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Date:      Tue, 11 Apr 2000 12:28:51 -0400 (EDT)
From:      Robert Watson <robert@cyrus.watson.org>
To:        freebsd-arch@freebsd.org
Subject:   file system extended attributes support (fwd)
Message-ID:  <Pine.NEB.3.96L.1000411122816.34129F-100000@fledge.watson.org>

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 01:39:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robert Watson <robert@cyrus.watson.org>
Reply-To: Robert Watson <robert+freebsd@cyrus.watson.org>
To: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org
Subject: file system extended attributes support


As part of the supporting code base for a number of security-related
projects on FreeBSD, I've hacked up extended attribute support for
FreeBSD.  This allows arbitrary named attributes to be associated with
each inode, maintained by the kernel.  In December, I committed APIs
associated with this code to the FreeBSD repository, and now after a few
months of testing and use, I'd like to commit the code itself to the repo.
Doing so will facilitate the further development of a number of
security-related projects, including the TrustedBSD MAC, ACL, and
Capability support, as well as third party security code such as the
NAI/TIS Labs FreeDTE code.

This code is similar to the Quota code, in that it stores attributes in
backing files in the file system (or in another file system), and may be
enabled per-FFS partition.  My feeling is that this approach allows
maximum flexibility at this point in the life cycle of FreeBSD in terms of
VFS maturity.  As the support for stacked file systems matures, I'd be
willing to reconsider the manner in which this is implemented.

The current version of the code, diff'd from the main repo a few days ago
on the 5.0-CURRENT (head) branch, is available for download at:

	http://www.trustedbsd.org/downloads/

It contains a great deal of #ifdef'd debugging code, but also contains
some utilities that can be experimented with.  I recommend reading the
extattrctl man page first.  The excessive debugging code will be stripped
before committing, and once I'm confident that it works for more than just
the four or five people who've used it thus far :-).

Thanks,

  Robert N M Watson 

robert@fledge.watson.org              http://www.watson.org/~robert/
PGP key fingerprint: AF B5 5F FF A6 4A 79 37  ED 5F 55 E9 58 04 6A B1
TIS Labs at Network Associates, Safeport Network Services



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