NAME

       pcap_stats - get capture statistics

SYNOPSIS

       #include <pcap/pcap.h>

       int pcap_stats(pcap_t *p, struct pcap_stat *ps);

DESCRIPTION

       pcap_stats()  fills in the struct pcap_stat pointed to by its second argument.  The values
       represent packet statistics from the start of the run to the time of the call.

       pcap_stats() is supported only on live captures, not on ``savefiles''; no  statistics  are
       stored in ``savefiles'', so no statistics are available when reading from a ``savefile''.

       A struct pcap_stat has the following members:

              ps_recv
                     number of packets received;

              ps_drop
                     number  of  packets  dropped  because  there  was  no  room in the operating
                     system's buffer when they arrived, because packets weren't being  read  fast
                     enough;

              ps_ifdrop
                     number of packets dropped by the network interface or its driver.

       The  statistics  do not behave the same way on all platforms.  ps_recv might count packets
       whether they passed any filter set with pcap_setfilter(3PCAP) or not, or  it  might  count
       only  packets  that  pass  the filter.  It also might, or might not, count packets dropped
       because there was no room in the operating system's buffer when they arrived.  ps_drop  is
       not  available  on  all  platforms;  it is zero on platforms where it's not available.  If
       packet filtering is done in libpcap, rather than in the operating system, it  would  count
       packets  that  don't pass the filter.  Both ps_recv and ps_drop might, or might not, count
       packets not yet read from the operating system and thus not yet seen by  the  application.
       ps_ifdrop  might,  or  might  not,  be  implemented; if it's zero, that might mean that no
       packets were dropped by the interface, or it might mean that the statistic is unavailable,
       so it should not be treated as an indication that the interface did not drop any packets.

RETURN VALUE

       pcap_stats()  returns  0  on  success  and returns -1 if there is an error or if p doesn't
       support packet statistics.  If -1 is  returned,  pcap_geterr()  or  pcap_perror()  may  be
       called with p as an argument to fetch or display the error text.

SEE ALSO

       pcap(3PCAP), pcap_geterr(3PCAP)

                                         7 September 2009                       PCAP_STATS(3PCAP)