On Sat, 2005-08-06 at 17:16 -0500, dan wrote: > I have entries in my fstab file for: an iPod, a USB flash drive, and a > USB hard drive enclosure. All of these have the 'sync' option. I forget > if I put that there, or if some other program put it there, or if I read > you're supposed to use it... > > Should I use the sync option for these devices? High performance isn't > necessary; I don't use these devices that much. Safety of my data is > more important. Does the sync option help that? Is it appropriate? Yes, you should use the sync option if you are concerned about keeping the data in a sane state. The option turns on synchronous writes, which makes sure that when a write() operation returns, the data has actually been sent to the device. If the sync option is not set, data is buffered, which makes the process of writing data more efficient, but it is not guaranteed that the files will actually be written/copied in a timely manner (ie, before you yank the plug from your USB port). -- Mike Hicks <hick0088 at tc.umn.edu> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 189 bytes Desc: This is a digitally signed message part Url : http://shadowknight.real-time.com/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20050806/6640355b/attachment.pgp