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DerJudge

Member

From: NRW, Germany

Registered: 2013-03-26

Posts: 24

Website

Question related to OverlayFS and workdir - option

Hi everyone,

OverlayFS exists in the Linux-Kernel since 3.18. It can be used to merge several filesystems or folders to appear as one with only the topmost layer being writeable.

Since there seems to exist not much more documentation than the commit-log, I started some experiments. But I could not get what the mount option "workdir" is doing. The kernel-docs also just say that it must be an empty directory, but nothing about it's purpose.

Can someone enlighten me on this?

Best regards,
Marc

graysky

Wiki Maintainer

From: :wq

Registered: 2008-12-01

Posts: 10,732

Website

Re: Question related to OverlayFS and workdir - option

For an example, see the source for profile-sync-daemon (my github).  On a mobile device now so can't paste it.

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AUR packages • Zsh and other configs

DerJudge

Member

From: NRW, Germany

Registered: 2013-03-26

Posts: 24

Website

Re: Question related to OverlayFS and workdir - option

Hi graysky, thanks for your reply.

This is the repo, graysky refered to.

@graysky: I can only find 'common/profile-sync-daemon.in', where you use 'workdir' in line 698. I'm not in doubt about the syntax, I do not understand what it does. And your example doesn't add any further understanding than my own investigations inside a test-folder do ...

What is this mount option for?

damjan

Member

Registered: 2006-05-30

Posts: 462

Re: Question related to OverlayFS and workdir - option

The "workdir" needs to be an empty directory on the same filesystem
as upperdir.

what was the issue?

DerJudge

Member

From: NRW, Germany

Registered: 2013-03-26

Posts: 24

Website

Re: Question related to OverlayFS and workdir - option

The "workdir" needs to be an empty directory on the same filesystem
as upperdir.

what was the issue?

No issue - the question is: What is the "workdir" used / needed for?

MisterAnderson

Member

Registered: 2011-09-04

Posts: 285

Re: Question related to OverlayFS and workdir - option

Yeah I'd like to know the purpose of the work directory too. What is it used for?

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