Serious NWFS problems ...

[Feczak Szabolcs]

On Sat, Apr 24, 2004 at 01:39:14AM +0930, Malcolm Kay wrote:
> This command should always give an error. If
> /mnt/nwfs does not exist you can't create
> /mnt/nwfs/., and if /mnt/nwfs exist then so will
> /mnt/nwfs/.

That was the point, to make the os admit, that it
exist, so 

$ mkdir /mnt/nwfs/.
mkdir: /mnt/nwfs/.: File exists

It claims that it exist

$ file /mnt/nwfs/.
/mnt/nwfs/.: can't stat `/mnt/nwfs/.' (No such file or directory).

It claims that it does not exist 

-> Confusion

Anyhow, the most confusing thing is that it produces this
thing :

$ mount | grep nwfs
/NWSERVER:ADMIN/SDI on /mnt/nwfs (nwfs)

So I have the fs mounted, fine

$ file /mnt/nwfs/.
/mnt/nwfs/.: directory

Lets check if the /mnt/nwfs/. reference works ..
Since it returns that it is a directory
fstat was successfull

$ rm /mnt/nwfs/*
rm: /mnt/nwfs/DESKTOP.AFP: is a directory
rm: /mnt/nwfs/Icon: Unknown error: 35216
rm: /mnt/nwfs/Network Trash Folder: is a directory
rm: /mnt/nwfs/a: is a directory
rm: /mnt/nwfs/agica: is a directory
rm: /mnt/nwfs/baby: is a directory
rm: /mnt/nwfs/data: is a directory
rm: /mnt/nwfs/deleted.sav: is a directory
rm: /mnt/nwfs/fokonyv: is a directory
rm: /mnt/nwfs/test: is a directory
rm: /mnt/nwfs/x: is a directory

Lets delete the files in the root path of the mount,
but not the directories, we got some errors, but
it is okay to be so

$ cp /tmp/testfile1 /mnt/nwfs

Lets copy a normal ascii file to the root dir of
the mount

$ file /mnt/nwfs/.
/mnt/nwfs/.: can't stat `/mnt/nwfs/.' (No such file or directory).

and whoala we have problem

So it claims that it does not exist, at least the mount is
unreachable

$ cd /mnt/nwfs

$ ls
ls: .: No such file or directory

And realy it is not
Wait a few seconds here, and I got:

$ ls
DESKTOP.AFP		agica			fokonyv
Icon			baby			test
Network Trash Folder	data			testfile1
a			deleted.sav		x

$ file /mnt/nwfs/.
/mnt/nwfs/.: directory

So now it exist and reports that it is a directory ....
reachable again 
But If I do not issue ls or the thing just a little
bit lower explained here I got back an error from 
the file /mnt/nwfs/. command as many times I issue it
unless I remount it or make the os rethink this with
ls or file command trick.

The above process can be repeated unlimited times, and produces
the error in every case -> Thats good at least it is consequent
and not a random error

Looks like after file operations, the kernel or ncpmount does
not refresh the stats on the fs, or has problem with it, since
it can not access it for some seconds ... It always makes to
behave the mounted fs right instatly If I issue the
file /mnt/nwfs/a/../.
which is in theory should be equivalent to
file /mnt/nwfs/.
but in practice it doesn't since, the first one restores the normal
behaviour of the filesystem, the second one in the errorous state
only returns en error (after first command is issued, the second
also works, but If I issue the second one first it claims that it
does not exist)

You may wonder why Im I refering to /mnt/nwfs as /mnt/nwfs/.
because the problem comes from, that I can not rsync it some times
and rsync needs to access this directory in the above form.

> I see that ncpmount is commonly used in Linux 
> I've been using mount_nwfs on 4.5, 4.7, 4.8 and 4.9
> releases from the standard installation without 
> problems.

Well good maybe I will have a look with 4.9-Release
again, saidly it can be only a test, since Im not
able to use 4.9-Release for my purposes, as I mentioned
I have to reach samba volumes as well, and 4.9-Release
has the file lock problem 
http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=64719

4.9-Beta and 5.2.1 has this fixed, saidly 5.2.1 produces
critical kernel panic with ncpmount, so my only choice
currently is 4.9-Beta ... but If I can't resolve these
problems ... maybe none :(


I try to recompile my kenrel with higher HZ value
thats my only idea at the moment  ....

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