.TH SG3_UTILS "8" "July 2022" "sg3_utils\-1.48" SG3_UTILS
.SH NAME
sg3_utils \- JSON output for some utilities
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B sg_*
\fI\-\-json[=JO]\fR [\fIOTHER_OPTIONS\fR] [\fIDEVICE\fR]
.SH DESCRIPTION
.\" Add any additional description here
.PP
sg3_utils is a package of utilities that send SCSI commands to the given
\fIDEVICE\fR via a SCSI pass through interface provided by the host
operating system. Some utilities, mainly those decoding structured data
returned by SCSI commands (e.g. sg_vpd) can optionally provide JSON
output, rather than simple, human-readable output. The default remains
human-readable output.
.PP
JSON is an open standard file format that can be used for data exchange
between systems. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSON . JSON comes in
many flavours and this one uses the json-builder C implementation found
at https://github.com/json-parser/json-builder which implements four simple
JSON data types: string, integer, boolean and null. Its other data types
are JSON object and JSON array. This project uses the "snake" convention
for JSON object names: all in lower case with separate words joined with
a single underscore (e.g. "starting_lba"). The json-builder library uses
the SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause which is the same license as the
bulk of the utilities in the sg3_utils package.
.PP
The json-builder library is relatively lightweight (700 lines of C code) and
is "hidden" fully within the sg3_utils library so that its function interface
and data types are not available (directly) to the utilities in the sg3_utils
package. That is why the json-builder interface (a file named
sg_json_builder.h) is in the lib directory and not in the include directory.
As presented on github, json-builder shares some header files with its
companion json-parser. The author has modified the json-builder header to
include what is needed from the json-parser header so that only the builder
and not the parser are built. The parser could be added later, but currently
there seems to be no need for it.
.PP
The user interface to JSON functionality in the sg3_utils package is heavily
based on what has been done by Christian Franke and others in smartctl, a
utility in the smartmontools package for getting S.M.A.R.T. information
from disks (and other storage devices).
.PP
This manpage discusses the \fI\-\-json\fR option which may or may not itself
have an optional argument. In its shorter form it may either be \fI\-j\fR or
\fI\-J\fR (lower case preferred if not already in use). The shorter form may
also take an argument but there must not be a space (or whitespace) between
\fI\-j\fR and that argument.  
.SH ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
The SG3_UTILS_JSON_OPTS environment variable allows the user to override the
default values of the \fIJO\fR settings. Those settings can again be overridden
by the command line \fI\-\-json[=JO]\fR option. If the string associated with
SG3_UTILS_JSON_OPTS cannot be parsed this error message is sent to
stderr: "error parsing SG3_UTILS_JSON_OPTS environment variable, ignore".
.SH OPTIONS
Since the argument to \fI\-\-json[=JO]\fR is optional, in the shorter form
there can be no space(s) between the option and its argument.
.TP
\fB\-j[JO]\fR, \fB\-\-json\fR\fI[=JO]\fR
\fIJO\fR is a string of 0 or more characters whose order is not significant
apart from the negation characters ('\-' is preferred). The negation character
must appear immediately before the (boolean) feature it is toggling.
.br
In the short form the option letter may be other than \fI\-j\fR if that letter
has already been used (\fI\-J\fR is preferred next). For example the sg_ses
utility uses \fI\-j\fR for its "join" operation. Also since the argument to
the short form option is itself optional, there can be no space between the
short form option and \fIJO\fR, if it is given. To make this read a little
better on the command line, "=" may be first character of \fIJO\fR, so for
example, this is valid '\-j=av'.
.SH JSON CONTROL CHARACTERS
Each \fIJO\fR string is made up of zero or more of the following JSON control
characters.
.TP
\fB0\fR
If pretty printing JSON output, tab to 2 spaces.
.TP
\fB2\fR
If pretty printing JSON output, tab to 2 spaces.
.TP
\fB4\fR
If pretty printing JSON output, tab to 4 spaces.
.br
This is the default tab setting for pretty printing JSON.
.TP
\fB8\fR
If pretty printing JSON output, tab to 8 spaces.
.TP
\fB=\fR
does nothing. May appear as first character of \fIJO\fR. This character is
defined to make the short option form look better (e.g. '\-j=av').
.TP
\fB\-\fR
negation character. Toggles the (boolean) sense of the following control
character.
