Re: bin/55815: tar opens device files

[Christos Zoulas <christos%zoulas.com@localhost>]

The following reply was made to PR bin/55815; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Christos Zoulas <christos%zoulas.com@localhost>
To: gnats-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
Cc: gnats-admin%netbsd.org@localhost,
 netbsd-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost,
 "martin%netbsd.org@localhost" <martin%NetBSD.org@localhost>
Subject: Re: bin/55815: tar opens device files
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2020 08:34:16 -0500

 Unfortunately it looks like implementing a no-side-effects open for some =
 devices is=20
 difficult because those devices (tapes in particular) rely on the =
 different semantics=20
 for open depending on different minor numbers. As joerg mentions, =
 deferring this=20
 to the first I/O would be a good thing but it is not trivial to do and =
 we have a bunch=20
 of them. What we seem to want is an open() flavor that gives us access =
 just to the
 extended attributes and stat info, so we could just do that (open =
 O_EXTATTR)?
 
 christos=