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@ifinfo
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* Hurd: (hurd).                 The interfaces of the GNU Hurd.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
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@ifinfo
Copyright @copyright{} 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
are preserved on all copies.

@ignore
Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the
results, provided the printed document carries a copying permission
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(this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).

@end ignore

Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that
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permission notice identical to this one.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
@end ifinfo

@setchapternewpage odd
@settitle Hurd Interface Manual
@titlepage
@finalout
@title The GNU Hurd Interface Manual
@author Michael I. Bushnell
@page

@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
Copyright @copyright{} 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
are preserved on all copies.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that
the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
permission notice identical to this one.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
@end titlepage

@node Top
@top Introduction

This manual describes the interfaces that make up the GNU Hurd.  It is
assumed that the reader is familiar with the features of the Mach
kernel, and with using the Hurd interfaces as a user, and all of the
associated C library calls.  It concentrates on requirements and advice
for the writing of Hurd servers, as well as describing the libraries
that come with the GNU Hurd.

@menu
* I/O interface::           The interface for reading and writing
                            I/O channels
* Shared I/O::              The interface for doing input and output
                            using shared memory
* File interface::          The interface for modifying file-specific
                            characteristics
* Filesystem interface::    Interfaces supported to control file-servers
* Socket interface::        Interfaces used for manipulating sockets

* Ports library::           A library to manage port rights for servers
* Iohelp library::          A library to implement some common parts
                            of the I/O and shared I/O interfaces.
* Fshelp library::          A library to implement some common parts
                            of the file interface.
* Pager library::           A library to implement complex
                            multi-threaded pagers.
* Diskfs library::          A library to do almost all the work of
                            implementing a disk-based filesystem.
* Trivfs library::          A library to do the work of handling the
                            file protocol for directory-less
                            filesystems.
* Mapped data::             Getting memory objects referring to the
                            data of an I/O object.

@node I/O interface
@chapter I/O interface
                           
The I/O interface is used to interact with almost all servers in the GNU
Hurd.  It provides facilities for reading and writing I/O streams.  The
I/O interface facilities are described in <hurd/io.defs> and
<hurd/shared.h> The latter portion of <hurd/io.defs> and all of
<hurd/shared.h> describe how to implement shared-memory I/O operations,
and are described later.  The present chapter discusses RPC-based I/O
operations.

@menu
* I/O object ports::              How ports to I/O objects work
* Simple operations::             Read, write, and seek
* Open modes::                    State bits that affect pieces of
                                  operation
* Asynchronous I/O::              How to get notified when I/O is possible
* Information queries::           How to implement io_stat and 
                                  io_server_version
@end menu

@node I/O object ports
@section I/O object ports

The I/O server must associate each I/O port with a particular set of
uids and gids, identifying the user who is responsible for operations on
the port.  Every port to an I/O server should also support either the
file protocol or the socket protocol; naked I/O ports are not allowed.

In addition, the server associates with each port a default file
pointer, a set of open mode bits, a pid (called the ``owner''), and some
underlying object which can absorb data (for write) or provide data (for
read).

The uid and gid sets associated with a port may not be visibly shared
with other ports, nor may they ever change.  The server must fix the
identification of a set of uids and gids with a particular port at the
moment of the port's creation.  The other characteristics of an I/O port
may be shared with other users.  The I/O server interface does not
generally specify in what way servers may share these other
characteristics are shared (with the exception of the deprecated O_ASYNC
interface); however, the file and socket interfaces make further
requirements about what sharing is expected and prohibited from
occurring.

In general, users get send-rights to I/O ports by some mechanism that is
external to the I/O protocol.  (For example file servers give out I/O
ports in response to the dir_pathtrans and fsys_getroot calls.  Socket
servers give out ports in response to the socket_create and
socket_accept calles.)  However, the I/O protocol provides methods of
obtaining new ports that refer to the same underlying object as another
port.  In response to all of these calls, all underlying state
(including, but not limited to, the default file poirter, open mode
bits, and underlying object) must be shared between the old and new
ports.  In the following descriptions of these calls, the term
"identical" means this kind of sharing.  All these calls must return
send-rights to a newly-constructed Mach port.

The io_duplicate call simply returns another port which is identical
to an existing port and has the same uid and gid set.

