[linux-cifs-client] interoperability between samba, linux-cifs, cywgin and sfu

[Steven French]

> I would only point out that Cygwin does things this way to maintain
> compatability with FAT32 which doesn't support magic file types on the
disk.
I believe that most of the SFU "magic file types" would work much the same
on FAT32 as they do on NTFS as they rely on
      1) the system attribute (which FAT32 supports)
      2) a small amount of file data indicating the type and e.g.
      link target or device numbers (which should also work to FAT32)

The SFU approach to mode bits on the other hand would probably not work on
FAT32
as it requires ACLs and sometimes OS/2 [NTFS] EAs - but it would be worth
testing
to make sure (I am trying to find some FAT formatted USB storage around
here,
I probably have some FAT formatted things somewhere).  Similarly hard links
probably don't won't with FAT32 as they do with NTFS.   Ideally cygwin like
CIFS
would "fall back" to the more primitive mode of storing posix information
if the
optimal ways do not work (ie cygwin can take a primitive fall back approach
on
FAT32 that is worse than when on NTFS - it is easy for cygwin to tell which
fs
it is on).


Steve French
Senior Software Engineer
Linux Technology Center - IBM Austin
phone: 512-838-2294
email: sfrench at-sign us dot ibm dot com
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