Re: DAX mapping detection (was: Re: [PATCH] Fix region lost in /proc/self/smaps)

Christoph Hellwig
2016-09-13T07:17:39Z

On Tue, Sep 13, 2016 at 11:53:11AM +1000, Nicholas Piggin wrote:
> - Application mmaps a file, faults in block 0
> - FS allocates block, creates mappings, syncs metadata, sets "no fsync"
> flag for that block, and completes the fault.
> - Application writes some data to block 0, completes userspace flushes
>
> * At this point, a crash must return with above data (or newer).
>
> - Application starts writing more stuff into block 0
> - Concurrently, fault in block 1
> - FS starts to allocate, splits trees including mappings to block 0
>
> * Crash
>
> Is that right? How does your filesystem lose data before the sync
> point?

Witht all current file systems chances are your metadata hasn't been
flushed out. You could write all metadata synchronously from the
page fault handler, but that's basically asking for all kinds of
deadlocks.

> If there is any huge complexity or unsolved problem, it is in XFS.
> Conceptual problem is simple.

Good to have you back and make all the hard thing simple :)