Re: VFS
Ralf Baechle (ralf@uni-koblenz.de)
Mon, 17 Nov 1997 09:50:52 +0100
On Sun, Nov 16, 1997 at 06:04:25PM -0500, Andrew E. Mileski wrote:
> > > I never stated inode numbers were meaningless outside the kernel,
> > > but the output of "ls -i" is meaningless when using virtual inode
> > > numbers.
> >
> > Yes, and they also do not have the semantics that programs expect.
>
> For reference, could you name a few other programs that want
> to use inode numbers? [AFAIK, there are no system calls that
> take inode numbers as args.] Thanks.
- cpio, tar and other programs use inode numbers to identify hardlinked
files.
- There is also a patch floating around that enables the kernel to
open files by inode number. This in conjunction with a modified INN
delivers significant speedups as the INN spends a large fraction of
it's time searching files. You may call it a broken fix for a broken
system though ...
Ralf