libinotify open() considerations

[grayed]

libinotify tries to open named pipes (FIFOs) as well as other files. And this leads to lockups because those files are usually either already open, or would be open soon. In particular, that breaks Kile 2.1 (KDE4 version) on OpenBSD, when "inotify" method is used in KDirWatch: Kile creates named pipes in home directory to talk with LyX server, and then tries to use them. But there is a KDirWatch object being created at other place in program, that monitors home directory, too. As a result, Kile gets stuck at watch_init().

Even more, actually Kile creates symlinks to pipes created under /tmp; this uncovers that libinotify doesn't use O_NOFOLLOW when adding a watch - IMHO, that's a bug, too.

[dmatveev]

Hi!

Thanks for report and sorry for a delay with reply (I am in a trips now so slow on response). I will try to fix it after return. So the main idea is to skip named pipes and to use NOFOLLOW?

-Dmitry

[grayed]

2014-08-16 22:07 GMT+04:00 Dmitry Matveev notifications@github.com:

Hi!

Thanks for report and sorry for a delay with reply (I am in a trips now so slow on response). I will try to fix it after return. So the main idea is to skip named pipes and to use NOFOLLOW?

Yep. But, please, don't treat me as an expert in this area. :)

WBR,
Vadim Zhukov

[dmatveev]

Though initially I've thought that following symlinks is a feature and not a bug, the original Linux inotfiy also does not provide notifications for symlinks. Thanks!

[xaionaro]

the original Linux inotfiy also does not provide notifications for symlinks

@dmatveev, actually it does. It provides notifications about symlinks itself (without following). I can prepare a tiny inotify-based program to prove it :)

[dmatveev]

It is exactly what I meant. I've already did some tests, but they had break my Linux system, and now I am currently repairing it. So be careful.