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SubjectRe: e2fsck...
   Date: 	Thu, 12 Nov 1998 16:52:39 +0100 (MET)
From: Riccardo Facchetti <fizban@tin.it>

On Thu, 12 Nov 1998, Mofeed Shahin wrote:

> So let me get this straight, If I want to check my file system for errors
> there is no problems, but if I want to fix any errors found I have to
> reboot via a boot disk, and then e2fsck the now unmounted drive ?

Moreover, checking a filesystem for errors (using e2fsck -n) while the
filesystem is mounted may falsely show that there are problems when the
filesystem is in reality OK. That's because the kernel may be in the
middle of modifying the filesystem while e2fsck (which is a multi-pass
operation) is running, and so it will find a discrepancy which is simply
caused by the fact that the kernel modifying the filesystem while e2fsck
isn't looking.

And, if you let e2fsck actually modify the filesystem that's mounted,
and it tries to correct the false "inconsistency", the result may be a
badly corrupted filesystem.

Multics did allow on-line salvaging of volumes, and it is theoretically
possible to do such a thing. But it requires that the filesystem
checker lock out kernel changes, and the filesystem checker would have
to be in close communication with the kernel while it went about its
business. E2fsck and the kernel both don't have the necessary
infrastructure to do this today.

- Ted

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