Re: fcntl(2) and other file systems like XFS

From: almesber@lrc.di.epfl.ch
Date: Fri Mar 24 2000 - 08:07:25 EST


Jamie Lokier wrote:
> I expect ioctls are not properly restricted for an O_NONE file, but I
> didn't try. It wouldn't be hard to simply avoid opening the underlying
> device -- thus allowing the fs-specific through to the fs.

Some uses of O_NONE (or "O_NOACCESS", as it's called sometimes) are in
avoiding access to a device (read-ahead, media detection, etc.) for
which we want to send ioctls:

 - setfdprm: the driver may not know how to read the disk before the
   ioctls are done
 - fdformat: for obvious reasons
 - LILO: fetch geometry data, even if the media is not around

Particularly fdformat is a good test if O_NONE still works :-)

BTW, O_NONE is about as old as Linux. Maybe we should eventually add it
to asm/fcntl.h, to avoid the regular threads on its feasibility ;-)

- Werner

-- 
  _________________________________________________________________________
 / Werner Almesberger, ICA, EPFL, CH       werner.almesberger@ica.epfl.ch /
/_IN_N_032__Tel_+41_21_693_6621__Fax_+41_21_693_6610_____________________/

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