Changes between Version 8 and Version 9 of DiffFromUnix

Timestamp:

2013-03-28T13:10:15Z (12 years ago)

Author:

Jakub Jermář

Comment:

Add a few words on the dot-dot resolution

DiffFromUnix

@@ -9 +9 @@
 == Running in background ==
 
-When you run a command in the shell, the starts the command and waits for it to terminate / return exit status. In UN*X a process that wants to return control to the parent shell and continue running in the background (typically a daemon) does a fork(), the parent immediately exits (thus returning exit status) and the child continues running. In HelenOS there is no `fork()`. Instead it is possible for a task to return status to the caller ''without exiting''. A HelenOS server usually initializes and registers itself with some naming service, then it calls `task_retval()` which returns status to the caller (effectively returning command line to the user) without terminating the task. After that the server usually enters the main message loop.
+When you run a command in the shell, it starts the command and waits for it to terminate / return exit status. In UN*X a process that wants to return control to the parent shell and continue running in the background (typically a daemon) does a fork(), the parent immediately exits (thus returning exit status) and the child continues running. In HelenOS there is no `fork()`. Instead it is possible for a task to return status to the caller ''without exiting''. A HelenOS server usually initializes and registers itself with some naming service, then it calls `task_retval()` which returns status to the caller (effectively returning command line to the user) without terminating the task. After that the server usually enters the main message loop.
 
 == No signals ==
@@ -19 +19 @@
 == Lexical dot-dot resolution ==
 
-To Be Written.
+When the HelenOS file system layer sees a reference to '.' (current directory) or '..' (parent directory) in a file system path, it does not resolve it by traversing through the corresponding special directory entries, but rather makes use of its knowledge of the used absolute paths. Upon accepting the path from the user, HelenOS resolves references to '.' and '..' lexically by leaving out all occurrences of '.' and 'component/..' from the path. This represents a simplification of individual file system servers and allows file systems that do not explicitly understand the notion of the current and the parent directory in their directory entries to be supported.
+
+Lexical dot-dot resolution removes the potential for an ambiguous behavior when the child directory is entered using alternate paths (eg. via a symlink) and the user then goes back to the parent directory using dot-dot. This problem is inherent to UNIX-like systems and, if not dealt with by the shell, the following scenario is possible:
+
+{{{
+}}}
 
 == No serial terminals ==