Re: [PATCH 30/32] vfs: Allow cloning of a mount tree with open(O_PATH|O_CLONE_MOUNT) [ver #8]

Al Viro [off-list ref] wrote:

TBH, I would probably prefer separate mount_setattr(2) for that kind
of work, with something like
	int mount_setattr(int dirfd, const char *path, int flags, int attr)
*not* opening any files.
flags:
	AT_EMPTY_PATH, AT_NO_AUTOMOUNT, AT_RECURSIVE

I would call these MOUNT_SETATTR_* rather than AT_*.

attr:
	MOUNT_SETATTR_DEV		(1<<0)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_NODEV		(1<<0)|(1<<1)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_EXEC		(1<<2)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_NOEXEC		(1<<2)|(1<<3)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_SUID		(1<<4)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_NOSUID		(1<<4)|(1<<5)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_RW		(1<<6)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_RO		(1<<6)|(1<<7)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_RELATIME		(1<<8)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_NOATIME		(1<<8)|(1<<9)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_NODIRATIME	(1<<8)|(2<<9)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_STRICTATIME	(1<<8)|(3<<9)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_PRIVATE		(1<<11)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_SHARED		(1<<11)|(1<<12)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_SLAVE		(1<<11)|(2<<12)
	MOUNT_SETATTR_UNBINDABLE	(1<<11)|(3<<12)

So, I like this generally, some notes though:

I wonder if this should be two separate parameters, a mask and the settings?
I'm not sure that's worth it since some of the mask bits would cover multiple
settings.

Also, should NODIRATIME be separate from the other *ATIME flags?  I do also
like treating some of these settings as enumerations rather than a set of
bits.

I would make the prototype:

	int mount_setattr(int dirfd, const char *path,
			  unsigned int flags, unsigned int attr,
			  void *reserved5);

Further, do we want to say you can either change the propagation type *or*
reconfigure the mountpoint restrictions, but not both at the same time?

With either openat() used as in this series, or explicit
	int open_tree(int dirfd, const char *path, int flags)

Maybe open_mount(), grab_mount() or pick_mount()?

I wonder if fsopen()/fspick() should be create_fs()/open_fs()...

returning a descriptor, with flags being
	AT_EMPTY_PATH, AT_NO_AUTOMOUNT, AT_RECURSIVE, AT_CLONE
with AT_RECURSIVE without AT_CLONE being an error.

You also need an O_CLOEXEC equivalent.

I would make it:

	OPEN_TREE_CLOEXEC		0x00000001
	OPEN_TREE_EMPTY_PATH		0x00000002
	OPEN_TREE_FOLLOW_SYMLINK	0x00000004
	OPEN_TREE_NO_AUTOMOUNT		0x00000008
	OPEN_TREE_CLONE			0x00000010
	OPEN_TREE_RECURSIVE		0x00000020

adding the follow-symlinks so that you don't grab a symlink target by
accident.  (Can you actually mount on top of a symlink?)

Hell, might even add AT_UMOUNT for "open root and detach, to be dissolved on
close", incompatible with AT_CLONE.

Cute.  Guess you could do:

	fd = open_mount(..., OPEN_TREE_DETACH);
	mount_setattr(fd, "",
		      MOUNT_SETATTR_EMPTY_PATH,
		      MOUNT_SETATTR_NOSUID, NULL);
	move_mount(fd, "", ...);

David