diff options
author | Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab+huawei@kernel.org> | 2020-04-27 23:17:21 +0200 |
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committer | Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net> | 2020-05-05 09:23:25 -0600 |
commit | 982649915d626bba8753c04e994e5a6650523c64 (patch) | |
tree | 8fb1a416d56298f9434e1bb2a2fbb6a770532dbf /Documentation/filesystems | |
parent | fc2f6fe745a0fa287f68cb8fba04040aaf73fa28 (diff) | |
download | lwn-982649915d626bba8753c04e994e5a6650523c64.tar.gz lwn-982649915d626bba8753c04e994e5a6650523c64.zip |
docs: filesystems: convert configfs.txt to ReST
- Add a SPDX header;
- Adjust document and section titles;
- Use copyright symbol;
- Some whitespace fixes and new line breaks;
- Mark literal blocks as such;
- Add it to filesystems/index.rst.
Also, as this file is alone on its own dir, and it doesn't
seem too likely that other documents will follow it, let's
move it to the filesystems/ root documentation dir.
Signed-off-by: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab+huawei@kernel.org>
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/r/c2424ec2ad4d735751434ff7f52144c44aa02d5a.1588021877.git.mchehab+huawei@kernel.org
Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/filesystems')
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/filesystems/configfs.rst (renamed from Documentation/filesystems/configfs/configfs.txt) | 131 | ||||
-rw-r--r-- | Documentation/filesystems/index.rst | 1 |
2 files changed, 80 insertions, 52 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/configfs/configfs.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/configfs.rst index 16e606c11f40..f8941954c667 100644 --- a/Documentation/filesystems/configfs/configfs.txt +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/configfs.rst @@ -1,5 +1,6 @@ - -configfs - Userspace-driven kernel object configuration. +======================================================= +Configfs - Userspace-driven Kernel Object Configuration +======================================================= Joel Becker <joel.becker@oracle.com> @@ -9,7 +10,8 @@ Copyright (c) 2005 Oracle Corporation, Joel Becker <joel.becker@oracle.com> -[What is configfs?] +What is configfs? +================= configfs is a ram-based filesystem that provides the converse of sysfs's functionality. Where sysfs is a filesystem-based view of @@ -35,10 +37,11 @@ kernel modules backing the items must respond to this. Both sysfs and configfs can and should exist together on the same system. One is not a replacement for the other. -[Using configfs] +Using configfs +============== configfs can be compiled as a module or into the kernel. You can access -it by doing +it by doing:: mount -t configfs none /config @@ -56,28 +59,29 @@ values. Don't mix more than one attribute in one attribute file. There are two types of configfs attributes: * Normal attributes, which similar to sysfs attributes, are small ASCII text -files, with a maximum size of one page (PAGE_SIZE, 4096 on i386). Preferably -only one value per file should be used, and the same caveats from sysfs apply. -Configfs expects write(2) to store the entire buffer at once. When writing to -normal configfs attributes, userspace processes should first read the entire -file, modify the portions they wish to change, and then write the entire -buffer back. + files, with a maximum size of one page (PAGE_SIZE, 4096 on i386). Preferably + only one value per file should be used, and the same caveats from sysfs apply. + Configfs expects write(2) to store the entire buffer at once. When writing to + normal configfs attributes, userspace processes should first read the entire + file, modify the portions they wish to change, and then write the entire + buffer back. * Binary attributes, which are somewhat similar to sysfs binary attributes, -but with a few slight changes to semantics. The PAGE_SIZE limitation does not -apply, but the whole binary item must fit in single kernel vmalloc'ed buffer. -The write(2) calls from user space are buffered, and the attributes' -write_bin_attribute method will be invoked on the final close, therefore it is -imperative for user-space to check the return code of close(2) in order to -verify that the operation finished successfully. -To avoid a malicious user OOMing the kernel, there's a per-binary attribute -maximum buffer value. + but with a few slight changes to semantics. The PAGE_SIZE limitation does not + apply, but the whole binary item must fit in single kernel vmalloc'ed buffer. + The write(2) calls from user space are buffered, and the attributes' + write_bin_attribute method will be invoked on the final close, therefore it is + imperative for user-space to check the return code of close(2) in order to + verify that the operation finished successfully. + To avoid a malicious user OOMing the kernel, there's a per-binary attribute + maximum buffer value. When an item needs to be destroyed, remove it with rmdir(2). An item