The io_restrict_auth call returns another port, identical to the
provided port, but which has a smaller associated uid and gid set.  The
uid and gid sets of the new port are the intersection of the set on the
existing port and the lists of uids and gids provided in the call.

Users use the io_reauthenticate call when they wish to have an entirely
new set of uids or gids associated with a port.  In response to the
io_reauthenticate call, the server must create a new port, and then make
the call auth_server_authenticate to the auth server.  The rendezvous
port for the auth_server_authenticate call is the I/O port to which was
made the io_reauthenticate call.  The server provides rend_int parameter
to the auth server as a copy from the corresponding parameter in the
io_reauthenticate call.  The I/O server also gives the auth server a new
port; this must be a newly created port identical to the old port.  The
auth server will return the set of uids and gids associated with the
user, and guarantees that the new port will go directly to the user that
possessed the associated authentication port.  The server then
identifies the new port given out with the specified id's.

@node Simple operations
@section Simple operations

Users write to I/O ports by calling the io_write RPC.  They specify an
offset parameter; if the object supports writing at arbitrary offsets,
the server should honor this parameter.  If -1 is passed as the offset,
then the server should use the default file pointer.  The server should
return the amount of data which was successfully written.  If the
operation was interrupted after some but not all of the data was
written, then it is considered to have succeeded and the server should
return the amount written.  If the port is not an I/O port at all, the
server should reply with the error EOPNOTSUPP.  If the port is an I/O
port, but does not happen to support writing, then the correct error is
EBADF.

Users read from I/O ports by calling the io_read RPC.  The specify the
amount of data they wish to read and the offset.  The offset has the
same meaning as for io_write above.  The server should return the data
read.  If the call is interrupted after same data has been read (and the
operation is not idempotent) then the server should return the amount
read, even if less than the amount requested.  The server should return
as much data as possible, but never more than requested by the user.  If
there is no data, but there might be later, the call should block until
data becomes available.  Indicate end-of-file conditions by returning
zero bytes.  If the call is interrupted after some data has been read,
but the call is idempotent, then the server may return EINTR rather than
actually filling the buffer (taking care that any modifications of the
default file pointer have been reversed).  Preferably, however, servers
should return data if possible.

There are two categories of objects: seekable and non-seekable.
Seekable objects must accept arbitrary offset parameters in the io_read
and io_write calls, and to implement the io_seek call.  Nonseekable
objects must ignore the offset parameters to io_read and io_write, and
should return ESPIPE to the io_seek call.

On seekable objects, io_seek changes the default file pointer for reads
and writes.  (See the C library manual for the interpretation of the
WHENCE and OFFSET arguments, and why the grammatically incorrect term
`whence' is used.)  It returns the new offset as modified by io_seek.

The io_readable interface returns the amount of data which can be
immediately read.  For the special technical meaning of "immediately",
see the description of asynchronous I/O.  (*Note: Asynchronous I/O.)

@node Open modes
@section Open modes

The server associates each port with a set of bits that affect its
operation.  The io_set_all_openmodes call modifies these bits and the
io_get_openmodes call returns them.  In addition, the
io_set_some_openmodes and io_clear_some_openmodes do an atomic
read/modify/write of the openmodes.

The O_APPEND bit, when set, changes the behavior of io_write when it
uses the default file pointer on seekable objects.  When io_write is
done on a port with the O_APPEND bit set, is must set the filepointer to
one more than the "maximum correct value" (described below) before doing
the write (which would then increment the file pointer as usual).  The
server must atomically bind this update to the actual data write with
respect to other users of io_read, io_write, and io_seek.

A "correct value" for the file pointer which, when provided to io_read,
will successfully return at least one byte of data and not end-of-file.
The "maximum correct value" referred to in the description of O_APPEND
is the maximum such correct value.  (For ordinary files [see the
description of the file protocol for more information] this is the same
as the current file size.)

The O_FSYNC bit, when set, causes io_write not to delay writing data to
underlying media in any fashion.

The O_NONBLOCK bit, when set, prevents read and write from blocking.
They should copy such data as is immediately available.  If no data is
immediately available they should return EWOULDBLOCK.

The definition of "immediate" is more or less server dependent.  Some
servers (disk-based file servers, most notably) regard all data as
immediatebly available.  The one criterion is that something which must
happen immediately may not wait for any user-synchronizable event.  

