Add a new possible error result that can be returned by safe_create_leading_directories() and safe_create_leading_directories_const(): SCLD_VANISHED. This value indicates that a file or directory on the path existed at one point (either it already existed or the function created it), but then it disappeared. This probably indicates that another process deleted the directory while we were working. If SCLD_VANISHED is returned, the caller might want to retry the function call, as there is a chance that a new attempt will succeed. Why doesn't safe_create_leading_directories() do the retrying internally? Because an empty directory isn't really ever safe until it holds a file. So even if safe_create_leading_directories() were absolutely sure that the directory existed before it returned, there would be no guarantee that the directory still existed when the caller tried to write something in it. Signed-off-by: Michael Haggerty <mhagger@xxxxxxxxxxxx> --- cache.h | 10 +++++++++- sha1_file.c | 11 +++++++++++ 2 files changed, 20 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h index c6a4157..f34c0a7 100644 --- a/cache.h +++ b/cache.h @@ -741,12 +741,20 @@ int adjust_shared_perm(const char *path); * Create the directory containing the named path, using care to be * somewhat safe against races. Return one of the scld_error values * to indicate success/failure. + * + * SCLD_VANISHED indicates that one of the ancestor directories of the + * path existed at one point during the function call and then + * suddenly vanished, probably because another process pruned the + * directory while we were working. To be robust against this kind of + * race, callers might want to try invoking the function again when it + * returns SCLD_VANISHED. */ enum scld_error { SCLD_OK = 0, SCLD_FAILED = -1, SCLD_PERMS = -2, - SCLD_EXISTS = -3 + SCLD_EXISTS = -3, + SCLD_VANISHED = -4 }; enum scld_error safe_create_leading_directories(char *path); enum scld_error safe_create_leading_directories_const(const char *path); diff --git a/sha1_file.c b/sha1_file.c index 5594f11..69a4e95 100644 --- a/sha1_file.c +++ b/sha1_file.c @@ -132,6 +132,17 @@ enum scld_error safe_create_leading_directories(char *path) if (errno == EEXIST && !stat(path, &st) && S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) ; /* somebody created it since we checked */ + else if (errno == ENOENT) + /* + * Either mkdir() failed because + * somebody just pruned the containing + * directory, or stat() failed because + * the file that was in our way was + * just removed. Either way, inform + * the caller that it might be worth + * trying again: + */ + ret = SCLD_VANISHED; else ret = SCLD_FAILED; } else if (adjust_shared_perm(path)) { -- 1.8.5.2 -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html