Re: Floppy disk strange behavior

Alan Cox (alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk)
Tue, 9 Jan 2001 21:37:07 +0000 (GMT)


> dd bug. It tries to ftruncate() the output file and gets all upset when
> kernel refuses to truncate a block device (surprise, surprise).

Standards compliant but unexpected.

> Basically, dd(1) expects kernel to fake success for ftruncate() on the
> things that can't be truncated. Bad idea. 2.2 didn't bother to report

Actually its explicitly mentioned by the spec that truncate _may_ extend
a file but need not do so.

> Try to build GNU dd on other Unices and you will be able to trigger that
> bug on quite a few of them.

I think not

> ftruncate(2) is _not_ supposed to succeed on anything other than regular
> files. I.e. dd(1) should not call it and expect success if file is not
> regular. Plain and simple...

2.2 is least suprise 2.4 is most information, but misleading errno IMHO

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