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-rw-r--r--Documentation/filesystems/devpts.txt145
1 files changed, 15 insertions, 130 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/devpts.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/devpts.txt
index 30d2fcb32f72..9f94fe276dea 100644
--- a/Documentation/filesystems/devpts.txt
+++ b/Documentation/filesystems/devpts.txt
@@ -1,141 +1,26 @@
+Each mount of the devpts filesystem is now distinct such that ptys
+and their indicies allocated in one mount are independent from ptys
+and their indicies in all other mounts.
-To support containers, we now allow multiple instances of devpts filesystem,
-such that indices of ptys allocated in one instance are independent of indices
-allocated in other instances of devpts.
+All mounts of the devpts filesystem now create a /dev/pts/ptmx node
+with permissions 0000.
-To preserve backward compatibility, this support for multiple instances is
-enabled only if:
+To retain backwards compatibility the a ptmx device node (aka any node
+created with "mknod name c 5 2") when opened will look for an instance
+of devpts under the name "pts" in the same directory as the ptmx device
+node.
- - CONFIG_DEVPTS_MULTIPLE_INSTANCES=y, and
- - '-o newinstance' mount option is specified while mounting devpts
-
-IOW, devpts now supports both single-instance and multi-instance semantics.
-
-If CONFIG_DEVPTS_MULTIPLE_INSTANCES=n, there is no change in behavior and
-this referred to as the "legacy" mode. In this mode, the new mount options
-(-o newinstance and -o ptmxmode) will be ignored with a 'bogus option' message
-on console.
-
-If CONFIG_DEVPTS_MULTIPLE_INSTANCES=y and devpts is mounted without the
-'newinstance' option (as in current start-up scripts) the new mount binds
-to the initial kernel mount of devpts. This mode is referred to as the
-'single-instance' mode and the current, single-instance semantics are
-preserved, i.e PTYs are common across the system.
-
-The only difference between this single-instance mode and the legacy mode
-is the presence of new, '/dev/pts/ptmx' node with permissions 0000, which
-can safely be ignored.
-
-If CONFIG_DEVPTS_MULTIPLE_INSTANCES=y and 'newinstance' option is specified,
-the mount is considered to be in the multi-instance mode and a new instance
-of the devpts fs is created. Any ptys created in this instance are independent
-of ptys in other instances of devpts. Like in the single-instance mode, the
-/dev/pts/ptmx node is present. To effectively use the multi-instance mode,
-open of /dev/ptmx must be a redirected to '/dev/pts/ptmx' using a symlink or
-bind-mount.
-
-Eg: A container startup script could do the following:
-
- $ chmod 0666 /dev/pts/ptmx
- $ rm /dev/ptmx
- $ ln -s pts/ptmx /dev/ptmx
- $ ns_exec -cm /bin/bash
-
- # We are now in new container
-
- $ umount /dev/pts
- $ mount -t devpts -o newinstance lxcpts /dev/pts
- $ sshd -p 1234
-
-where 'ns_exec -cm /bin/bash' calls clone() with CLONE_NEWNS flag and execs
-/bin/bash in the child process. A pty created by the sshd is not visible in
-the original mount of /dev/pts.
+As an option instead of placing a /dev/ptmx device node at /dev/ptmx
+it is possible to place a symlink to /dev/pts/ptmx at /dev/ptmx or
+to bind mount /dev/ptx/ptmx to /dev/ptmx. If you opt for using
+the devpts filesystem in this manner devpts should be mounted with
+the ptmxmode=0666, or chmod 0666 /dev/pts/ptmx should be called.
Total count of pty pairs in all instances is limited by sysctls:
kernel.pty.max = 4096 - global limit
-kernel.pty.reserve = 1024 - reserve for initial instance
+kernel.pty.reserve = 1024 - reserved for filesystems mounted from the initial mount namespace
kernel.pty.nr - current count of ptys
Per-instance limit could be set by adding mount option "max=<count>".
This feature was added in kernel 3.4 together with sysctl kernel.pty.reserve.
In kernels older than 3.4 sysctl kernel.pty.max works as per-instance limit.
-
-User-space changes
-------------------
-
-In multi-instance mode (i.e '-o newinstance' mount option is specified at least
-once), following user-space issues should be noted.
-
-1. If -o newinstance mount option is never used, /dev/pts/ptmx can be ignored
- and no change is needed to system-startup scripts.
-
-2. To effectively use multi-instance mode (i.e -o newinstance is specified)
- administrators or startup scripts should "redirect" open of /dev/ptmx to
- /dev/pts/ptmx using either a bind mount or symlink.
-
- $ mount -t devpts -o newinstance devpts /dev/pts
-
- followed by either
-
- $ rm /dev/ptmx
- $ ln -s pts/ptmx /dev/ptmx
- $ chmod 666 /dev/pts/ptmx
- or
- $ mount -o bind /dev/pts/ptmx /dev/ptmx
-
-3. The '/dev/ptmx -> pts/ptmx' symlink is the preferred method since it
- enables better error-reporting and treats both single-instance and
- multi-instance mounts similarly.
-
- But this method requires that system-startup scripts set the mode of
- /dev/pts/ptmx correctly (default mode is 0000). The scripts can set the
- mode by, either
-
- - adding ptmxmode mount option to devpts entry in /etc/fstab, or
- - using 'chmod 0666 /dev/pts/ptmx'
-
-4. If multi-instance mode mount is needed for containers, but the system
- startup scripts have not yet been updated, container-startup scripts
- should bind mount /dev/ptmx to /dev/pts/ptmx to avoid breaking single-
- instance mounts.
-
- Or, in general, container-startup scripts should use:
-
- mount -t devpts -o newinstance -o ptmxmode=0666 devpts /dev/pts
- if [ ! -L /dev/ptmx ]; then
- mount -o bind /dev/pts/ptmx /dev/ptmx
- fi
-
- When all devpts mounts are multi-instance, /dev/ptmx can permanently be
- a symlink to pts/ptmx and the bind mount can be ignored.
-
-5. A multi-instance mount that is not accompanied by the /dev/ptmx to
- /dev/pts/ptmx redirection would result in an unusable/unreachable pty.
-
- mount -t devpts -o newinstance lxcpts /dev/pts
-
- immediately followed by:
-
- open("/dev/ptmx")
-
- would create a pty, say /dev/pts/7, in the initial kernel mount.
- But /dev/pts/7 would be invisible in the new mount.
-
-6. The permissions for /dev/pts/ptmx node should be specified when mounting
- /dev/pts, using the '-o ptmxmode=%o' mount option (default is 0000).
-
- mount -t devpts -o newinstance -o ptmxmode=0644 devpts /dev/pts
-
- The permissions can be later be changed as usual with 'chmod'.
-
- chmod 666 /dev/pts/ptmx
-
-7. A mount of devpts without the 'newinstance' option results in binding to
- initial kernel mount. This behavior while preserving legacy semantics,
- does not provide strict isolation in a container environment. i.e by
- mounting devpts without the 'newinstance' option, a container could
- get visibility into the 'host' or root container's devpts.
-
- To workaround this and have strict isolation, all mounts of devpts,
- including the mount in the root container, should use the newinstance
- option.