[PATCH 03/17] Unionfs: document behavior when the lower topology changes

From: Erez Zadok
Date: Sat Feb 16 2008 - 21:59:00 EST


Signed-off-by: Erez Zadok <ezk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Documentation/filesystems/unionfs/concepts.txt | 13 +++++++++++++
1 files changed, 13 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/unionfs/concepts.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/unionfs/concepts.txt
index bed69bd..8d9a1c5 100644
--- a/Documentation/filesystems/unionfs/concepts.txt
+++ b/Documentation/filesystems/unionfs/concepts.txt
@@ -210,4 +210,17 @@ there's a lot of concurrent activity on both the upper and lower objects,
for the same file(s). Lastly, this delayed time attribute detection is
similar to how NFS clients operate (e.g., acregmin).

+Finally, there is no way currently in Linux to prevent lower directories
+from being moved around (i.e., topology changes); there's no way to prevent
+modifications to directory sub-trees of whole file systems which are mounted
+read-write. It is therefore possible for in-flight operations in unionfs to
+take place, while a lower directory is being moved around. Therefore, if
+you try to, say, create a new file in a directory through unionfs, while the
+directory is being moved around directly, then the new file may get created
+in the new location where that directory was moved to. This is a somewhat
+similar behaviour in NFS: an NFS client could be creating a new file while
+th NFS server is moving th directory around; the file will get successfully
+created in the new location. (The one exception in unionfs is that if the
+branch is marked read-only by unionfs, then a copyup will take place.)
+
For more information, see <http://unionfs.filesystems.org/>.
--
1.5.2.2

--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/