linux-kernel - Spooling large metadata updates / Proposal for a new API/feature in the Linux Kernel (VFS/Filesystems):

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <ba4f3df5-027b-405e-8e6e-a3630f7eef93@gmx.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2025 09:17:49 +0000
From: "Artem S. Tashkinov" <aros@....com>
To: linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-fsdevel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Spooling large metadata updates / Proposal for a new API/feature in
 the Linux Kernel (VFS/Filesystems):

Hello,

I had this idea on 2021-11-07, then I thought it was wrong/stupid, now
I've asked AI and it said it was actually not bad, so I'm bringing it
forward now:

Imagine the following scenarios:

  * You need to delete tens of thousands of files.
  * You need to change the permissions, ownership, or security context
(chmod, chown, chcon) for tens of thousands of files.
  * You need to update timestamps for tens of thousands of files.

All these operations are currently relatively slow because they are
executed sequentially, generating significant I/O overhead.

What if these operations could be spooled and performed as a single
transaction? By bundling metadata updates into one atomic operation,
such tasks could become near-instant or significantly faster. This would
also reduce the number of writes, leading to less wear and tear on
storage devices.

Does this idea make sense? If it already exists, or if there’s a reason
it wouldn’t work, please let me know.

Best regards,
Artem