Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 19:39:04 -0800 (PST) From: Tom <tom@sdf.com> To: Simon Shapiro <Shimon@i-Connect.Net> Cc: "Bryn Wm. Moslow" <bryn@nwlink.com>, freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org, Dave Chapeskie <dchapes@golden.net> Subject: Re: Password file builds Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.95q.971031193302.11298C-100000@misery.sdf.com> In-Reply-To: <XFMail.971031183012.Shimon@i-Connect.Net>
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On Fri, 31 Oct 1997, Simon Shapiro wrote: ... > > The biggest problem with this is, that there are no tools to fix or > > verify db files. If the /etc/pwd.db or /etc/spwd.db becomes damaged, > > you're screwed. > > Same thing if the filesystem gets corrupted. Both are a complex, not > easily human-readable structures that contain complex data. A file system, > in this view is a simple, single-indexed heirarchial database (almost > network, but not quite). In well written software, the risk is similar, > except that a db file is sompler to backup. True, but filesystems have "fsck". We don't have a "dbck". I wish there was one. > > Also, there are locking issue with in place updates of db files. Do > > the > > pw routines in libc even do locking? I don't think so. What happens if > > someone calls getpwnam() at the while someone else is writing a new > > entry > > into the database? Bang, you're dead. > > Now, these are legitimate concerns. Yes, the old rebuild and rename process is atomic, safe, and easy to implement, but slow. > Sincerely Yours, > > Simon Shapiro Atlas Telecom > Senior Architect 14355 SW Allen Blvd., Suite 130 Beaverton OR 97005 > Shimon@i-Connect.Net Voice: 503.799.2313 > > Tom
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