cannot be destroyed if any other item has a link to it (via symlink(2)). Links can be removed via unlink(2). -[Configuring FakeNBD: an Example] +Configuring FakeNBD: an Example +=============================== Imagine there's a Network Block Device (NBD) driver that allows you to access remote block devices. Call it FakeNBD. FakeNBD uses configfs @@ -86,14 +90,14 @@ sysadmins use to configure FakeNBD, but somehow that program has to tell the driver about it. Here's where configfs comes in. When the FakeNBD driver is loaded, it registers itself with configfs. -readdir(3) sees this just fine: +readdir(3) sees this just fine:: # ls /config fakenbd A fakenbd connection can be created with mkdir(2). The name is arbitrary, but likely the tool will make some use of the name. Perhaps -it is a uuid or a disk name: +it is a uuid or a disk name:: # mkdir /config/fakenbd/disk1 # ls /config/fakenbd/disk1 @@ -102,7 +106,7 @@ it is a uuid or a disk name: The target attribute contains the IP address of the server FakeNBD will connect to. The device attribute is the device on the server. Predictably, the rw attribute determines whether the connection is -read-only or read-write. +read-only or read-write:: # echo 10.0.0.1 > /config/fakenbd/disk1/target # echo /dev/sda1 > /config/fakenbd/disk1/device @@ -111,7 +115,8 @@ read-only or read-write. That's it. That's all there is. Now the device is configured, via the shell no less. -[Coding With configfs] +Coding With configfs +==================== Every object in configfs is a config_item. A config_item reflects an object in the subsystem. It has attributes that match values on that @@ -130,7 +135,10 @@ appears as a directory at the top of the configfs filesystem. A subsystem is also a config_group, and can do everything a config_group can. -[struct config_item] +struct config_item +================== + +:: struct config_item { char *ci_name; @@ -168,7 +176,10 @@ By itself, a config_item cannot do much more than appear in configfs. Usually a subsystem wants the item to display and/or store attributes, among other things. For that, it needs a type. -[struct config_item_type] +struct config_item_type +======================= + +:: struct configfs_item_operations { void (*release)(struct config_item *); @@ -192,7 +203,10 @@ allocated dynamically will need to provide the ct_item_ops->release() method. This method is called when the config_item's reference count reaches zero. -[struct configfs_attribute] +struct configfs_attribute +========================= + +:: struct configfs_attribute { char *ca_name; @@ -214,7 +228,10 @@ be called whenever userspace asks for a read(2) on the attribute. If an attribute is writable and provides a ->store method, that method will be be called whenever userspace asks for a write(2) on the attribute. -[struct configfs_bin_attribute] +struct configfs_bin_attribute +============================= + +:: struct configfs_bin_attribute { struct configfs_attribute cb_attr; @@ -240,11 +257,12 @@ will happen for write(2). The reads/writes are bufferred so only a single read/write will occur; the attributes' need not concern itself with it. -[struct config_group] +struct config_group +=================== A config_item cannot live in a vacuum. The only way one can be created is via mkdir(2) on a config_group. This will trigger creation of a -child item. +child item:: struct config_group { struct config_item cg_item; @@ -264,7 +282,7 @@ The config_group structure contains a config_item. Properly configuring that item means that a group can behave as an item in its own right. However, it can do more: it can create child items or groups. This is accomplished via the group operations specified on the group's -config_item_type. +config_item_type:: struct configfs_group_operations { struct config_item *(*make_item)(struct config_group *group, @@ -279,7 +297,8 @@ config_item_type. }; A group creates child items by providing the -ct_group_ops->make_item() method. If provided, this method is called from mkdir(2) in the group's directory. The subsystem allocates a new +ct_group_ops->make_item() method. If provided, this method is called from +mkdir(2) in the group's directory. The subsystem allocates a new config_item (or more likely, its container structure), initializes it, and returns it to configfs. Configfs will then populate the filesystem tree to reflect the new item. @@ -296,13 +315,14 @@ upon item allocation. If a subsystem has no work to do, it may omit the ct_group_ops->drop_item() method, and configfs will call config_item_put() on the item on behalf of the subsystem. -IMPORTANT: drop_item() is void, and as such cannot fail. When rmdir(2) -is called, configfs WILL remove the item from the filesystem tree -(assuming that it has no children to keep it busy). The subsystem is -responsible for responding to this. If the subsystem has references to -the item in other threads, the memory is safe. It may take some time -for the item to actually disappear from the subsystem's usage. But