The O_ASYNC bit is deprecated; its use is documented in the following
section.  This bit must be shared between all users of the same
underlying object.

@node Asynchronous I/O
@section Asynchronous I/O

Users may wish to be notified when I/O can be done without blocking;
they use the io_async call to indicate this to the server.  In the
io_async call the user provides a port on which will the server should
send sig_post messages as I/O becomes possible.  The server must return
a port which will be the reference port in the sig_post messages.  Each
io_async call should generate a new reference port.  (See the C library
manual for information on how to send sig_post messages.)

The server then sends one SIGIO signal to each registered async user
everytime I/O becomes possible.  I/O is possible if at least one byte
can be read or written immediately.  (The definition of ``immediately''
must be the same as for the implementation of the O_NONBLOCK flag.)  In
addition, everytime a user calls io_read or io_write on a non-seekable
object, or at the default file pointer on a seekable object, another
signal should be sent to each user if I/O is still possible.

Some objects may also define "urgent" conditions.  Such servers should
send the SIGURG signal to each registered async user anytime an urgent
condition appears.  After any RPC that has the possibility of clearing
the urgent condition, the server should again send the signal to all
registered users if the urgent condition is still present.

A more fine-grained mechanism for doing async I/O is the io_select call.
The user specifies the kind of access desired, and a send-once right.
If I/O of the kind the user desires is immediately possible, then the
server should return so indicating, and destroy the send-once right.  If
I/O is not immediately possible, the server should save the send-once
right, and send a select_done message as soon as I/O becomes immediately
possible.  (Again, the definition of ``immediate'' must be the same for
io_select, io_async, and O_NONBLOCK.)

For compatibility, the I/O interface provides a deprecated feature
(known as icky async I/O)..  The calls io_mod_owner and io_get_owner set
the ``owner'' of the object, providing either a pid or a pgrp (if the
value isnegative).  Whenever the I/O server is sending sig_post messages
to all the io_async users, if the O_ASYNC bit is set, the server should
also send a signal to the owning pid/pgrp.  The ID port for this call
should be different from all the io_async id ports given to users.
Users may find out what ID port the server uses for this by calling
io_get_icky_async_id.

@node Information queries
@section Information queries

Users may call io_stat to find out information about the I/O object.
Most of the fieds of a struct stat are meaningful only for files.  All
objects, however, must support the fields st_fstype, st_fsid, st_ino,
st_atime, st_atime_usec, st_mtime_user, st_ctime, st_ctime_usec, and
st_blksize.

st_fstype, st_fsid, and st_ino must be unique for the underlying object
across the entire system.

st_atime and st_atime_usec hold the seconds and microseconds,
respectively, of the system clock at the last time the object was
read with io_read.

st_mtime and st_mtime_usec hold the second and microseconds,
respectively, of the system clock at the last time the object was
written with io_write.

Other appropriate operations may update the atime and the mtime as well;
both the file and socket interfaces specify such operations.

st_ctime and st_ctime_usec hold the seconds and microseconds,
respectively, of the system clock at the last time permanent meta-data
associated with the object was changed.  The exact operations which
couse such an update are server-dependent, but must include the creation
of the object.

The server is permitted to delay the actual update of these times until
stat is called; before the server stores the times on permanent media
(if it ever does so) it should update them if necessary.

st_blksize gives the optimal I/O size in bytes for io_read and io_write;
users should endeavor to read and write amounts which are multiples of
the optimal size, and to use offsets which are multiples of the optimal
size

In addition, objects which are seekable should set st_size to the
"maximum correct value" described above in the description of the
O_APPEND flag.

The st_uid and st_gid fields are unrelated to the ``owner'' as described
above for icky async I/O.  

Users may find out the version of the server they are talking to by
calling io_server_version; this should return strings and integers
describing the version number of the server, as well as its name.

@node Mapped data
@section Mapped data

Servers may optionally implement the io_map call; they may do so even if
the do not implement the facilities described in the following chapter.
The ports returned by io_map must implement the XP kernel interface and
be suitable as arguments to vm_map.

