Re: [Squashfs-devel] squashfs xattr support?

[Phillip L. <ph...@lo...>]

Stephen Hemminger wrote:
> Vyatta uses squashfs both for livecd and installed image mode, and in order
> to support SELinux properly we need xattr supported on squashfs.
> 
> I know the current version of squashfs doesn't support xattr, and there
> are hints of future support. But we need it sooner, does anybody have a
> "back of the envelope" description of how they expect it to work
> (data formats etc), I am perfectly willing to fill in the missing code.

I implemented most of the xattr support for Squashfs 4.0 in 2008, but
abandoned it to concentrate on getting Squashfs mainlined for 2.6.29.
The xattr file system format was defined and I had initial xattr support
in mksquashfs.  The major thing missing was kernel code...   Rather than
go through a fourth or fifth kernel code review process (the non-xattr
kernel code had successfully gone through three kernel reviews),
I submitted the non-xattr code for 2.6.29 and it was accepted.

I can dig out the code and finish it off, looking at Helge's kernel patch
there's less work to do in the kernel than I anticipated.  Unfortunately
since mainlining no-one's asked for xattr support and consequently it's
been of less priority to finish than working on paid Squashfs work
(adding additional compression formats).

Phillip