Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Mon, 30 Apr 2001 15:14:46 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Mon, 30 Apr 2001 15:14:40 -0400 Received: from chaos.analogic.com ([204.178.40.224]:1411 "EHLO chaos.analogic.com") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Mon, 30 Apr 2001 15:14:31 -0400 Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 15:14:25 -0400 (EDT) From: "Richard B. Johnson" Reply-To: root@chaos.analogic.com To: "David S. Miller" cc: Torrey Hoffman , "'Kenneth Johansson'" , Jonathan Lundell , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: RE: 2.4 and 2GB swap partition limit In-Reply-To: <15085.47104.75880.572242@pizda.ninka.net> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Mon, 30 Apr 2001, David S. Miller wrote: > > Richard B. Johnson writes: > > On Mon, 30 Apr 2001, Torrey Hoffman wrote: > > > In general, is there a safe way to replace executable files for > > > programs that might be running while their on-disk images are > > > replaced? > > > > Yes. Perfectly safe: > > > > mv /usr/bin/exeimage /usr/bin/exeimage.sav > > cp /wherever/exeimage /usr/bin/exeimage > > > > > > The executing task will continue to use the old image until it exits. > > Even more effective is: > > mv /wherever/exeimage /usr/bin/exeimage > > The kernel keeps around the contents of the old file while > the executing process still runs. > > This is also basically how things like libc get installed. > A single mv is not only preserves currently referenced contents, > it is atomic. > > Later, > David S. Miller > davem@redhat.com Sure, but now you can't get back if the new software doesn't run. This is why I recommended the two steps and cautioned about testing the new stuff first. Cheers, Dick Johnson Penguin : Linux version 2.4.1 on an i686 machine (799.53 BogoMips). "Memory is like gasoline. You use it up when you are running. Of course you get it all back when you reboot..."; Actual explanation obtained from the Micro$oft help desk. - 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/