Re: [PATCH against 2.6.14] truncate() or ftruncate shouldn't changemtime if size doesn't change.

From: Andrew Morton
Date: Mon Oct 31 2005 - 01:49:08 EST


NeilBrown <neilb@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
>
> According to Posix and SUS, truncate(2) and ftruncate(2) only update
> ctime and mtime if the size actually changes. Linux doesn't currently
> obey this.
>
> There is no need to test the size under i_sem, as loosing any race
> will not make a noticable different the mtime or ctime.

Well if there's a race then the file may end up not being truncated after
this patch is applied. But that could have happened anwyay, so I don't see
a need for i_sem synchronisation either.

> (According to SUS, truncate and ftruncate 'may' clear setuid/setgid
> as well, currently we don't. Should we?
> )
>
>
> Signed-off-by: Neil Brown <neilb@xxxxxxx>
>
> ### Diffstat output
> ./fs/open.c | 6 ++++--
> 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)
>
> diff ./fs/open.c~current~ ./fs/open.c
> --- ./fs/open.c~current~ 2005-10-31 16:22:44.000000000 +1100
> +++ ./fs/open.c 2005-10-31 16:22:44.000000000 +1100
> @@ -260,7 +260,8 @@ static inline long do_sys_truncate(const
> goto dput_and_out;
>
> error = locks_verify_truncate(inode, NULL, length);
> - if (!error) {
> + if (!error &&
> + length != i_size_read(dentry->d_inode)) {

Odd code layout?

> DQUOT_INIT(inode);
> error = do_truncate(nd.dentry, length);
> }
> @@ -313,7 +314,8 @@ static inline long do_sys_ftruncate(unsi
> goto out_putf;
>
> error = locks_verify_truncate(inode, file, length);
> - if (!error)
> + if (!error &&
> + length != i_size_read(dentry->d_inode))
> error = do_truncate(dentry, length);
> out_putf:
> fput(file);

This partially obsoletes the similar optimisation in inode_setattr(). I
guess the optimisation there retains some usefulness for O_TRUNC opens of
zero-length files, but for symettry and micro-efficiency, perhaps we should
remvoe the inode_setattr() test and check for i_size==0 in may_open()?


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