From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Fri, 7 Sep 2001 15:34:10 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Fri, 7 Sep 2001 15:34:01 -0400 Received: from vindaloo.ras.ucalgary.ca ([136.159.55.21]:59331 "EHLO vindaloo.ras.ucalgary.ca") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Fri, 7 Sep 2001 15:33:50 -0400 Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 13:33:51 -0600 Message-Id: <200109071933.f87JXp913517@vindaloo.ras.ucalgary.ca> From: Richard Gooch To: "Giacomo A. Catenazzi" Cc: Alexander Viro , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: OOPS[devfs]: reproducible in vfs_follow_link 2.4.9,2.4.10-pre4 In-Reply-To: <3B993207.787B0D5@dplanet.ch> In-Reply-To: <3B97744E.7020007@dplanet.ch> <200109061941.f86Jfak01921@vindaloo.ras.ucalgary.ca> <3B993207.787B0D5@dplanet.ch> Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Giacomo A. Catenazzi writes: > Richard Gooch wrote: > > > > Alexander Viro writes: > > > > > > > > > On Thu, 6 Sep 2001, Giacomo Catenazzi wrote: > > > > > > > Hello. > > > > > > > > Since yesterdey, every time I run a 2.4.9 or 2.4.10pre-4 without the > > > > "devfs=nomount" I > > > > have two oops + /usr, /home /boot not mounted (all (also /): ext2). > > > > > > Don't use devfs. One of the known bugs - devfs passes a string > > > to vfs_follow_link() and doesn't care to preserve it until > > > vfs_follow_link() is done. [I said it was fixed for UP in recent devfs patches] > > If people could test the latest devfs patch, that would be really > > helpful. Linus isn't applying it because he's concerned that the many > > SD support may break something. Even if you don't have many SD's, > > please apply the patch and send a message to the list (and Cc: me) > > stating whether or not your system still works. > > No, your patch didn't work. > I have still the oops. Hm! Is this a UP or SMP kernel? > I investigates, and the oops come in the mountall script (in init.d), > when running: mount -avt nonfs,nosmbfs. > (I noticed thet at this point kernel load floppy modules, but when I > removed also the floppy module, the oops reappers.) Hm. I've had one other bug report which initially seemed to be devfs-related, but it was also related to the floppy driver as well. IIRC, elsewhere Alan noted there seemed to be some problems with the floppy driver. I suspect the bug you (and the other person) are having is related to the floppy driver and not devfs. Please try renaming/removing your floppy driver and see if the problem persists. I bet it goes away. As Al mused, it was odd that the problem only appears now. While there are known races in devfs, no-one has ever encountered these in real life (targetted exploits are not "real life"). So I too am surprised that suddenly there appears a problem with devfs. In the meantime, my tree is getting closer to the stage where I will attempt a compile. Soon I will be able to dispel this dark cloud of "devfs races" that Al keeps muttering about :-) Regards, Richard.... Permanent: rgooch@atnf.csiro.au Current: rgooch@ras.ucalgary.ca