KEYCTL_SEARCH(3)	  Linux Key Management Calls	      KEYCTL_SEARCH(3)



NAME
       keyctl_search - Search a keyring for a key

SYNOPSIS
       #include <keyutils.h>

       long keyctl_search(key_serial_t keyring, const char *type,
       const char *description, key_serial_t destination);

DESCRIPTION
       keyctl_search() recursively searches the keyring for a key of the spec-
       ified type and description.

       If found, the key will be  attached  to	the  destination  keyring  (if
       given), and its serial number will be returned.

       The  source keyring must grant search permission to the caller, and for
       a key to be found, it must also grant search permission to the  caller.
       Child  keyrings	will  be  only	be  recursively searched if they grant
       search permission to the caller as well.

       If the destination keyring is zero, no attempt will be made to forge  a
       link to the key, and just the serial number will be returned.

       If  the	destination keyring is given, then the link may only be formed
       if the found key grants the caller link permission and the  destination
       keyring grants the caller write permission.

       If  the	search	is  successful, and if the destination keyring already
       contains a link to a key that matches the specified type	 and  descrip-
       tion, then that link will be replaced by a link to the found key.

       The  source keyring and destination keyring serial numbers may be those
       of valid keyrings to which the caller has  appropriate  permission,  or
       they may be special keyring IDs:

       KEY_SPEC_THREAD_KEYRING
	      This specifies the caller's thread-specific keyring.

       KEY_SPEC_PROCESS_KEYRING
	      This specifies the caller's process-specific keyring.

       KEY_SPEC_SESSION_KEYRING
	      This specifies the caller's session-specific keyring.

       KEY_SPEC_USER_KEYRING
	      This specifies the caller's UID-specific keyring.

       KEY_SPEC_USER_SESSION_KEYRING
	      This specifies the caller's UID-session keyring.

RETURN VALUE
       On  success  keyctl_search()  returns  the  serial number of the key it
       found.  On error, the value -1 will be returned	and  errno  will  have
       been set to an appropriate error.

ERRORS
       ENOKEY One  of  the  keyrings  doesn't  exist,  no key was found by the
	      search, or the only key found by the search was a negative key.

       ENOTDIR
	      One of the keyrings is a valid key that isn't a keyring.

       EKEYEXPIRED
	      One of the keyrings has expired,	or  the	 only  key  found  was
	      expired.

       EKEYREVOKED
	      One  of the keyrings has been revoked, or the only key found was
	      revoked.

       ENOMEM Insufficient memory to expand the destination keyring.

       EDQUOT The key quota for this user would be exceeded by creating a link
	      to the found key in the destination keyring.

       EACCES The  source keyring didn't grant search permission, the destina-
	      tion keyring didn't grant write  permission  or  the  found  key
	      didn't grant link permission to the caller.

LINKING
       Although this is a Linux system call, it is not present in libc but can
       be found rather in libkeyutils.	When  linking,	-lkeyutils  should  be
       specified to the linker.

SEE ALSO
       keyctl(1),
       add_key(2),
       keyctl(2),
       request_key(2),
       keyctl(3),
       request-key(8)



Linux				  4 May 2006		      KEYCTL_SEARCH(3)