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diff --git a/Documentation/DocBook/filesystems.tmpl b/Documentation/DocBook/filesystems.tmpl index 4785032fb6ea..39fa2aba7f9b 100644 --- a/Documentation/DocBook/filesystems.tmpl +++ b/Documentation/DocBook/filesystems.tmpl @@ -98,4 +98,304 @@ </sect1> </chapter> + <chapter id="LinuxJDBAPI"> + <chapterinfo> + <title>The Linux Journalling API</title> + + <authorgroup> + <author> + <firstname>Roger</firstname> + <surname>Gammans</surname> + <affiliation> + <address> + <email>rgammans@computer-surgery.co.uk</email> + </address> + </affiliation> + </author> + </authorgroup> + + <authorgroup> + <author> + <firstname>Stephen</firstname> + <surname>Tweedie</surname> + <affiliation> + <address> + <email>sct@redhat.com</email> + </address> + </affiliation> + </author> + </authorgroup> + + <copyright> + <year>2002</year> + <holder>Roger Gammans</holder> + </copyright> + </chapterinfo> + + <title>The Linux Journalling API</title> + + <sect1> + <title>Overview</title> + <sect2> + <title>Details</title> +<para> +The journalling layer is easy to use. You need to +first of all create a journal_t data structure. There are +two calls to do this dependent on how you decide to allocate the physical +media on which the journal resides. The journal_init_inode() call +is for journals stored in filesystem inodes, or the journal_init_dev() +call can be use for journal stored on a raw device (in a continuous range +of blocks). A journal_t is a typedef for a struct pointer, so when +you are finally finished make sure you call journal_destroy() on it +to free up any used kernel memory. +</para> + +<para> +Once you have got your journal_t object you need to 'mount' or load the journal +file, unless of course you haven't initialised it yet - in which case you +need to call journal_create(). +</para> + +<para> +Most of the time however your journal file will already have been created, but +before you load it you must call journal_wipe() to empty the journal file. +Hang on, you say , what if the filesystem wasn't cleanly umount()'d . Well, it is the +job of the client file system to detect this and skip the call to journal_wipe(). +</para> + +<para> +In either case the next call should be to journal_load() which prepares the +journal file for use. Note that journal_wipe(..,0) calls journal_skip_recovery() +for you if it detects any outstanding transactions in the journal and similarly +journal_load() will call journal_recover() if necessary. +I would advise reading fs/ext3/super.c for examples on this stage. +[RGG: Why is the journal_wipe() call necessary - doesn't this needlessly +complicate the API. Or isn't a good idea for the journal layer to hide +dirty mounts from the client fs] +</para> + +<para> +Now you can go ahead and start modifying the underlying +filesystem. Almost. +</para> + +<para> + +You still need to actually journal your filesystem changes, this +is done by wrapping them into transactions. Additionally you +also need to wrap the modification of each of the buffers +with calls to the journal layer, so it knows what the modifications +you are actually making are. To do this use journal_start() which +returns a transaction handle. +</para> + +<para> +journal_start() +and its counterpart journal_stop(), which indicates the end of a transaction +are nestable calls, so you can reenter a transaction if necessary, +but remember you must call journal_stop() the same number of times as +journal_start() before the transaction is completed (or more accurately +leaves the update phase). Ext3/VFS makes use of this feature to simplify +quota support. +</para> + +<para> +Inside each transaction you need to wrap the modifications to the +individual buffers (blocks). Before you start to modify a buffer you +need to call journal_get_{create,write,undo}_access() as appropriate, +this allows the journalling layer to copy the unmodified data if it +needs to. After all the buffer may be part of a previously uncommitted +transaction. +At this point you are at last ready to modify a buffer, and once +you are have done so you need to call journal_dirty_{meta,}data(). +Or if you've asked for access to a buffer you now know is now longer +required to be pushed back on the device you can call journal_forget() +in much the same way as you might have used bforget() in the past. +</para> + +<para> +A journal_flush() may be called at any time to commit and checkpoint +all your transactions. +</para> + +<para> +Then at umount time , in your put_super() (2.4) or write_super() (2.5) +you can then call journal_destroy() to clean up your in-core journal object. +</para> + +<para> +Unfortunately there a couple of ways the journal layer can cause a deadlock. +The first thing to note is that each task can only have +a single outstanding transaction at any one time, remember nothing +commits until the outermost journal_stop(). This means +you must complete the transaction at the end of each file/inode/address +etc. operation you perform, so that the journalling