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Re: /run vs /var/run



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md@Linux.IT (Marco d'Itri) writes:

> On Dec 18, Roger Leigh <rleigh@whinlatter.ukfsn.org> wrote:
>
>> How strongly can I put this?  /dev/shm is for *shared memory*, not for
>> random junk.  /dev/shm is for POSIX shared memory and semaphores
> /dev/shm is a tmpfs which happens to be used by POSIX SHM. I have not
> seen yet a good reason why it should not be used by other users too.

There could be a naming conflict.  The entire namespace is reserved
for SHM, right?  That means if someone does a

  "int shm = shm_open("/foobar", O_CREAY, 0600)"

and some thoughtless prat already put something by than name there,
they are completely stuffed.

They should use a tmpfs mounted somewhere else.

Here's a sample program to demonstrate:

#include <sys/mman.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <errno.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

int
main (void)
{
  int fd = shm_open("/foobar", O_CREAT, 0600);
  if (fd < 0)
    {
      fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: %s\n", strerror(errno));
      exit(1);
    }
  fprintf(stderr, "SUCCESS\n");
  exit(0);
}

>> created with sem_open() and shm_open().  We don't want random breakage
>> because people put files in there.  /dev/shm is reserved.
> Actually people have been putting files there for a while, even in
> packages in a stable release. Can you point us to some examples of the
> random breakage you suggest has happened?

It hasn't happened, but POSIX shm will inevitably take time to gain
users.  That doesn't mean abusing it is a good idea in the meantime.

>> Where was it ever written down that any package could use /dev/shm?
>> They can't.
> Oops. They already do.

Correct, but does that make it OK?  I find it disgustingly bad
practice, and now we have /run, they can move to using that.  /run is
a good idea for this reason alone, because it will correct this abuse.

I fail to see why anyone can consider abuse of an unrelated subsystem
"because it's there" is good engineering practice.  Any package
abusing /dev/shm is deserving of an RC bug.


Regards,
Roger

- -- 
Roger Leigh
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