Re: autofs vs. Sun automount -- new fs proposal

Mirian Crzig Lennox (mirian@xensei.com)
20 Dec 1998 15:59:48 -0500

Richard Gooch <rgooch@atnf.csiro.au> writes:
> > This is the way the BSD "null" file system works (having talked to
> > the author). It does not impose a significant penalty, as there is
> > almost nothing to do! But you have to do it often, once for each
> > method, slightly differently each time.
>
> Oh, yeah. Just what do the "nullfs" and "deadfs" filesystems in BSD
> do, anyway?

nullfs implements a loopback filesystem.

deadfs, as its name implies, implements a "dead" filesystem where all
operations except close() fail. The reason for its existence is that
in BSD a vnode can be disassociated from the underlying physical
object it refers to. When this happens, an object from the deadfs
takes the place of the previous "live" fs object.

-- 
Mirian Crzig Lennox                                Systems Anarchist
          "There's a New World Order coming every minute.
                      Make mine extra cheese."


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