.TP
\fBa\fR
this is a boolean control character for "abbreviated name expansion". T10
names fields often depending on the amount of space available in the
CDB (command descriptor block) table in the relevant specification. This
leads to some clear names (e.g. "number of blocks) and some not so clear
names (e.g. "SKSV"). When this character is on (true), then fields that have
abbreviated names (subjective decision by author) will use the T10 field
name with a sub\-object containing at least a "i" field with the integer
value and a "abbreviated_name_expansion" field with a string value that
should make the T10 name clearer (e.g. "Sense Key Specific Valid").
.br
This boolean control character is default off (false).
.TP
\fBe\fR
this is a boolean control character for "exit status". If active an "exit
status" field is placed at the end of the JSON output. The integer value
of this field is the Unix exit status value that is return to the operating
system when this utility exits. The value of 0 is a good exit (i.e. no
errors detected).
.br
This boolean control character is default on (true).
.TP
\fBh\fR
this is a boolean control character for "hexadecimal". Many values associated
with SCSI are best (or at least historically) viewed in hexadecimal while
JSON output prefers decimal integers (assumed to have a maximum size of 64
bits, signed). The maximum size of most SCSI fields is 64 bit _unsigned_ .
Also some SCSI fields are masks which are best viewed in hex. When this
control character is active most (non\-trivial) fields that have an integer
value instead receive a a sub\-object containing at least a "i" field with
the integer value and a "hex" field with the corresponding hex value in a
JSON string. That hex string has no hex decorations (i.e. no leading '0x'
nor traing 'h').
.br
This boolean control character is default off (false).
.TP
\fBl\fR
this is a boolean control character to control whether lead\-in fields are
output. Lead\-in fields are at the start of the JSON output and include
json_format_version and utility_invoked sub\-objects. The utility_invoked
sub\-object includes name, version_date string fields and an JSON array
named argv with an entry for each command line argument. If the \fIo\fR
control character is also active, then if available, the non_JSON output
is placed in and array called output with one element per line
of 'normal' output.
.br
This boolean control character is default on (true).
.TP
\fBo\fR
this is a boolean control character to control whether normal (i.e.
non\-JSON) lines of output are placed in a JSON array (one element per
line of normal output) within the utility_invoked subject (see control
character \fIl\fR). This control character is only active when the
\fIl\fR control character is also active).
.br
This boolean control character is default off (false).
.TP
\fBp\fR
this boolean control character controls whether the JSON output
is "pretty printed" or sent in a relatively compact stream suitable
for more efficient transmission over a communications channel.
.br
The pretty printed form of output has one JSON name with its associated
integer, string or boolean value per line; and one array element per line.
JSON objects and arrays that have an associated JSON object as their value,
have their name on a separate line. These lines are indented with the
current tab setting to indicate the level of nesting. Basically the pretty
printed form is for human consumption.
.br
This boolean control character is default on (true).
.TP
\fBs\fR
this boolean control character controls whether T10 field values that have
a defined meaning are broken out with an added JSON sub\-object usually
named "meaning". When active the field name has a sub\-object that contains
at least an "i" field with the integer value of the field and a JSON string
object, usually named "meaning", with a string that corresponds to the T10
defined meaning of the value in the "i" field.
.br
This boolean control character is default on (true).
.TP
\fBv\fR
this is an integer control character that controls the amount of debug output.
It can be given multiple times to increase the level of JSON debug
verbosity in the output.
.br
Note that this verbose control character is JSON specific while the
\fI\-\-verbose\fR option (short form: fI\-v\fR often repeated: fI\-vvv\fR) that
most utilities support is more general.
.br
This integer control character is set to 0 by default.
.SH AUTHORS
Written by Douglas Gilbert. Some utilities have been contributed, see the
CREDITS file and individual source files (in the 'src' directory).
.SH "REPORTING BUGS"
Report bugs to <dgilbert at interlog dot com>.
.SH COPYRIGHT
Copyright \(co 2022 Douglas Gilbert
.br
Some utilities are distributed under a GPL version 2 license while
others, usually more recent ones, are under a FreeBSD license. The files
that are common to almost all utilities and thus contain the most reusable
code, namely sg_lib.[hc], sg_cmds_basic.[hc] and sg_cmds_extra.[hc] are
under a FreeBSD license. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY
or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.B sg3_utils(sg3_utils), smartctl(smartmontools)