diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/filesystems/caching')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/filesystems/caching/cachefiles.txt | 501 |
1 files changed, 501 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/caching/cachefiles.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/caching/cachefiles.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..c78a49b7bba6 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/caching/cachefiles.txt @@ -0,0 +1,501 @@ + =============================================== + CacheFiles: CACHE ON ALREADY MOUNTED FILESYSTEM + =============================================== + +Contents: + + (*) Overview. + + (*) Requirements. + + (*) Configuration. + + (*) Starting the cache. + + (*) Things to avoid. + + (*) Cache culling. + + (*) Cache structure. + + (*) Security model and SELinux. + + (*) A note on security. + + (*) Statistical information. + + (*) Debugging. + + +======== +OVERVIEW +======== + +CacheFiles is a caching backend that's meant to use as a cache a directory on +an already mounted filesystem of a local type (such as Ext3). + +CacheFiles uses a userspace daemon to do some of the cache management - such as +reaping stale nodes and culling. This is called cachefilesd and lives in +/sbin. + +The filesystem and data integrity of the cache are only as good as those of the +filesystem providing the backing services. Note that CacheFiles does not +attempt to journal anything since the journalling interfaces of the various +filesystems are very specific in nature. + +CacheFiles creates a misc character device - "/dev/cachefiles" - that is used +to communication with the daemon. Only one thing may have this open at once, +and whilst it is open, a cache is at least partially in existence. The daemon +opens this and sends commands down it to control the cache. + +CacheFiles is currently limited to a single cache. + +CacheFiles attempts to maintain at least a certain percentage of free space on +the filesystem, shrinking the cache by culling the objects it contains to make +space if necessary - see the "Cache Culling" section. This means it can be +placed on the same medium as a live set of data, and will expand to make use of +spare space and automatically contract when the set of data requires more +space. + + +============ +REQUIREMENTS +============ + +The use of CacheFiles and its daemon requires the following features to be +available in the system and in the cache filesystem: + + - dnotify. + + - extended attributes (xattrs). + + - openat() and friends. + + - bmap() support on files in the filesystem (FIBMAP ioctl). + + - The use of bmap() to detect a partial page at the end of the file. + +It is strongly recommended that the "dir_index" option is enabled on Ext3 +filesystems being used as a cache. + + +============= +CONFIGURATION +============= + +The cache is configured by a script in /etc/cachefilesd.conf. These commands +set up cache ready for use. The following script commands are available: + + (*) brun <N>% + (*) bcull <N>% + (*) bstop <N>% + (*) frun <N>% + (*) fcull <N>% + (*) fstop <N>% + + Configure the culling limits. Optional. See the section on culling + The defaults are 7% (run), 5% (cull) and 1% (stop) respectively. + + The commands beginning with a 'b' are file space (block) limits, those + beginning with an 'f' are file count limits. + + (*) dir <path> + + Specify the directory containing the root of the cache. Mandatory. + + (*) tag <name> + + Specify a tag to FS-Cache to use in distinguishing multiple caches. + Optional. The default is "CacheFiles". + + (*) debug <mask> + + Specify a numeric bitmask to control debugging in the kernel module. + Optional. The default is zero (all off). The following values can be + OR'd into the mask to collect various information: + + 1 Turn on trace of function entry (_enter() macros) + 2 Turn on trace of function exit (_leave() macros) + 4 Turn on trace of internal debug points (_debug()) + + This mask can also be set through sysfs, eg: + + echo 5 >/sys/modules/cachefiles/parameters/debug + + +================== +STARTING THE CACHE +================== + +The cache is started by running the daemon. The daemon opens the cache device, +configures the cache and tells it to begin caching. At that point the cache +binds to fscache and the cache becomes live. + +The daemon is run as follows: + + /sbin/cachefilesd [-d]* [-s] [-n] [-f <configfile>] + +The flags are: + + (*) -d + + Increase the debugging level. This can be specified multiple times and + is cumulative with itself. + + (*) -s + + Send messages to stderr instead of syslog. + + (*) -n + + Don't daemonise and go into background. + + (*) -f <configfile> + + Use an alternative configuration file rather than the default one. + + +=============== +THINGS TO AVOID +=============== + +Do not mount other things within the cache as this will cause problems. The +kernel module contains its own very cut-down path walking facility that ignores +mountpoints, but the daemon can't avoid them. + +Do not create, rename or unlink files and directories in the cache whilst the +cache is active, as this may cause the state to become uncertain. + +Renaming files in the cache might make objects appear to be other objects (the +filename is part of the lookup key). + +Do not change or remove the extended attributes attached to cache files by the +cache as this will cause the cache state management to get confused. + +Do not create files or directories in the cache, lest the cache get confused or +serve incorrect data. + +Do not chmod files in the cache. The module creates things with minimal +permissions to prevent random users being able to access them directly. + + +============= +CACHE CULLING +============= + +The cache may need culling occasionally to make space. This involves +discarding objects from the cache that have been used less recently than +anything else. Culling is based on the