+\fBO_PATH\fP (since Linux 2.6.39)
+.\" commit 1abf0c718f15a56a0a435588d1b104c7a37dc9bd
+.\" commit 326be7b484843988afe57566b627fb7a70beac56
+.\" commit 65cfc6722361570bfe255698d9cd4dccaf47570d
+.\"
+.\" http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.man/2790/focus=3496
+.\" Subject: Re: [PATCH] open(2): document O_PATH
+.\" Newsgroups: gmane.linux.man, gmane.linux.kernel
+.\"
+Obtain a file descriptor that can be used for two purposes: to indicate a
+location in the file\-system tree and to perform operations that act purely
+at the file descriptor level. The file itself is not opened, and other file
+operations (e.g., \fBread\fP(2), \fBwrite\fP(2), \fBfchmod\fP(2), \fBfchown\fP(2),
+\fBfgetxattr\fP(2)) fail with the error \fBEBADF\fP.
+
+The following operations \fIcan\fP be performed on the resulting file
+descriptor:
+.RS
+.IP * 3
+.\" commit 332a2e1244bd08b9e3ecd378028513396a004a24
+.\" fstat(): commit 55815f70147dcfa3ead5738fd56d3574e2e3c1c2
+\fBclose\fP(2); \fBfchdir\fP(2) (since Linux 3.5); \fBfstat\fP(2) (since Linux
+3.6).
+.IP *
+Duplicating the file descriptor (\fBdup\fP(2), \fBfcntl\fP(2) \fBF_DUPFD\fP, etc.).
+.IP *
+Getting and setting file descriptor flags (\fBfcntl\fP(2) \fBF_GETFD\fP and
+\fBF_SETFD\fP).
+.IP *
+Retrieving open file status flags using the \fBfcntl\fP(2) \fBF_GETFL\fP
+operation: the returned flags will include the bit \fBO_PATH\fP.
+
+.IP *
+Passing the file descriptor as the \fIdirfd\fP argument of \fBopenat\fP(2) and
+the other "*at()" system calls.
+.IP *
+Passing the file descriptor to another process via a UNIX domain socket (see
+\fBSCM_RIGHTS\fP in \fBunix\fP(7)).
+.RE
+.IP
+When \fBO_PATH\fP is specified in \fIflags\fP, flag bits other than \fBO_DIRECTORY\fP
+and \fBO_NOFOLLOW\fP are ignored.
+
+If the \fBO_NOFOLLOW\fP flag is also specified, then the call returns a file
+descriptor referring to the symbolic link. This file descriptor can be used
+as the \fIdirfd\fP argument in calls to \fBfchownat\fP(2), \fBfstatat\fP(2),
+\fBlinkat\fP(2), and \fBreadlinkat\fP(2) with an empty pathname to have the calls
+operate on the symbolic link.
+.TP