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Date:      Mon, 19 Oct 1998 09:28:02 -0700
From:      John Polstra <jdp@polstra.com>
To:        jamie@itribe.net
Cc:        hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: softupdates and sync
Message-ID:  <199810191628.JAA13755@austin.polstra.com>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SGI.3.96.981019092321.8593B-100000@animaniacs.itribe.net>
References:  <Pine.SGI.3.96.981019092321.8593B-100000@animaniacs.itribe.net>

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In article <Pine.SGI.3.96.981019092321.8593B-100000@animaniacs.itribe.net>,
Jamie Bowden  <jamie@itribe.net> wrote:

> > sync(8) just calls sync(2).  sync(2) just starts the buffer flush - it
> > does not wait for the flush to complete.  This has always been true
> > and is the origin of the `type sync 3 times before halting system'
> > mantra.
> 
> This mantra has never made any sense to me.  The process of halting the
> system is unmounting filesystems, which will force syncing before umount
> happens.  I have never bothered to manually sync a filesystem prior to a 
> shutdown, reboot, or halt command.

Right -- it's just a ritual and it isn't necessary.

I do it anyway, because it makes me feel like I'm living right.  I
guess it's the Unix heathen's substitute for prayer. :-)
--
   John Polstra                                       jdp@polstra.com
   John D. Polstra & Co., Inc.                Seattle, Washington USA
   "Self-knowledge is always bad news."                 -- John Barth

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