Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!fletcher
From: fletcher@cs.utexas.edu (Fletcher Mattox)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.mush
Subject: read locking corrupts mailbox?
Message-ID: <9699@cs.utexas.edu>
Date: 4 Jul 90 21:20:10 GMT
Organization: UTexas Dept of Computer Sciences
Lines: 26

I'm runnning 7.1.1 with DOT_LOCK and HOMEMAIL defined, but not MMDF.

When mush read locks the spool mail file while it incorporates new mail
into the temporary file, I occasionally see something like this:

	New mail (#646)  TO: fletcher           Jul  4 14:56 (13  li) JUNK
	Msg 639 of 646: 
	/v/ai/v0/fletcher/mailbox already locked, waiting.done.
	New mail (#647 thru #648)
	 TO: fletcher           Jul  4 14:57 (13  li) JUNK
	 TO: fletcher           Jul  4 14:57 (13  li) JUNK
	Msg 639 of 648: 
	Can't load new mail: "/v/ai/v0/fletcher/mailbox" may be corrupted!

The above example was produced by sending myself several pieces of JUNK
mail and typing <return> periodically at mush.  It happens with "real"
mail too.  Usually the spool file is not corrupted, the error message
notwithstanding.

The dot_lock code seems to be working.  I'm not sure why load_folder()
is failing.  Any ideas?

An aside: I notice README-7.0 sez read locking was not supported for
DOT_LOCK.  Did that change?  It clearly is supported in 7.1.1 (for which
I am glad--my temp file was constantly getting truncated under 6.5.6
when new mail arrived).