Miklos Szeredi wrote:

quoted

On Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:51:52 +0100 Miklos Szeredi [off-list ref] wrote:

    

quoted

This patch makes writing to shared memory mappings update st_ctime and
st_mtime as defined by SUSv3:

   The st_ctime and st_mtime fields of a file that is mapped with
   MAP_SHARED and PROT_WRITE shall be marked for update at some point
   in the interval between a write reference to the mapped region and
   the next call to msync() with MS_ASYNC or MS_SYNC for that portion
   of the file by any process. If there is no such call and if the
   underlying file is modified as a result of a write reference, then
   these fields shall be marked for update at some time after the
   write reference.

A new address_space flag is introduced: AS_CMTIME.  This is set each
time a page is dirtied through a userspace memory mapping.  This
includes write accesses via get_user_pages().

Note, the flag is set unconditionally, even if the page is already
dirty.  This is important, because the page might have been dirtied
earlier by a non-mmap write.

This flag is checked in msync() and __fput(), and if set, the file
times are updated and the flag is cleared

The flag is also cleared, if the time update is triggered by a normal
write.  This is not mandated by the standard, but seems to be a sane
thing to do.
      

Why is the flag checked in __fput()?
    

It's because of this bit in the standard:

    If there is no such call and if the underlying file is modified
    as a result of a write reference, then these fields shall be
    marked for update at some time after the write reference.

It could be done in munmap/mremap, but it seemed more difficult to
track down all the places where the vma is removed.  But yes, that may
be a nicer solution.

It seems to me that, with this support, a file, which is mmap'd,
modified, but never msync'd or munmap'd, will never get its mtime
updated.  Or did I miss that?

I also don't see how an mmap'd block device will get its mtime
updated either.

    Thanx...

       ps

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