Messages in this thread Patch in this message | | | Date | Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:05:33 +0200 | Subject | sys_paccept: disable paccept() until API design is resolved | From | Michael Kerrisk <> |
| |
Andrew,
The patch below disables the new sys_paccept() for now. Please apply for 2.6.27-rc, so that we do not release this API into the wild before a conclusion has been reached about its design.
The reasons for disabling paccept() are as follows:
* The API is more complex than needed. There is AFAICS no demonstrated use case that the sigset argument of this syscall serves that couldn't equally be served by the use of pselect/ppoll/epoll_pwait + traditional accept(). Roland seems to concur with this opinion (http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/723953/focus=732255). I have (more than once) asked Ulrich to explain otherwise (http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/723952/focus=731018), but he does not respond, so one is left to assume that he doesn't know of such a case.
* The use of a sigset argument is not consistent with other I/O APIs that can block on a single file descriptor (e.g., read(), recv(), connect()).
* The behavior of paccept() when interrupted by a signal is IMO strange: the kernel restarts the system call if SA_RESTART was set for the handler. I think that it should not do this -- that it should behave consistently with paccept()/ppoll()/epoll_pwait(), which never restart, regardless of SA_RESTART. The reasoning here is that the very purpose of paccept() is to wait for a connection or a signal, and that restarting in the latter case is probably never useful. (Note: Roland disagrees on this point, believing that rather paccept() should be consistent with accept() in its behavior wrt EINTR (http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/723953/focus=732255).)
I believe that instead, a simpler API, consistent with Ulrich's other recent additions, is preferable:
accept4(int fd, struct sockaddr *sa, socklen_t *salen, ind flags);
(This simpler API was originally proposed by Ulrich: http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/92072)
If this simpler API is added, then if we later decide that the sigset argument really is required, then a suitable bit in 'flags' could be added to indicate the presence of the sigset argument.
At this point, I am hoping we either will get a counter-argument from Ulrich about why we really do need paccept()'s sigset argument, or that he will resubmit the original accept4() patch.
Cheers,
Michael
Signed-off-by: Michael Kerrisk <mtk.manpages@gmail.com>
--- linux-2.6.27-rc6/net/socket.c.orig 2008-09-16 12:38:15.000000000 +0200 +++ linux-2.6.27-rc6/net/socket.c 2008-09-16 13:07:51.000000000 +0200 @@ -1511,6 +1511,7 @@ goto out_put; }
+#if 0 #ifdef HAVE_SET_RESTORE_SIGMASK asmlinkage long sys_paccept(int fd, struct sockaddr __user *upeer_sockaddr, int __user *upeer_addrlen, @@ -1564,6 +1565,7 @@ return do_accept(fd, upeer_sockaddr, upeer_addrlen, flags); } #endif +#endif
asmlinkage long sys_accept(int fd, struct sockaddr __user *upeer_sockaddr, int __user *upeer_addrlen)
| |