[PATCH] LP #220658 stat broken for CIFS filesystem

[Steve Langasek]

On Wed, Jan 07, 2009 at 08:35:19AM -0700, Tim Gardner wrote:
> Jim Lieb wrote:
> > This is a regression from 7.10 and other linux CIFS clients.

> > This patch enables CONFIG_CIFS_XATTR and CONFIG_CIFS_POSIX to
> > change the protocol options to request Posix functionality.
> > 7.10 and other Linux distros such as Fedora enable these options in order
> > to allow full UNIX f/s functionality between Linux client/server(s).  See the
> > commit comments for the details.

> > This patch applies to Intrepid.

> > Proposing for SRU to Intrepid and Jaunty.

> ACK - though I suspect Stefan would prefer to wait until the current
> Intrepid kernel is promoted to -updates. Furthermore, I don't think its
> fair to say that this is a regression from 7.10. As far as I can tell,
> no Ubuntu release (7.10 or otherwise) has enabled CIFS_XATTR.

> You'll want to engage at least Steve Langasek as he seems to be quite
> interested in Samba issues.

Hmm, TTBOMK the CIFS_XATTR option is new functionality in the cifs driver
that postdates Ubuntu 7.10.  It may be a regression in the sense that 7.10
still supported smbfs and smbfs may have implemented this, but that's not a
direct regression in the cifs driver itself.

I am wary of changing these options in an SRU though, because I have seen
reports from Debian kernels of roughly the same vintage that there's no way
on the client side to down-negotiate to not use POSIX passthrough semantics,
which is sometimes what's called for.  Basically, enabling these options
could represent a security-related regression for users who are already
happily using the current settings.

-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer                                    http://www.debian.org/
slangasek at ubuntu.com                                     vorlon at debian.org