Bug 43027 - added DNotify patch back to fam-2.7.0
Bug#: 43027 Product:  Gentoo Linux Version: unspecified Platform: All
OS/Version: Linux Status: RESOLVED Severity: normal Priority: P2
Resolution: FIXED Assigned To: foser@gentoo.org Reported By: vslavik@fastmail.fm
Component: Ebuilds
URL: 
Summary: added DNotify patch back to fam-2.7.0
Keywords:  
Status Whiteboard: 
Opened: 2004-02-26 13:39 0000
Description:   Opened: 2004-02-26 13:39 0000 
The FAM library can take advantage of Linux's dnotify feature to avoid polling
files for changes. It's not part of standard fam distribution, you have to
apply a patch. This patch was removed from app-admin/fam in 2.7.0 (2.6.10-r1
had it). There's no mention of it in ChangeLog other than "New release,
obsoletes most of the patches", so maybe it was a mistake? Anyway, this patch
is pretty important (it improves responsibility), so I took updated patch for
2.7.0 from Debian package and modified the ebuild to apply it. Patches
attached, tested & working.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:

------- Comment #1 From Vaclav Slavik 2004-02-26 13:39:43 0000 ------- 
Created an attachment (id=26426) [details]
patch for  the ebuild

------- Comment #2 From Vaclav Slavik 2004-02-26 13:40:16 0000 ------- 
Created an attachment (id=26427) [details]
fam-2.7.0-dnotify.patch

------- Comment #3 From Spider (RETIRED) 2004-02-26 13:49:15 0000 ------- 
Yes, thats correct. However, with DNotify there is another issue in descriptor
leakage for removable devices.  By not providing the DNotify event tracker in
fam there is no longer an issue with this, which is of more importance than the
slight boost in responsiveness.

------- Comment #4 From Vaclav Slavik 2004-02-26 14:11:51 0000 ------- 
Are you sure this is still true for 2.7.0 and latest (i.e. this one, Debian's)
version of dnotify patch? From Debian's changelog
(http://packages.debian.org/changelogs/pool/main/f/fam/fam_2.7.0-5/changelog):
"""
fam (2.7.0-1) experimental; urgency=low

  * New upstream release 
    (closes: Bug#224738):
    - should fix problems with unmounting filesystems with
      monitored files 
      (closes: Bug#225636)
"""
Comment #27 at http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=106936 seems
to indicate DNotify patch was fixed, too (it's dated 2004-02-04).

> which is of more importance than the slight boost in responsiveness.

As for "slight", I noticed this because KGhostview's Watch File feature started
to react considerably slower (as in immediately vs. something that felt like
1-2 seconds later) after I set up famd.

------- Comment #5 From foser (RETIRED) 2004-03-14 14:22:20 0000 ------- 
ok re-added dnotify support in fam-2.7.0-r1

I indeed couldn't reproduce the old locking problems, but that might also have todo with fixes in other packages. We'll just have to see how it goes. This patch seems quite a bit altered from the original.

about 'slight' , fam without monitor polls once p.sec afaik vs almost immediatly now. It looks better, but it doesn't matter that much.

------- Comment #6 From jack_mort 2004-04-21 04:20:01 0000 ------- 
Here, with fam-2.7.0-r1, I've still the problem with removable devices...

------- Comment #7 From foser (RETIRED) 2004-04-21 15:32:45 0000 ------- 
describe the exact problem & how it is reproducable . I can't reproduce the old
problem.

------- Comment #8 From jack_mort 2004-04-22 00:44:22 0000 ------- 
Well, it's quite simple :

In nautilus :
- start famd...
- mount a floppy/usbkey
- access it with nautilus to copy or read some files on it
- try to unmount the floppy/usbkey

Nautilus complains the device is busy... Try in a term. Same thing. With a lsof, you see that the mount point is beeing monitored by famd... Restart or stop famd : you can unmount.