immutable   or   append-only.    (See
              ioctl_iflags(2).)
       In addition, the errors documented in stat(2) can also occur.
VERSIONS
       These system calls have been available on Linux since kernel 2.4; glibc
       support is provided since version 2.3.
CONFORMING TO
       These system calls are Linux-specific.
SEE ALSO
       getfattr(1),  setfattr(1), getxattr(2), listxattr(2), open(2), removex-
       attr(2), stat(2), symlink(7), xattr(7)
COLOPHON
       This page is part of release 4.15 of the Linux  man-pages  project.   A
       description  of  the project, information about reporting bugs, and the
       latest    version    of    this    page,    can     be     found     at
       https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
Linux                             2017-03-13                       SETXATTR(2)