How to make VFAT work right in 2.4.0-prerelease

From: Ivan Baldo (lubaldo@adinet.com.uy)
Date: Sat Jan 06 2001 - 13:47:19 EST

        Hello.
HOWTO:
        - edit file fs/fat/inode.c, look in the function named
"fat_notify_change" (at about line 901), where it says:"
        /* FAT cannot truncate to a longer file */
        if (attr->ia_valid & ATTR_SIZE) {
                if (attr->ia_size > inode->i_size)
                        return -EPERM;
        }
        ", just delete all of it (or comment it out). This change wich has been
made in the -prerelease versión, makes Netscape Messenger not to work
with email stored on a VFAT partition, ok, I guess that maybe is
Netscape's fault though, but just removing that code makes Messenger at
least work somewhat.
        - apply attached patch made by Eelco Dolstra
<edolstra@students.cs.uu.nl>, I am testing and using this patch since
13.nov.2000 (a lot of time) and with various versions of the Linux
2.4.0-testXX series kernels and it works flawlessly! Without it you get
allocation errors when using the "truncate()" C function to grow files
(and Messenger seems to use it).
        - recompile the kernel and be happy!

        I don't know why this patch isn't applied yet on the official kernel
and why the kernel people made that change to the inode.c file, maybe
they could explain us (please!).

        Thanks a lot to everyone and special thanks to Eelco!
        Goodbye.

P.s.: yes, I am writing this email with Netscape Messenger with emails
stored on a VFAT partition and using the 2.4.0-prerelease kernel with
those changes: no problems so far. 

-- 
Ivan Baldo:
lubaldo@adinet.com.uy - http://go.to/ibaldo - ICQ 10215364
Phone: (598) (2) 613 3223.
Caldas 1781, 11400 Malvin, Montevideo, Uruguay, South America.

(If you have problems with the previous addresses, try this ones:
ibaldo@usa.net, http://members.xoom.com/baldo.1).

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