Postfix requires synchronous directory updates; in fact, that is
where Postfix can spend most of its time. Without synchronous
directory updates, queue files end up in lost+found if the machine
halts before it has synced the disk.

Examples: kernel bug, power failure, hardware problem.

Postfix attempts to turn on synchronous writes on queue directories
(with chattr +S) at INSTALLation time. This also causes file writes
to become synchronous, which is slow. Use a non-volatile write
cache if you must use ext?fs or ReiserFS and want reliable mail
and good performance.

"Correcting" this behavior in Postfix requires patching all file
and directory create and rename operations (including maildir).
Such code cannot be tested, and therefore it is not acceptable.

Bugs like this are better fixed in the Linux kernel.

        Wietse

Florin Andrei:
> Quoting from ReiserFS FAQ:
>
> ###############################################
> Is Qmail *NOT* reliable with ReiserFS?
> Qmail integration instructions are here:
> http://www.jedi.claranet.fr/qmail-ReiserFS-howto.html.
> Qmail assumes that link() and unlink() are synchronous operations.
> Therefore, as soon as a message is received, Qmail writes it in mess and
> intd, creates a link in the todo directory for further processing, and
> tells the SMTP client that everything is all right.
> With ReiserFS, link() is not synchronous. There is no guarantee that
> the message will be flagged for further processing by qmail-send if
> there is a power outage before the link is committed. The same problem
> may affect local deliveries.
> Here is a patch against Qmail 1.03 to correct that behavior.
> ################################################
>
> My question is: does Postfix assumes the same things? I mean, is it safe
> to use Postfix on a ReiserFS partition?
>
> --
> Florin Andrei
>
>
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