[Lilux-help] directory entries - how to get a close look

[Eric Dondelinger]

Hi Jay,

On Wed, 28 Apr 2004, Jay Christnach wrote:

> I now recall having found a command called dump when browsing through the
> manpages. I tried it like this:
>
> root at maxwell:/home/jay# dump -f dirdump .
>   DUMP: Date of this level 0 dump: Wed Apr 28 00:16:20 2004
>   DUMP: Dumping /dev/hda5 (/ (dir home/jay)) to dirdump
>   DUMP: Excluding inode 8 (journal inode) from dump
>   DUMP: Excluding inode 7 (resize inode) from dump
>   DUMP: Label: none
>   DUMP: mapping (Pass I) [regular files]
>   DUMP: mapping (Pass II) [directories]
>   DUMP: estimated 409643 tape blocks.
>   DUMP: Volume 1 started with block 1 at: Wed Apr 28 00:16:26 2004
>   DUMP: dumping (Pass III) [directories]
>   DUMP: dumping (Pass IV) [regular files]
>   DUMP: Closing dirdump
>   DUMP: Volume 1 completed at: Wed Apr 28 00:17:29 2004
>   DUMP: Volume 1 421780 tape blocks (411.89MB)
>   DUMP: Volume 1 took 0:01:03
>   DUMP: Volume 1 transfer rate: 6694 kB/s
>   DUMP: 421780 tape blocks (411.89MB) on 1 volume(s)
>   DUMP: finished in 63 seconds, throughput 6694 kBytes/sec
>   DUMP: Date of this level 0 dump: Wed Apr 28 00:16:20 2004
>   DUMP: Date this dump completed:  Wed Apr 28 00:17:29 2004
>   DUMP: Average transfer rate: 6694 kB/s
>   DUMP: DUMP IS DONE
>  root at maxwell:/home/jay# hexdump dirdump | less
>
>
> maybe this helps. But I really can not figure out what to do with all this
> hexnumbers. Maybe you can as you depict the filesystem. I don't know much
> about it.

This looks very much like a backup tool. IIRC, it goes one
level under the likes of tar etc., and bypasses even the
buffer cache, which can lead to inconsistencies between
the backup and the system - and thus should not be used
(says Linus himself - was on /. a while back).

I have found "debugfs" which also more or less does what
I actually wanted, even if for this task it's hardly
different from an "ls -i".

Oh well... I guess those students will be in for a ride
anyway ;-)
I'll refine the course sometime for reuse by LiLux.

Greets & thanks, Eric