Seekable objects must allow access from 0 to the "maximum correct value"
described for O_APPEND.  Whether they provide access beyond such a point
is server dependent; in addition, the meaning of such an object for a
non-seekable object is server dependent.  However, servers which
implement the facilities of the next section must obey to certain
requirements about which addresses in the memory objects provided by
io_map must be valid.  Simply put, any user following the rules
described in the next chapter should not get any memory faults except as
explicitly permitted by the next chapter.

@node Shared I/O
@chapter Shared I/O

I/O servers may, optionally, provide the services described in this
chapter in addition to the generic services described in the previous
chapter.  These facilities allow users to read and write I/O objects
without making RPC's to the server in most circumstances.  

@menu
* Rules::               The rules users must obey in using
                        shared I/O.
* Examples::            Examples of the way different types
                        of servers could implement shared I/O.
@end menu

@node Rules
@section Rules

Any server implementing the facilities of this chapter must also support
the io_map call as described in the previous chapter.

Users of the shared I/O facilities must call io_map_cntl; this will
return a memory object, called the shared page object.  One page of this
object should be mapped from offset zero into the user's address space.
At the front of this page is a struct shared_io as described in
<hurd/shared.h>.  Frequent reference will be made to the members of this
structure in this chapter, without further qualification.  The shared
page past the struct shared_io may be used by users as they wish.  

Users should examine the shared_page_magic field; from it they can
discover the byte ordering used by the server.  Users should not blindly
assume that the server uses the same byte ordering as they.

Only one shared user can be active on a given port at a time.  If a user
calls io_map_cntl on a port which already has an active shared user, the
server should return EBUSY, at which point the user should call
io_duplicate to obtain a new port, and call io_map_cntl there.

@menu
* Conch::                       How access to the shared page is mediated
* Access rules::                Where in the io_map memory objects users
                                may peek and poke
* Behavior modification::       Modifications of behavior
* Status notifications::        Calls users should make at certain
                                times to keep the server abreast of the
                                current state of the object
* Violations::                  When the rules are broken

@end menu

@node Conch
@subsection Conch

Access to the shared page is mediated through a facility known as the
``conch''.  The ``lock'' field of the shared page protects the
conch_status field; users and the server must acquire this lock with
spin_lock before they may modify or examine conch_status.

If the conch_status field is USER_HAS_CONCH or USER_RELEASE_CONCH, then
the user has the conch, and may access the shared page after releasing
the spin lock.  If the conch_status field is USER_COULD_HAVE_CONCH, then
the user may immediately set conch_status to USER_HAS_CONCH, and proceed
to access the shared page after releasing the spin lock.  If the conch
status is USER_HAS_NOT_CONCH, then the user should release the spin
lock, and call io_get_conch.  Upon return from io_get_conch, the user
should reacquire the spin lock and check conch_status again.

When the user is through accessing the shared page, the user should
acquire the spin lock and examine the conch_status field.  If it has
been set to USER_RELEASE_CONCH, then the user should release the spin
lock and call io_release_conch.  Otherwise, the user should change
conch_status from USER_HAS_CONCH to USER_COULD_HAVE_CONCH and then
release the spin lock.

The implementation of io_read and io_write must not modify the object
data or the default file pointer except when the server is holding the
conch; users who wish to be atomic with respect to those functions
should be similarly reticent.

The server must guarantee that at most one user of an underlying object
has the conch at a time; the server may only have the conch if no user
does.  The server may not modify conch_status or the shared page if the
status is USER_HAS_CONCH except to set it to USER_RELEASE_CONCH, thus
requesting a call to io_release_conch.

The server is permitted to modify any characteristics of the shared page
anytime the conch_status is not USER_HAS_CONCH or USER_RELEASE_CONCH;
users may not assume that the shared page has not changed even when only
upgrading USER_COULD_HAVE_CONCH to USER_HAS_CONCH.

@node Access rules
@subsection Access rules

The conch fields file_size, read_size, and prenotify_size affect which
areas of the data objects may be accessed.  In addition, for
non-seekable objects, the file pointers rd_file_pointer,
wr_file_pointer, and xx_file_pointer affect which areas may be accessed.

For seekable objects, the user may read the read object from offset 0
through the minimum of file_size and read_size.

For seekable objects, the user may write the write object from offset 0
through the prenotify_size.

For nonseekable objects, the user may read the read object from
rd_file_pointer through the minimum of file_size and read_size. 

