Re: [patch 2/8] update ctime and mtime for mmaped write

Miklos Szeredi
2007-03-06T22:37:41Z

> > AS_CMTIME is only for the case, when the "file modified since the last
> > msync" info is lost from the ptes, e.g. because of page reclaim.
> >
> > So it doesn't matter if AS_CMTIME is not set, is_page_modified() will
> > provide the necessary barrier.
>
> The trouble is, we went from a pull to a push model, and now you're
> adding pull code again.
>
> We have PG_dirty correct at all times, I think its no less reasonable to
> have AS_CMTIME correct in the same fashion.

There's a very important difference. PG_dirty correctness is needed,
because the _number_ of dirty pages needs to be accounted. But there
is no such requirement for AS_CMTIME, nobody cares _how_many_ pages
have been modified since the last msync() call. All we need to know
is _if_ the file has been modified or not.

Thanks,
Miklos