system isn't re-entered +on another journal. Since transactions can't be nested/batched +across differing journals, and another filesystem other than +yours (say ext3) may be modified in a later syscall. +</para> + +<para> +The second case to bear in mind is that journal_start() can +block if there isn't enough space in the journal for your transaction +(based on the passed nblocks param) - when it blocks it merely(!) needs to +wait for transactions to complete and be committed from other tasks, +so essentially we are waiting for journal_stop(). So to avoid +deadlocks you must treat journal_start/stop() as if they +were semaphores and include them in your semaphore ordering rules to prevent +deadlocks. Note that journal_extend() has similar blocking behaviour to +journal_start() so you can deadlock here just as easily as on journal_start(). +</para> + +<para> +Try to reserve the right number of blocks the first time. ;-). This will +be the maximum number of blocks you are going to touch in this transaction. +I advise having a look at at least ext3_jbd.h to see the basis on which +ext3 uses to make these decisions. +</para> + +<para> +Another wriggle to watch out for is your on-disk block allocation strategy. +why? Because, if you undo a delete, you need to ensure you haven't reused any +of the freed blocks in a later transaction. One simple way of doing this +is make sure any blocks you allocate only have checkpointed transactions +listed against them. Ext3 does this in ext3_test_allocatable(). +</para> + +<para> +Lock is also providing through journal_{un,}lock_updates(), +ext3 uses this when it wants a window with a clean and stable fs for a moment. +eg. +</para> + +<programlisting> + + journal_lock_updates() //stop new stuff happening.. + journal_flush() // checkpoint everything. + ..do stuff on stable fs + journal_unlock_updates() // carry on with filesystem use. +</programlisting> + +<para> +The opportunities for abuse and DOS attacks with this should be obvious, +if you allow unprivileged userspace to trigger codepaths containing these +calls. +</para> + +<para> +A new feature of jbd since 2.5.25 is commit callbacks with the new +journal_callback_set() function you can now ask the journalling layer +to call you back when the transaction is finally committed to disk, so that +you can do some of your own management. The key to this is the journal_callback +struct, this maintains the internal callback information but you can +extend it like this:- +</para> +<programlisting> + struct myfs_callback_s { + //Data structure element required by jbd.. + struct journal_callback for_jbd; + // Stuff for myfs allocated together. + myfs_inode* i_commited; + + } +</programlisting> + +<para> +this would be useful if you needed to know when data was committed to a +particular inode. +</para> + + </sect2> + + <sect2> + <title>Summary</title> +<para> +Using the journal is a matter of wrapping the different context changes, +being each mount, each modification (transaction) and each changed buffer +to tell the journalling layer about them. +</para> + +<para> +Here is a some pseudo code to give you an idea of how it works, as +an example. +</para> + +<programlisting> + journal_t* my_jnrl = journal_create(); + journal_init_{dev,inode}(jnrl,...) + if (clean) journal_wipe(); + journal_load(); + + foreach(transaction) { /*transactions must be + completed before + a syscall returns to + userspace*/ + + handle_t * xct=journal_start(my_jnrl); + foreach(bh) { + journal_get_{create,write,undo}_access(xact,bh); + if ( myfs_modify(bh) ) { /* returns true + if makes changes */ + journal_dirty_{meta,}data(xact,bh); + } else { + journal_forget(bh); + } + } + journal_stop(xct); + } + journal_destroy(my_jrnl); +</programlisting> + </sect2> + + </sect1> + + <sect1> + <title>Data Types</title> + <para> + The journalling layer uses typedefs to 'hide' the concrete definitions + of the structures used. As a client of the JBD layer you can + just rely on the using the pointer as a magic cookie of some sort. + + Obviously the hiding is not enforced as this is 'C'. + </para> + <sect2><title>Structures</title> +!Iinclude/linux/jbd.h + </sect2> + </sect1> + + <sect1> + <title>Functions</title> + <para> + The functions here are split into two groups those that + affect a journal as a whole, and those which are used to + manage transactions + </para> + <sect2><title>Journal Level</title> +!Efs/jbd/journal.c +!Ifs/jbd/recovery.c + </sect2> + <sect2><title>Transasction Level</title> +!Efs/jbd/transaction.c + </sect2> + </sect1> + <sect1> + <title>See also</title> + <para> + <citation> + <ulink url="ftp://ftp.uk.linux.org/pub/linux/sct/fs/jfs/journal-design.ps.gz"> + Journaling the Linux ext2fs Filesystem, LinuxExpo 98, Stephen Tweedie + </ulink> + </citation> + </para> + <para> + <citation> + <ulink url="http://olstrans.sourceforge.net/release/OLS2000-ext3/OLS2000-ext3.html"> + Ext3 Journalling FileSystem, OLS 2000, Dr. Stephen Tweedie + </ulink> + </citation> + </para> + </sect1> + + </chapter> + </book> |