Based on sysctl function by Michael Lynn aka frogor aka pudquick aka ????

sysctl_demo.py

# Based on sysctl function by Michael Lynn
# https://gist.github.com/pudquick/581a71425439f2cf8f09

from ctypes import CDLL, c_uint, byref, create_string_buffer
from ctypes import cast, POINTER, c_int32, c_int64
from ctypes.util import find_library
import struct

libc = CDLL(find_library('c'))


def sysctl(name, output_type=str):
    '''Wrapper for sysctl so we don't have to use subprocess'''
    size = c_uint(0)
    # Find out how big our buffer will be
    libc.sysctlbyname(name, None, byref(size), None, 0)
    # Make the buffer
    buf = create_string_buffer(size.value)
    # Re-run, but provide the buffer
    libc.sysctlbyname(name, buf, byref(size), None, 0)
    if output_type in (str, 'str'):
        return buf.value
    if output_type in (int, 'int'):
        # complex stuff to cast the buffer contents to a Python int
        if size.value == 4:
            return cast(buf, POINTER(c_int32)).contents.value
        if size.value == 8:
            return cast(buf, POINTER(c_int64)).contents.value
    if output_type == 'timeval':
        if size.value == 16:
            seconds, microseconds = struct.unpack('LL', buf.raw)
            return {'seconds': seconds, 'microseconds': microseconds}
    if output_type == 'raw':
        # just return the raw buffer
        return buf.raw


print sysctl('hw.cpufrequency', output_type=int)
print sysctl('hw.optional.x86_64', output_type=int)
print sysctl('hw.model')
print sysctl('kern.hostname')
print sysctl('kern.version')
print sysctl('machdep.cpu.vendor')

print sysctl('kern.boottime', output_type='timeval')
print repr(sysctl('hw.cacheconfig', output_type='raw'))