> From: Linus Torvalds ( torvalds@transmeta.com ) > Subject: Re: [PATCH] SMP race in ext2 - metadata corruption. > Newsgroups: fa.linux.kernel > View this article only > Date: 2001-04-27 10:02:09 PST > > [ linux-kernel added back as a cc ] > > On Fri, 27 Apr 2001, Neil Conway wrote: > > > > I'm surprised that dump is deprecated (by you at least ;-)).? What to > > use instead for backups on machines that can't umount disks regularly? > > Note that dump simply won't work reliably at all even in 2.4.x: the buffer > cache and the page cache (where all the actual data is) are not > coherent. This is only going to get even worse in 2.5.x, when the > directories are moved into the page cache as well. > > So anybody who depends on "dump" getting backups right is already playing > russian rulette with their backups.? It's not at all guaranteed to get the > right results - you may end up having stale data in the buffer cache that > ends up being "backed up". > > Dump was a stupid program in the first place. Leave it behind.