it -is gone from configfs. +Important: + drop_item() is void, and as such cannot fail. When rmdir(2) + is called, configfs WILL remove the item from the filesystem tree + (assuming that it has no children to keep it busy). The subsystem is + responsible for responding to this. If the subsystem has references to + the item in other threads, the memory is safe. It may take some time + for the item to actually disappear from the subsystem's usage. But it + is gone from configfs. When drop_item() is called, the item's linkage has already been torn down. It no longer has a reference on its parent and has no place in @@ -319,10 +339,11 @@ is implemented in the configfs rmdir(2) code. ->drop_item() will not be called, as the item has not been dropped. rmdir(2) will fail, as the directory is not empty. -[struct configfs_subsystem] +struct configfs_subsystem +========================= A subsystem must register itself, usually at module_init time. This -tells configfs to make the subsystem appear in the file tree. +tells configfs to make the subsystem appear in the file tree:: struct configfs_subsystem { struct config_group su_group; @@ -332,17 +353,19 @@ tells configfs to make the subsystem appear in the file tree. int configfs_register_subsystem(struct configfs_subsystem *subsys); void configfs_unregister_subsystem(struct configfs_subsystem *subsys); - A subsystem consists of a toplevel config_group and a mutex. +A subsystem consists of a toplevel config_group and a mutex. The group is where child config_items are created. For a subsystem, this group is usually defined statically. Before calling configfs_register_subsystem(), the subsystem must have initialized the group via the usual group _init() functions, and it must also have initialized the mutex. - When the register call returns, the subsystem is live, and it + +When the register call returns, the subsystem is live, and it will be visible via configfs. At that point, mkdir(2) can be called and the subsystem must be ready for it. -[An Example] +An Example +========== The best example of these basic concepts is the simple_children subsystem/group and the simple_child item in @@ -350,7 +373,8 @@ samples/configfs/configfs_sample.c. It shows a trivial object displaying and storing an attribute, and a simple group creating and destroying these children. -[Hierarchy Navigation and the Subsystem Mutex] +Hierarchy Navigation and the Subsystem Mutex +============================================ There is an extra bonus that configfs provides. The config_groups and config_items are arranged in a hierarchy due to the fact that they @@ -375,7 +399,8 @@ be in its parent's cg_children list for the same duration. This allows a subsystem to trust ci_parent and cg_children while they hold the mutex. -[Item Aggregation Via symlink(2)] +Item Aggregation Via symlink(2) +=============================== configfs provides a simple group via the group->item parent/child relationship. Often, however, a larger environment requires aggregation @@ -403,7 +428,8 @@ A config_item cannot be removed while it links to any other item, nor can it be removed while an item links to it. Dangling symlinks are not allowed in configfs. -[Automatically Created Subgroups] +Automatically Created Subgroups +=============================== A new config_group may want to have two types of child config_items. While this could be codified by magic names in ->make_item(), it is much @@ -433,7 +459,8 @@ As a consequence of this, default groups cannot be removed directly via rmdir(2). They also are not considered when rmdir(2) on the parent group is checking for children. -[Dependent Subsystems] +Dependent Subsystems +==================== Sometimes other drivers depend on particular configfs items. For example, ocfs2 mounts depend on a heartbeat region item. If that @@ -460,9 +487,11 @@ succeeds, then heartbeat knows the region is safe to give to ocfs2. If it fails, it was being torn down anyway, and heartbeat can gracefully pass up an error. -[Committable Items] +Committable Items +================= -NOTE: Committable items are currently unimplemented. +Note: + Committable items are currently unimplemented. Some config_items cannot have a valid initial state. That is, no default values can be specified for the item's attributes such that the @@ -504,5 +533,3 @@ As rmdir(2) does not work in the "live" directory, an item must be shutdown, or "uncommitted". Again, this is done via rename(2), this time from the "live" directory back to the "pending" one. The subsystem is notified by the ct_group_ops->uncommit_object() method. - - diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/index.rst b/Documentation/filesystems/index.rst index e242cb75f9f2..17795341e0a3 100644 --- a/Documentation/filesystems/index.rst +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/index.rst @@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ Documentation for filesystem implementations. cifs/cifsroot ceph coda + configfs cramfs debugfs dlmfs |