Re: bin/55355: mount on symlinked device spits undesired warning

[mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)]

The following reply was made to PR bin/55355; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)
To: gnats-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
Cc: 
Subject: Re: bin/55355: mount on symlinked device spits undesired warning
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2020 09:41:58 -0000 (UTC)

 greywolf%starwolf.com@localhost writes:
 
 >	"/dev/VGname/LVname" is a relative/non-resolved path; using
 >	"/dev/mapper/VGname-LVname" instead.
 
 >	Whilst I understand the intent, it is bothersome, and I would like
 >	some way to turn it off (as it is, I am currently "#if
 >	0/#endif"ing around the warnx() statement in sbin/mount/pathadj.c.
 
 The mount commands did resolve paths so that you could umount again with
 the same path. With a relative path that would depend on the current
 directory of the mount and umount operations respectively. So that paths
 were canonicalized.
 
 When refactoring that code into pathadj (for some but not all utilities),
 the warning was extended for non-resolved paths because that's what was
 checked for.
 
 Using the resolved path is a good thing to avoid confusion (even when
 umount -R exists and is a different solution to the problem). Warning
 about relative paths might make some sense because the current directory
 is somewhat volatile. Warning about symlinked paths on the other hand
 doesn't help anyone. If someone is going to change the symlinks after
 mounting, it's hopefully the same who wants to unmount later.
 
 So I suggest to
 - complete the refactoring so that pathadj() is used in all tools.
 - only warn about relative paths.
 
 -- 
 -- 
                                 Michael van Elst
 Internet: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost
                                 "A potential Snark may lurk in every tree."