Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S265898AbUAEIN0 (ORCPT ); Mon, 5 Jan 2004 03:13:26 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S265899AbUAEIN0 (ORCPT ); Mon, 5 Jan 2004 03:13:26 -0500 Received: from findaloan.ca ([66.11.177.6]:54968 "EHLO mark.mielke.cc") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S265898AbUAEINP (ORCPT ); Mon, 5 Jan 2004 03:13:15 -0500 Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2004 20:47:55 -0500 From: Mark Mielke To: Jeremy Maitin-Shepard Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: st_dev:st_ino (was: Re: udev and devfs - The final word) Message-ID: <20040105014755.GB24410@mark.mielke.cc> Mail-Followup-To: Jeremy Maitin-Shepard , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org References: <20040104000840.A3625@pclin040.win.tue.nl> <20040104034934.A3669@pclin040.win.tue.nl> <20040104142111.A11279@pclin040.win.tue.nl> <20040104230104.A11439@pclin040.win.tue.nl> <200401042335.i04NZqQZ029910@turing-police.cc.vt.edu> <87k747w4ow.fsf@jbms.ath.cx> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <87k747w4ow.fsf@jbms.ath.cx> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.1i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1571 Lines: 34 On Sun, Jan 04, 2004 at 08:43:27PM -0500, Jeremy Maitin-Shepard wrote: > Unfortunately, programs such as tar depend on inode numbers of distinct > files being distinct even when the file is not open over a period of > several minutes/seconds. This is needed to avoid dumping hard links > more than once. Furthermore, there is no efficient way to write > programs such as tar without depending on this capability. Thus, if > st_ino cannot be used reliably for this purpose, it would be useful for > there to be a system call for retrieving a true > unique-within-the-filesystem identifier for the file. We already have that: st_nlink I think you mean a system call that would allow you to be certain that two file descriptors refer to the same file. Then, any files with st_nlink >= 2 would have to use the system call to match them up. mark -- mark@mielke.cc/markm@ncf.ca/markm@nortelnetworks.com __________________________ . . _ ._ . . .__ . . ._. .__ . . . .__ | Neighbourhood Coder |\/| |_| |_| |/ |_ |\/| | |_ | |/ |_ | | | | | | \ | \ |__ . | | .|. |__ |__ | \ |__ | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them... http://mark.mielke.cc/ - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/