For nonseekable objects, the user may write the write object from
wr_file_pointer through prenotify_size.

The server may permit access outside these regions, but need not
preserve data for any length of time if so written.  If the server
wishes to deny such access, it issue faults with EIO.  Servers may also
issue faults on modifications of the write object for reasons such as
EDQUOT and ENOSPC, as well as reporting hardware errors with EIO.
Servers may only fault valid addresses in the read object in the event
of hardware failure, giving EIO.

Users should ignore the foo field if the value use_foo is clear in the
shared page; this may result in there being no maximum valid address for
a particular access.  In that case, the user may access the object to
the end of its virtual address space.

If use_file_size is set, the user may increase the file_size, but may
not decrease it, to indicate the new "maximum correct value" as
described for O_APPEND.  Normally when users write beyond the current
file_size they should extend it at least to the end of the write.

The xx_file_pointer for seekable objects must be the same as the default
file pointer used by io_read and io_write.

If use_read_size is set and the user wishes to read past read_size, she
may call io_readsleep, which must return as soon as read_size is
increased.  The server should set read_block_reason anytime
use_read_size is set; if read_block_reason is RBR_BUFFER_FULL, then the
server is indicating that the read_size might never be increased until
the rd_file_pointer is sufficiently increased.

If the server has set use_prenotify_size and the user wishes to write
past prenotify_size, she may call io_prenotify, specifying the maximum
offset the user intends to write.  The server should return when after
increasing prenotify_size, but is not obligated to extend it as far as
the user wishes.  In addition, io_prenotify may return errors such as
ENOSPC, indicating that the prenotify_size cannot be increased.

Users of seekable objects may modify the xx_file_pointer at will
(including pointing past read_size, file_size, or prenotify_size).
Users of non-seekable objects, however, may only increase the
rd_file_pointer and wr_file_pointer.  In addition, they may not modify
them to point past the valid data as described above.  Failing to
advance them at all may prevent the read_size or prenotify_size from
being increased.

If the server sets eof_notify, then the user may attempt to have the
file_size to be increased by calling io_eofnotify after "noticing" the
current file size limit.  io_eofnotify must return immediately, but need
not actually increase the file_size or clear user_file_size.  (However,
if it is impossible for io_eofnotify to ever do anything, then the
server should not bother setting eof_notify.)

@node Status notification
@subsection Status notification

The flag do_sigio requests the user to call io_sigio every time she
changes the file pointers or the file_size.

If the server sets use_postnotify_size, then the user should call
io_postnotify after writing data that extends past postnotify_size.  The
server may buffer writes internally beyond postnotify_size for
arbitrarily long periods until io_postnotify is called, regardless of
the setting of the O_FSYNC bit.

After modifying or reading the object contents, the user should set the
written or accessed fields respectively.  (Users who fail to set these
fields will not thereby defeat the mtime/atime mechanism.)

If the flag use_eof is set, then users should call io_eofnotify after
reading up to the file_size and noticing it.

@node Behavior modification
@subsection Behavior modification

The server flag append_mode is a copy of the O_APPEND open mode bit; if
it is set, then the user should do writes at file_size and set the file
pointer appropriately (this applies only if the user would be writing at
the file pointer in the first place).

Servers should implement the flag O_FSYNC by using the postnotify_size
field.

Servers should implement the io_async and O_ASYNC notifications by using
the do_sigio field.

@node Violations
@subsection Violations

Users who hold the conch for too long while conch_status is set to
USER_RELEASE_CONCH may have the conch stolen from them and their
conch_status unilaterally downgraded to USER_HAS_NOT_CONCH by the
server.  Users who hold the spin lock for too long (where this ``too
long'' is much much shorter than the previous one) may have the spin
lock stolen from them by the server.

Users who read or write outside the valid regions described above may
get memory faults and may not expect data written to be saved in any
fashion.

Users who write the read object (when it is different from the write
object) may or may not get faults; they may not expect such data to be
saved in any fashion.

Users who fail to call io_postnotify may cause data to be buffered for
arbitrarily long periods.

Users who reduce rd_file_pointer, wr_file_pointer, or file_size will
have such modifications ignored.

Users may not call any server functions (whether in the I/O protocol or
another) while holding the conch except for those specified in this
chapter.  Such calls may block indefinitely or fail silently.


@bye