dfree behaviour [Was: Re: Broken "dfree command" in Samba 2.0.5a]

[David Lee]

On Tue, 21 Dec 1999, Colin Dean wrote:

> Summary:
> 
> The "dfree command" option in smb.conf is ignored by Samba 2.0.5a,
> despite being documented in "man smb.conf".
> 
> Details:
> [...]
> 
> Having upgraded our 8 Samba servers to Samba 2, users can no longer
> save large files, because we can't get Samba to fake the free space
> available.
> 
> It looks like the source code in this area has been rearranged quite
> a lot, so I'm reluctant to try to hack the functionality back in for
> myself.
> 
> As there's no mention of this in the 2.0.6 changes list, I assume the
> behaviour there is the same as with 2.0.5a.

Though I have no experience of the "dfree command" parameter, this raises
a closely related but somewhat wider topic.   That is, if "dfree command"
is broken, then any fix ought at least to consider the following...

We use quotas exclusively to give "dfree" behaviour.  This requires
compiling Samba "--with-quotas".  But this in turn then makes every share
try to use quotas, whereas a per-share choice would be preferable.  Thus a
[share1] could use quotas and a [share2] would not use quotas even if it
had them.  Indeed [share1] and [share2] might even be the same filesystem
with the express and purposeful distinction of being able to give
different "dfree" results.  And a "[share3]", again as a potential variant
on the same underlying filesystem, might be based on "dfree command" 

Also, as Samba becomes increasingly pre-packaged (RPM etc.), it becomes
increasingly valuable to remove compile-time options, so that a maximally
flexible binary can be produced.  So in the case of "--with-quotas", the
default should now be to include it, using a parameter to enable it.

It seems that there is scope for re-visiting the whole "dfree" area in
Samba so that the three present options (might there be more?) of "neat
df", "quotas" and "dfree command" can be maximally available (and
working!) and maximally (per-share)  tailorable. 

Summary:
   Make "--with-quotas" the default.
   New per-share parameter to enable quota-based df reporting.
   Ensure that "dfree command" functionality is retained.
   Consider the interaction of "dfree command" and quota-enabling.

Any thoughts about the principles above?  Now how do we define it and
implement it?  (And who?  Who has the close ear of the Samba Team?)

-- 

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