Re: Need to remove a ghost file, but can't because it doesn't exist

[Mike McCarty <Mike.McCarty@sbcglobal.net>]

hendrik@topoi.pooq.com wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 16, 2006 at 10:14:00AM +0000, J.A. de Vries wrote:
>
> > On 2006-11-15 @ 22:27:03 (week 46) Mike McCarty wrote:
> >
> >
> > > OTOH, something is there. Try using
> > >
> > > # lsof
> >
> > Ah, hadn't thought of lsof or fuser yet. Good reminder, thanks!
> >
> > I tried both but lsof didn't list the file as being used and fuser
> > couldn't find the file at all ("No such file or directory").
> >
> >
> > > He probably has a file which has been deleted, but which
> > > some process still has open. This causes the directory
> > > entry to be marked "for deletion", but for the allocation
> > > not to be released to free space until the last process
> > > has closed the file.
>
>
> I thought that a deleted file that was still being read *was* unlinked 
> from the directory, just not removed from the disk until it was closed.

Sorry, I wasn't speaking of the internal details. But there is certainly
a directory entry, or lsof couldn't display the name. For example..

$ /usr/sbin/lsof | grep deleted
gconfd-2   3630 jmccarty   13wW  REG        3,5      625    258777 
/tmp/gconfd-jmccarty/lock/0t1161529398ut556742u500p3630r1806880270k3220436076 
(deleted)
nautilus   3678 jmccarty   27r   REG       8,65     1250   2097341 
/mnt/usb/home/jmccarty/projects/restoration/Tubes/0DataSheets/Sylvania_1951.txt 
(deleted)

Mike
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