Re: [PATCH -V2] Generic name to handle and open by handle syscalls

[Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>]

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On Thu, 2010-03-18 at 22:39 +0530, Aneesh Kumar K.V wrote:
> The below set of patches implement open by handle support using exportfs
> operations. This allows user space application to map a file name to file 
> handle and later open the file using handle. This should be usable
> for userspace NFS [1] and 9P server [2]. XFS already support this with the ioctls
> XFS_IOC_PATH_TO_HANDLE and XFS_IOC_OPEN_BY_HANDLE.
[...]

I think this is quite a poor choice of name.  A 'handle' is normally a
capability and a counted reference to some resource.  In a Linux context
'file handle' suggests to me a pointer to struct file.  But as I
understand it you are trying to provide an uncounted reference that is
still subject to later permission checks.

I would suggest something like 'file id', 'file number' (though that
could be confused with file descriptor numbers) or 'file cookie'.

Ben.

-- 
Ben Hutchings
Once a job is fouled up, anything done to improve it makes it worse.

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