linux/include
Chris Metcalf 2c7387ef99 asm-generic/stat.h: support 64-bit file time_t for stat()
The existing asm-generic/stat.h specifies st_mtime, etc., as a 32-value,
and works well for 32-bit architectures (currently microblaze, score,
and 32-bit tile).  However, for 64-bit architectures it isn't sufficient
to return 32 bits of time_t; this isn't good insurance against the 2037
rollover.  (It also makes glibc support less convenient, since we can't
use glibc's handy STAT_IS_KERNEL_STAT mode.)

This change extends the two "timespec" fields for each of the three atime,
mtime, and ctime fields from "int" to "long".  As a result, on 32-bit
platforms nothing changes, and 64-bit platforms will now work as expected.

The only wrinkle is 32-bit userspace under 64-bit kernels taking advantage
of COMPAT mode.  For these, we leave the "struct stat64" definitions with
the "int" versions of the time_t and nsec fields, so that architectures
can implement compat_sys_stat64() and friends with sys_stat64(), etc.,
and get the expected 32-bit structure layout.  This requires a
field-by-field copy in the kernel, implemented by the code guarded
under __ARCH_WANT_STAT64.

This does mean that the shape of the "struct stat" and "struct stat64"
structures is different on a 64-bit kernel, but only one of the two
structures should ever be used by any given process: "struct stat"
is meant for 64-bit userspace only, and "struct stat64" for 32-bit
userspace only.  (On a 32-bit kernel the two structures continue to have
the same shape, since "long" is 32 bits.)

The alternative is keeping the two structures the same shape on 64-bit
kernels, which means a 64-bit time_t in "struct stat64" for 32-bit
processes.  This is a little unnatural since 32-bit userspace can't
do anything with 64 bits of time_t information, since time_t is just
"long", not "int64_t"; and in any case 32-bit userspace might expect
to be running under a 32-bit kernel, which can't provide the high 32
bits anyway.  In the case of a 32-bit kernel we'd then be extending the
kernel's 32-bit time_t to 64 bits, then truncating it back to 32 bits
again in userspace, for no particular reason.  And, as mentioned above,
if we have 64-bit time_t for 32-bit processes we can't easily use glibc's
STAT_IS_KERNEL_STAT, since glibc's stat structure requires an embedded
"struct timespec", which is a pair of "long" (32-bit) values in a 32-bit
userspace.  "Inventive" solutions are possible, but are pretty hacky.

Signed-off-by: Chris Metcalf <cmetcalf@tilera.com>
Acked-by: Arnd Bergmann <arnd@arndb.de>
2010-11-01 15:31:29 -04:00
..
acpi Merge branch 'misc' into release 2010-10-26 14:51:00 -04:00
asm-generic asm-generic/stat.h: support 64-bit file time_t for stat() 2010-11-01 15:31:29 -04:00
crypto Merge branch 'for-next' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/jikos/trivial 2010-10-24 13:41:39 -07:00
drm Merge remote branch 'intel/drm-intel-next' of ../drm-next into drm-core-next 2010-10-26 09:23:22 +10:00
keys
linux Merge branch 'next-spi' of git://git.secretlab.ca/git/linux-2.6 2010-11-01 07:50:43 -04:00
math-emu
media Merge branch 'v4l_for_linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mchehab/linux-2.6 2010-10-28 09:35:11 -07:00
mtd mtd: Define MLC Flash as a different flash type 2010-10-25 00:50:20 +01:00
net Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/davem/net-2.6 2010-10-29 14:17:12 -07:00
pcmcia pcmcia: IOCARD is also required for using IRQs 2010-10-22 08:46:36 +02:00
rdma IB/core: Add VLAN support for IBoE 2010-10-25 10:20:39 -07:00
rxrpc
scsi Merge git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/jejb/scsi-misc-2.6 2010-10-31 20:43:12 -04:00
sound Merge branch 'for-linus' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/tiwai/sound-2.6 2010-10-25 08:32:05 -07:00
trace Merge branch 'next' into upstream-merge 2010-10-27 23:44:47 -04:00
video Merge master.kernel.org:/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/lethal/genesis-2.6 into devel-stable 2010-10-28 20:14:38 +01:00
xen Merge branch 'stable/xen-pcifront-0.8.2' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/konrad/xen 2010-10-28 17:11:17 -07:00
Kbuild