linux-ext4 - e2fsck bogus error report on orphan-list

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Date:	Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:39:19 +0900
From:	Ryoichi.Kato@...sony.com
To:	linux-ext4@...r.kernel.org, tytso@...nk.org
Cc:	sct@...hat.com, akpm@...ux-foundation.org, adilger@...sterfs.com,
	Tim Bird <tim.bird@...sony.com>
Subject: e2fsck bogus error report on orphan-list

Hi,
I hit a problem of ext3/e2fsck on orphan-list handling.

The following sequence produces bogus e2fsck error report:
"/dev/XXX: Inodes that were part of a corrupted orphan linked list found."

   1. Delete a file in an ext3 filesystem in early 1970
   2. Set RTC to 2007, and then mount/write the filesystem.
   3. Run e2fsck (with -f)

This is because i_dtime (deletion time) field is also used as a
next-pointer of an orphan-list (stores inode number rather than time),
and e2fsck handles it improperly.
You will have the same probrem if you run e2fsck on an ext3
filesystem with 1.2+ billion of files in it. (Is it possible?)

For more detail, please take a look at a document I wrote:
 - http://tree.celinuxforum.org/CelfPubWiki/Ext3OrphanedInodeProblem
 - http://tree.celinuxforum.org/CelfPubWiki/JapanTechnicalJamboree15?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=ext3orphaned-inode.ppt (Sorry for .PPT)


So, my questions are:

 *Is this really a bug (or design defect) ?

 *Which of ext3 or e2fsck is responsible for the problem?
    - I feel that e2fsck is. But needs help of ext3 to solve it elegantly.

 *How should I(we) deal with this problem.
    - As a work-around, it's avoidable by just set RTC
      to 2007 or so before doing any ext3 operation.

Thank you.
--
Ryoichi KATO <Ryoichi.Kato@...sony.com>
    Audio Development & Engineering Div.
    Sony Corporation Audio Business Group
    Tel +81-3-3599-3862 / Fax +81-3-3599-3859


--
Ryoichi KATO <Ryoichi.Kato@...sony.com>
    System Design Dept. No4
    Audio Development & Engineering Div.
    Sony Corporation Audio Business Group
    Tel +81-3-3599-3862 / Fax +81-3-3599-3859
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