---
name: "pmfetcharchive"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "libpcp3-dev"
version: "4.3.2+really4.3.1-0.1"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pmFetchArchive"
---

# pmfetcharchive(3)

get performance metrics directly from a set if archive logs

Part of [pmFetchArchive(3)](/pmFetchArchive/3.md).

## NAME

**pmFetchArchive** - get performance metrics directly from a set if archive logs

## C SYNOPSIS

**#include \<pcp/pmapi.h\>**

**int pmFetchArchive(pmResult \*\****result***);**

**cc ... -lpcp**

## DESCRIPTION

**pmFetchArchive** is a variant of  [**pmFetch**(3)](/pmFetch/3.md) that may only be used when the current Performance Metrics Application Programming Interface (PMAPI) context is associated with a set of archive logs.

The *result* is instantiated with all of the metrics (and instances) from the next archive record, consequently there is no notion of a list of desired metrics, and the instance profile of the PMAPI context is ignored.

**pmFetchArchive** may return a *result* in which *numpmid* is zero.  This is a *\<mark\>* record that indicates a temporal discontinuity in the time series of performance metrics.  This can happen at the boundary between archive logs in a set or if the archive log associated with the current PMAPI context was created using [**pmlogextract**(1)](/pmlogextract/1.md) to concatenate two or more PCP archive logs, and the *\<mark\>* record marks a point in time between the end of one input archive and the start of the next input archive.

It is expected that  **pmFetchArchive** would be used to create utilities that scan sets of archive logs, while the more common access to the archives would be via the  [**pmFetch**(3)](/pmFetch/3.md) interface.

To skip records within the set of archive logs, use [**pmSetMode**(3)](/pmSetMode/3.md) to change the collection time within the current PMAPI context, then call **pmFetchArchive.**

Note that the *result* returned by **pmFetchArchive** is dynamically allocated, and must be released using [**pmFreeResult**(3)](/pmFreeResult/3.md), not [**free**(3)](/free/3.md). See [**pmFetch**(3)](/pmFetch/3.md) and [**pmFreeResult**(3)](/pmFreeResult/3.md) for further details.

**pmFetchArchive** returns zero on success.

## SEE ALSO

[**PMAPI**(3)](/PMAPI/3.md), [**pmFetch**(3)](/pmFetch/3.md), [**pmFreeResult**(3)](/pmFreeResult/3.md), [**pmNewContext**(3)](/pmNewContext/3.md), [**pmSetMode**(3)](/pmSetMode/3.md) and [**pmTrimNameSpace**(3)](/pmTrimNameSpace/3.md).

## DIAGNOSTICS

- **PM\_ERR\_NOTARCHIVE**

  the current PMAPI context is not associated with a set of archive logs