Filesystem monitoring
Core Technology
Notification APIs in LInux.
If you were using Linux back in 2006, you will remember the desktop search tool Beagle (Figure 1), which was notified when you changed your files so it could re-index them. Modern file managers also rely on notifications to update their displays when files are created, deleted, or renamed (Figure 2), unlike earlier file managers that counted on the user to refresh the display (Figure 3). Now, think of the ClamAV open source antivirus software. If you try to open a file containing malware, you expect an on-access scanner to ban it. In this case, notifications aren't enough; ClamAV needs to be an active part of the process, allowing or denying certain operations. Happily, Linux can handle both cases. The downside is, it does so with two separate APIs, and you can't just choose one over another.
Figure 1: Beagle hasn't released a new version since 2009, yet it's remembered as a "textbook" example of inotify usage. (The figure [1] is reproduced under Apache License, Version 2.0 [2].)
Figure 2: Many file managers, including Dolphin, rely on notifications to keep directory content current.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
UN Creates Open Source Portal
In a quest to strengthen open source collaboration, the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology has created a new portal.
-
Latest Linux Kernel RC Contains Changes Galore
Linux kernel 7.0-rc3 includes more changes than have been made in a single release in recent history.
-
Nitrux 6.0 Now Ready to Rock Your World
The latest iteration of the Debian-based distribution includes all kinds of newness.
-
Linux Foundation Reports that Open Source Delivers Better ROI
In a report that may surprise no one in the Linux community, the Linux Foundation found that businesses are finding a 5X return on investment with open source software.
-
Keep Android Open
Google has announced that, soon, anyone looking to develop Android apps will have to first register centrally with Google.
-
Kernel 7.0 Now in Testing
Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for the 7.x kernel is available for those who want to test it.
-
Introducing matrixOS, an Immutable Gentoo-Based Linux Distro
It was only a matter of time before a developer decided one of the most challenging Linux distributions needed to be immutable.
-
Chaos Comes to KDE in KaOS
KaOS devs are making a major change to the distribution, and it all comes down to one system.
-
New Linux Botnet Discovered
The SSHStalker botnet uses IRC C2 to control systems via legacy Linux kernel exploits.
-
The Next Linux Kernel Turns 7.0
Linus Torvalds has announced that after Linux kernel 6.19, we'll finally reach the 7.0 iteration stage.