bin/111101: /usr/bin/lockf: when lockf blocks due to another lockf and no -k is specified and the other lockf ends, the file is away

[R. B. Riddick]

The following reply was made to PR bin/111101; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: "R. B. Riddick" <arne_woerner at yahoo.com>
To: Kris Kennaway <kris at obsecurity.org>
Cc: freebsd-gnats-submit at FreeBSD.org
Subject: Re: bin/111101: /usr/bin/lockf: when lockf blocks due to another lockf and no -k is specified and the other lockf ends, the file is away
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2007 12:59:53 -0700 (PDT)

 --- Kris Kennaway <kris at obsecurity.org> wrote:
 > On Sun, Apr 01, 2007 at 06:41:43PM +0000, Arne Woerner wrote:
 > > Furthermore I would like to recommend, to make the "-k" behaviour the
 > > default behaviour, so that we will not remove data files, that were co-used
 > > as lock files...
 > 
 > We cannot do that, not using -k is required in some situations, so
 > those scripts will break.
 >
 OK - recommendation withdrawn...
 
 > It appears that lockf is working as designed, and also as explicitly
 > documented.  It looks like no action can be taken here.
 > 
 Explicitly? Documented? Since I have not found that documentation, can u help
 me a little bit by showing it?
 
 In the mean time I show a piece of my documentation (man page lockf(1)):
 "DESCRIPTION
      The lockf utility acquires an exclusive lock on a file, creating it if
      necessary, and removing the file on exit unless explicitly told not to.
      While holding the lock, it executes a command with optional arguments.
      After the command completes, lockf releases the lock, and removes the
      file unless the -k option is specified.  BSD-style locking is used, as
      described in flock(2); the mere existence of the file is not considered
      to constitute a lock."
 I repeat: "CREATING IT IF NECESSARY"
 
 If think, the explicit documentation says, that the file is created (although
 this "if necessary" is somewhat weaselish, so that the man page should be
 changed, too; it should say: "creating it if it does not exist").
 
 Currently without the "-k" option given only the first conflict is solved
 properly, while the next is not, which is surely not what we want, and which is
 surely nowhere documented.
 
 -Arne
 
 
 
  
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