SUN NFS: Reading Question


Imagine that a single NFS client and server are communicating without issue. Some time later, the server has a hard crash. The server reboots, but during the process of restoring its filesystem contents, some file inode numbers have changed. No other data was modified or lost.

Meanwhile, the client is simply resending failed requests. When the server begins responding again, the client finds that the server is rejecting some of its file handles, claiming they are invalid. However, the client was using these same file handles for valid requests beforehand.

Answer the following questions:

  • Why is the server rejecting some file handles?
  • How can the client obtain valid file handles for these files?
  • Can this issue arise without the server crashing? Say, when there is more than one client?

Submitting


Local Stanford students should write up their response on a sheet of paper that includes their name. The sheet of paper with the response should be submitted immediately before lecture.

SCPD students should write up their response in a text file named response.nfs.txt and upload it via the submission and grades page. You’ll need to sign in with your SUNetID to access the page. Responses will be accepted until one week after the corresponding paper’s lecture.

In either case, the response should be short, likely only a pithy paragraph in length.

Lecture

Tuesdays and Thursdays
4:30pm - 5:50pm
Gates B1

Office Hours

Dawson
Mondays
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Gates 314

Sergio
Mondays and Wednesdays
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Gates 288

Staff List

Dawson Engler
Instructor
Gates 314

Sergio Benitez
Instructor
Gates 288

Questions?

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