[uml-user] more hostfs problems w/ current patches (2.4, 2.6)

[nils t. <use...@ni...>]

Hi *,

i want to use hostfs and have problems with the current 2.4 and 
2.6 patches. Host and guest are fedora core 2, host runs 2.6.7 
with SMP (for hyperthreading), skas3 and selinux (in permissive 
mode only). Guest runs apache2, some parts of the documentroot 
living on hostfs.

I've tried different uml patches. All guest kernels recognized SKAS 
in the host. The 2.4 guests have the same kernel config, so do the 
2.6 guests ('make oldconfig ARCH=um'). These are my experiences:
 

* kernel 2.4.26 with uml-patch-2.4.24-1 and uml-2.4.26-cmpxchg.patch

    Seems to run perfectly (yet - just tried), apache serves from 
    hostfs. 
    
    I conclude: host and guest are configured properly.


* kernel 2.4.26 with uml-patch-2.4.26-1

    hostfs completly borked (ok, that's well known. I should have 
    read the list archives before ;-)
    

* kernel 2.4.26 with uml-patch-2.4.26-2

    Does not even boot: kernel stops at

      [...]
      Initializing stdio console driver
      Netdevice 0


* kernel 2.6.7 with uml-patch-2.6.7-1 (the "original" from SF)
* kernel 2.6.7 with uml-patch-2.6.7-01 (from <http://www.user-mode-linux.org/~blaisorblade/>)

    Seem to run fine at first, but apache cannot access files located 
    on hostfs (while apache _can_ list and traverse directories on 
    hostfs). Files not on hostfs get served. strace'ing httpd shows

      [...]
      open("/var/www/html/fedora.redhat.com/apt/fedora/linux/2/i386/base/release", O_RDONLY) = 13
      read(12, 0x2ab6eec0, 8000)              = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable)
      [...]

    But from a shell i can read those files, for example as user apache:

      su -s /bin/bash -c 'cat /var/www/html/fedora.redhat.com/apt/fedora/linux/2/i386/base/release' apache

    Another glitch: "service syslog start" mostly (not always!) 
    reports "FAILED" for syslogd although it got started successfully.
    I did not debug that further.

    BTW: What's the difference between the two patches?
         Why do they have almost the same name?


* kernel 2.6.7 with uml-patch-2.6.7-01 and uml-patch-2.6.7-01-bb1.patch

    Same as above, but now any access (not only by httpd) to a file 
    on a hostfs gives a kernel message

      "Closing host fd in .delete_inode"

    Listing directories on hostfs does not produce that message.
    

Did i forget an important YES in my 2.6.7 .config, or is hostfs
still buggy?

Regards, /nils.

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