fsetxattr() fails on a writable descriptor?

[Michael Monnerie]

On Mittwoch 09 September 2009 Pádraig Brady wrote:
> The specific issue we have is that `cp --preserve=xattr` gets an
> error when copying xattrs from a read only file. Since this has been
> an xattr issue since the start, we'll have to work around it.

In that context I would call it a bug - shouldn't it be fixed? When you 
copy and want xattrs, and it fails sometimes, that's not what's 
expected. So if xattr is broken from day one and it should stay like 
this, should a bug report to "cp" be opened?
Do you get the same error when "rsync -aHAX"? I always use that to make 
a 1:1 copy, but if said problem exists that would be troublesome.

> [ch writes:]
> It seems a bit unusual, but I'm not sure changing it now
> is a good idea - the xattr support has been around for a long time.

I don't understand the inner depths, and didn't from the OP code, 
but a failing "cp" is not nice, too. Why shouldn't the behaviour be 
fixed?

mfg zmi
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