Message-Id:	<m0wL5ij-000FmbC@hn.planet.gen.nz>
Date:	Sat, 26 Apr 97 23:32 NZST
Mime-Version:	1.0
To:	grendel AT hoth DOT amu DOT edu DOT pl
From:	Lorier <lorier AT ihug DOT co DOT nz>
Subject:	Re: File system ideas
Cc:	alaric AT abwillms DOT demon DOT co DOT uk, opendos-developer AT delorie DOT com

At 02:41 PM 25/04/97 +0100, Mark Habersack wrote:
>Once upon a time (on 24 Apr 97 at 20:08) Alaric B. Williams said:
>
>> > Post your ideas, they sound fascinating.  apparently the Vax have some
>> > scheme where you can place "alarms" on certain files for when they are
>> > accessed. (for example the shadow password file... someone reads it who
>> > isn't in the "your allowed" catagory mails root, and runs shutdown -h now"
>> > :)
>> 
>> Well, all these features are implementable, but putting them all in makes
>> the filer rapidly bigger and slower! Therefore, I would suggest opting for a
>> simple architecture, but with a well defined extension system.
>> 
>> EG, a file header has an optional field specifying a monitor module. This is
>> a DLL that is notified of all access to the file. It can refuse access, if
>> it performs an authentication role. It can log access. It can do all sorts
>> of fun things like that.
>> 
>> It's flexible, and it's optional.
>> 
>> How about it?
>Idea is excellent, only I'd argue about where to store the monitor 
>information. IMO, the operating system should not store any information in 
>the file itself - its structure is program-dependent and thus the OS may 
>spoil something. Instead, we would make a dirent big enough to store such 
>information. DLL you mentioned would be pointed at by something like a 
>"symlink" field in the dirent.

I agree, storing info in a file is a nono... But implementing this would be
brilliant.  Very flexible and powerfull...

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