access time of data objects. Empty +directories are culled if not in use. + +Cache culling is done on the basis of the percentage of blocks and the +percentage of files available in the underlying filesystem. There are six +"limits": + + (*) brun + (*) frun + + If the amount of free space and the number of available files in the cache + rises above both these limits, then culling is turned off. + + (*) bcull + (*) fcull + + If the amount of available space or the number of available files in the + cache falls below either of these limits, then culling is started. + + (*) bstop + (*) fstop + + If the amount of available space or the number of available files in the + cache falls below either of these limits, then no further allocation of + disk space or files is permitted until culling has raised things above + these limits again. + +These must be configured thusly: + + 0 <= bstop < bcull < brun < 100 + 0 <= fstop < fcull < frun < 100 + +Note that these are percentages of available space and available files, and do +_not_ appear as 100 minus the percentage displayed by the "df" program. + +The userspace daemon scans the cache to build up a table of cullable objects. +These are then culled in least recently used order. A new scan of the cache is +started as soon as space is made in the table. Objects will be skipped if +their atimes have changed or if the kernel module says it is still using them. + + +=============== +CACHE STRUCTURE +=============== + +The CacheFiles module will create two directories in the directory it was +given: + + (*) cache/ + + (*) graveyard/ + +The active cache objects all reside in the first directory. The CacheFiles +kernel module moves any retired or culled objects that it can't simply unlink +to the graveyard from which the daemon will actually delete them. + +The daemon uses dnotify to monitor the graveyard directory, and will delete +anything that appears therein. + + +The module represents index objects as directories with the filename "I..." or +"J...". Note that the "cache/" directory is itself a special index. + +Data objects are represented as files if they have no children, or directories +if they do. Their filenames all begin "D..." or "E...". If represented as a +directory, data objects will have a file in the directory called "data" that +actually holds the data. + +Special objects are similar to data objects, except their filenames begin +"S..." or "T...". + + +If an object has children, then it will be represented as a directory. +Immediately in the representative directory are a collection of directories +named for hash values of the child object keys with an '@' prepended. Into +this directory, if possible, will be placed the representations of the child +objects: + + INDEX INDEX INDEX DATA FILES + ========= ========== ================================= ================ + cache/@4a/I03nfs/@30/Ji000000000000000--fHg8hi8400 + cache/@4a/I03nfs/@30/Ji000000000000000--fHg8hi8400/@75/Es0g000w...DB1ry + cache/@4a/I03nfs/@30/Ji000000000000000--fHg8hi8400/@75/Es0g000w...N22ry + cache/@4a/I03nfs/@30/Ji000000000000000--fHg8hi8400/@75/Es0g000w...FP1ry + + +If the key is so long that it exceeds NAME_MAX with the decorations added on to +it, then it will be cut into pieces, the first few of which will be used to +make a nest of directories, and the last one of which will be the objects +inside the last directory. The names of the intermediate directories will have +'+' prepended: + + J1223/@23/+xy...z/+kl...m/Epqr + + +Note that keys are raw data, and not only may they exceed NAME_MAX in size, +they may also contain things like '/' and NUL characters, and so they may not +be suitable for turning directly into a filename. + +To handle this, CacheFiles will use a suitably printable filename directly and +"base-64" encode ones that aren't directly suitable. The two versions of +object filenames indicate the encoding: + + OBJECT TYPE PRINTABLE ENCODED + =============== =============== =============== + Index "I..." "J..." + Data "D..." "E..." + Special "S..." "T..." + +Intermediate directories are always "@" or "+" as appropriate. + + +Each object in the cache has an extended attribute label that holds the object +type ID (required to distinguish special objects) and the auxiliary data from +the netfs. The latter is used to detect stale objects in the cache and update +or retire them. + + +Note that CacheFiles will erase from the cache any file it doesn't recognise or +any file of an incorrect type (such as a FIFO file or a device file). + + +========================== +SECURITY MODEL AND SELINUX +========================== + +CacheFiles is implemented to deal properly with the LSM security features of +the Linux kernel and the SELinux facility. + +One of the problems that CacheFiles faces is that it is generally acting on +behalf of a process, and running in that process's context, and that includes a +security context that is not appropriate for accessing the cache - either +because the files in the cache are inaccessible to that process, or because if +the process creates a file in the cache, that file may be inaccessible to other +processes. + +The way CacheFiles works is to temporarily change the security context (fsuid, +fsgid and actor security label) that the process acts as - without changing the +security context of the process when it the target of an operation performed by +some other process (so signalling and suchlike still work correctly). + + +When the CacheFiles module is asked to bind to its cache, it: + + (1) Finds the security label attached to the root cache directory and uses + that as the security label with which it will create files. By default, + this is: + + cachefiles_var_t + + (2) Finds the security label of the process which issued the bind request + (presumed to be the cachefilesd daemon), which by default will be: + + cachefilesd_t + + and asks LSM to supply a security ID as which it should act given the + daemon's label. By default, this will be: + + cachefiles_kernel_t + + SELinux transitions the daemon's security ID to the module's security ID + based on a rule of this form in the policy. + + type_transition <daemon's-ID> kernel_t : process <module's-ID>; + + For instance: + + type_transition cachefilesd_t kernel_t : process cachefiles_kernel_t; + + +The module's security ID gives it permission to create, move and remove files +and directories in the cache, to find and access directories and files in the +cache, to set and access extended attributes on cache objects, and to read and +write files in the cache. + +The daemon's security ID gives it only a very restricted set of permissions: it +may scan directories, stat files and erase files and directories. It may +not read or write files in the cache, and so it is precluded from accessing the +data cached therein; nor is it permitted to create new files in the cache. + + +There are policy source files available in: + + http://people.redhat.com/~dhowells/fscache/cachefilesd-0.8.tar.bz2 + +and later versions. In that tarball, see the files: + + cachefilesd.te + cachefilesd.fc + cachefilesd.if + +They are built and installed directly by the RPM. + +If a non-RPM based system is being used, then copy the above files to their own +directory and run: + + make -f /usr/share/selinux/devel/Makefile + semodule -i cachefilesd.pp + +You will need checkpolicy and selinux-policy-devel installed prior to the +build. + + +By default, the cache is located in /var/fscache, but if it is desirable that +it should be elsewhere, than either the above policy files must be altered, or +an auxiliary policy must be installed to label the alternate location of the +cache. + +For instructions on how to add an auxiliary policy to enable the cache to be +located elsewhere when SELinux is in enforcing mode, please see: + + /usr/share/doc/cachefilesd-*/move-cache.txt + +When the cachefilesd rpm is installed; alternatively, the document can be found +in the sources. + + +================== +A NOTE ON SECURITY +================== + +CacheFiles makes use of the split security in the task_struct. It allocates +its own task_security structure, and redirects current->act_as to point to it +when it acts on behalf of another process, in that process's context. + +The reason it does this is that it calls vfs_mkdir() and suchlike rather than +bypassing security and calling inode ops directly. Therefore the VFS and LSM +may deny the CacheFiles access to the cache data because under some +circumstances the caching code is running in the security context of whatever +process issued the original syscall on the netfs. + +Furthermore, should CacheFiles create a file or directory, the security +parameters with that object is created (UID, GID, security label) would be +derived from that process that issued the system call, thus potentially +preventing other processes from accessing the cache - including CacheFiles's +cache management daemon (cachefilesd). + +What is required is to temporarily override the security of the process that +issued the system call. We can't, however, just do an in-place change of the +security data as that affects the process as an object, not just as a subject. +This means it may lose signals or ptrace events for example, and affects what +the process looks like in /proc. + +So CacheFiles makes use of a logical split in the security between the +objective security (task->sec) and the subjective security (task->act_as). The +objective security holds the intrinsic security properties of a process and is +never overridden. This is what appears in /proc, and is what is used when a +process is the target of an operation by some other process (SIGKILL for +example). + +The subjective security holds the active security properties of a process, and +may be overridden. This is not seen externally, and is used whan a process +acts upon another object, for example SIGKILLing another process or opening a +file. + +LSM hooks exist that allow SELinux (or Smack or whatever) to reject a request +for CacheFiles to run in a context of a specific security label, or to create +files and directories with another security label. + + +======================= +STATISTICAL INFORMATION +======================= + +If FS-Cache is compiled with the following option enabled: + + CONFIG_CACHEFILES_HISTOGRAM=y + +then it will gather certain statistics and display them through a proc file. + + (*) /proc/fs/cachefiles/histogram + + cat /proc/fs/cachefiles/histogram + JIFS SECS LOOKUPS MKDIRS CREATES + ===== ===== ========= ========= ========= + + This shows the breakdown of the number of times each amount of time + between 0 jiffies and HZ-1 jiffies a variety of tasks took to run. The + columns are as follows: + + COLUMN TIME MEASUREMENT + ======= ======================================================= + LOOKUPS Length of time to perform a lookup on the backing fs + MKDIRS Length of time to perform a mkdir on the backing fs + CREATES Length of time to perform a create on the backing fs + + Each row shows the number of events that took a particular range of times. + Each step is 1 jiffy in size. The JIFS column indicates the particular + jiffy range covered, and the SECS field the equivalent number of seconds. + + +========= +DEBUGGING +========= + +If CONFIG_CACHEFILES_DEBUG is enabled, the CacheFiles facility can have runtime +debugging enabled by adjusting the value in: + + /sys/module/cachefiles/parameters/debug + +This is a bitmask of debugging streams to enable: + + BIT VALUE STREAM POINT + ======= ======= =============================== ======================= + 0 1 General Function entry trace + 1 2 Function exit trace + 2 4 General + +The appropriate set of values should be OR'd together and the result written to +the control file. For example: + + echo $((1|4|8)) >/sys/module/cachefiles/parameters/debug + +will turn on all function entry debugging. |