Subject: Minor Versions

From: Stevan Steve Allen <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 10:40:01 -0800

Attributes are currently available for minor versioning.  Is there a need
to add open rflags to minor versioning for cases where file attributes may
not be the proper location or sequence if events?

A coding guideline used in my circle - if a process can not complete, it is
cleaner to prevent the process from starting.  Mid process termination may
lead to unknown results (debug) & wasted system resources.  This guideline
may use early indicators such as open rflags or file attributes to
determine ability to complete.

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From: "Noveck, Dave" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 10:52:43 -0800

> Attributes are currently available for minor versioning.  

Attributes can be added in a minor version.  Attributes cannot
be officially deleted in a minor version, but they can be made
mandatory to not implement which serves the practical purpose
pretty well.

> Is there a need

You can add new flags to fields like the open rflags in a minor
version.  I'm not clear what kind of situation you think needs to
be represented in a new rflags bit.

> cleaner to prevent the process from starting.  

That's great if you can know that.

> Mid process termination may
> lead to unknown results (debug) & wasted system resources.  

Sure, but in lots of cases you can't predict.

> This guideline

You might but wouldn't that be application-specific?  What new attributes
or rflags could you propose that would shed light on this issue, in a
general way?

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From: Stevan Steve Allen <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 11:28:10 -0800

An existing example is rflag OPEN4_RESULT_LOCKTYPE_POSIX.  A client may use
this to prevent midstream failures (e.g. appl locking successful during
delegation, fails after recall because the server may not support partial
subrange locks).  Is there a reason this posix indicator is in rflags
opposed to an attribute?

<Dave.Noveck wrote>
> You can add new flags to fields like the open rflags in
> a minor version.

My mistake, I did not find rflags in chpt 10 Minor Versioning.  I read only
attributes & compound are available for minor versions.