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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.bugs.4bsd
Subject: Re: EXCL without CREAT
Message-ID: <6247@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Dec-85 21:15:34 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.6247
Posted: Sat Dec 21 21:15:34 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Dec-85 21:15:34 EST
References: <5507@allegra.UUCP>, <6220@utzoo.UUCP>, <7022@ki4pv.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 11

> ] utzoo!henry points out problem of fool opening/locking /etc/passwd
> ] and claims that adding open("arg", O_READ|EXCL) re-invents flock()
> 
> Doesn't re-invent flock() -- open()/flock() is not an atomic action.

Who cares if the open() succeeds, so long as the process doesn't do
anything to the file until a successful flock()?  The sequence is not
atomic, but that doesn't matter.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry