[Users] Timestamp consistency check

[Erik Schnetter]

On May 19, 2008, at 15:28:55, Ian Hinder wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have recently had a problem with a fileserver which has its time set
> incorrectly (6 minutes into the past).  The CST was looping
> indefinitely.  Would it be possible to add a little check into Cactus
> somewhere which ensured that when a file is created, it gets a  
> timestamp
> which is not before the time it was created, and an error or warning
> printed if there is evidence that the fileserver time is incorrect?


Usually, make does not compare file timestamps to the current time,  
but only compares file timestamps to other file timestamps.  This  
prevents most of such problems since only the file server's internal  
consistency is needed, not its absolute consistency with other machines.

This fails if someone uses the command "touch", which (a) creates a  
file and then (b) gives the file the current time of the machine where  
make is running, not the file server's current time.  It is better to  
create files with commands like

	: > file
	echo > file

instead of touch.  I see there is at least one "touch" command in the  
linux configure script.  Did Cactus really loop in the CST stage, or  
was it in the configuration state?  The CST stage interprets the  
thorns' ccl files, whereas the configure stage uses autoconf and  
friends.

-erik

-- 
Erik Schnetter <schnetter at cct.lsu.edu>   http://www.cct.lsu.edu/~eschnett/

My email is as private as my paper mail.  I therefore support encrypting
and signing email messages.  Get my PGP key from www.keyserver.net.



-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: PGP.sig
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 194 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
Url : http://www.cactuscode.org/pipermail/users/attachments/20080519/813319f2/attachment.bin