doc: add an example code to lock the whole disk

add an example to leverage `libsystemd` infrastructure to get the whole disk of a block device and take BSD lock on it #25046

1 files changed, 143 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/docs/BLOCK_DEVICE_LOCKING.md b/docs/BLOCK_DEVICE_LOCKING.md
index 61beff0ff2..87aad67045 100644
--- a/docs/BLOCK_DEVICE_LOCKING.md
+++ b/docs/BLOCK_DEVICE_LOCKING.md
@@ -98,3 +98,146 @@ Summarizing: it is recommended to take `LOCK_EX` BSD file locks when
 manipulating block devices in all tools that change file system block devices
 (`mkfs`, `fsck`, …) or partition tables (`fdisk`, `parted`, …), right after
 opening the node.
+
+# Example of Locking The Whole Disk
+
+The following is an example to leverage `libsystemd` infrastructure to get the whole disk of a block device and take a BSD lock on it.
+
+## Compile and Execute
+**Note that this example requires `libsystemd` version 251 or newer.**
+
+Place the code in a source file, e.g. `take_BSD_lock.c` and run the following commands:
+```
+$ gcc -o take_BSD_lock -lsystemd take_BSD_lock.c
+
+$ ./take_BSD_lock /dev/sda1
+Successfully took a BSD lock: /dev/sda
+
+$ flock -x /dev/sda ./take_BSD_lock /dev/sda1
+Failed to take a BSD lock on /dev/sda: Resource temporarily unavailable
+```
+
+## Code
+```
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT-0 */
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <sys/file.h>
+#include <systemd/sd-device.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+static inline void closep(int *fd) {
+    if (*fd >= 0)
+        close(*fd);
+}
+
+/**
+ * lock_whole_disk_from_devname
+ * @devname: devname of a block device, e.g., /dev/sda or /dev/sda1
+ * @open_flags: the flags to open the device, e.g., O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC|O_NONBLOCK|O_NOCTTY
+ * @flock_operation: the operation to call flock, e.g., LOCK_EX|LOCK_NB
+ *
+ * given the devname of a block device, take a BSD lock of the whole disk
+ *
+ * Returns: negative errno value on error, or non-negative fd if the lock was taken successfully.
+ **/
+int lock_whole_disk_from_devname(const char *devname, int open_flags, int flock_operation) {
+    __attribute__((cleanup(sd_device_unrefp))) sd_device *dev = NULL;
+    sd_device *whole_dev;
+    const char *whole_disk_devname, *subsystem, *devtype;
+    int r;
+
+    // create a sd_device instance from devname
+    r = sd_device_new_from_devname(&dev, devname);
+    if (r < 0) {
+        errno = -r;
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to create sd_device: %m\n");
+        return r;
+    }
+
+    // if the subsystem of dev is block, but its devtype is not disk, find its parent
+    r = sd_device_get_subsystem(dev, &subsystem);
+    if (r < 0) {
+        errno = -r;
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to get the subsystem: %m\n");
+        return r;
+    }
+    if (strcmp(subsystem, "block") != 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "%s is not a block device, refusing.\n", devname);
+        return -EINVAL;
+    }
+
+    r = sd_device_get_devtype(dev, &devtype);
+    if (r < 0) {
+        errno = -r;
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to get the devtype: %m\n");
+        return r;
+    }
+    if (strcmp(devtype, "disk") == 0)
+        whole_dev = dev;
+    else {
+        r = sd_device_get_parent_with_subsystem_devtype(dev, "block", "disk", &whole_dev);
+        if (r < 0) {
+            errno = -r;
+            fprintf(stderr, "Failed to get the parent device: %m\n");
+            return r;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // open the whole disk device node
+    __attribute__((cleanup(closep))) int fd = sd_device_open(whole_dev, open_flags);
+    if (fd < 0) {
+        errno = -fd;
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to open the device: %m\n");
+        return fd;
+    }
+
+    // get the whole disk devname
+    r = sd_device_get_devname(whole_dev, &whole_disk_devname);
+    if (r < 0) {
+        errno = -r;
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to get the whole disk name: %m\n");
+        return r;
+    }
+
+    // take a BSD lock of the whole disk device node
+    if (flock(fd, flock_operation) < 0) {
+        r = -errno;
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to take a BSD lock on %s: %m\n", whole_disk_devname);
+        return r;
+    }
+
+    printf("Successfully took a BSD lock: %s\n", whole_disk_devname);
+
+    // take the fd to avoid automatic cleanup
+    int ret_fd = fd;
+    fd = -1;
+    return ret_fd;
+}
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv) {
+    if (argc != 2) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Invalid number of parameters.\n");
+        return EXIT_FAILURE;
+    }
+
+    // try to take an exclusive and nonblocking BSD lock
+    __attribute__((cleanup(closep))) int fd =
+        lock_whole_disk_from_devname(
+            argv[1],
+            O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC|O_NONBLOCK|O_NOCTTY,
+            LOCK_EX|LOCK_NB);
+
+    if (fd < 0)
+        return EXIT_FAILURE;
+
+    /**
+     * The device is now locked until the return below.
+     * Now you can safely manipulate the block device.
+     **/
+
+    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
+}
+```