AIO_FSYNC(2)

📦 version 15.1, in freebsd 14.5, freebsd 15.1

✨ AIO_FSYNC(2) ✨

okay so bestie, this page is from the System Calls Manual and it's literally all about aio_fsync — asynchronous file synchronization, and yes it's marked (REALTIME) because she's that girl. Let's get into it 💅

🌸 NAME 🌸

aio_fsync — asynchronous file synchronization (REALTIME)

🎀 LIBRARY 🎀

Standard C Library (libc, -lc). Like, link it and you're in, no cap.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

#include <aio.h>

int
aio_fsync(int op, struct aiocb *iocb);

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Okay so the aio_fsync() system call allows the calling process to move all modified data associated with the descriptor iocb->aio_fildes to a permanent storage device. Slay. The call returns immediately after the synchronization request has been enqueued to the descriptor; the synchronization may or may not have completed at the time the call returns. It's giving "I sent the text, idk if they read it yet" energy, fr fr.

The op argument can be set to O_SYNC to cause all currently queued I/O operations to be completed as if by a call to fsync(2), or O_DSYNC for the behavior of fdatasync(2). Two moods, same iconic function.

The iocb pointer may be subsequently used as an argument to aio_return() and aio_error() in order to determine return or error status for the enqueued operation while it is in progress. So keep that pointer around, bestie — it's your receipt 🧾

If the request could not be enqueued (generally due to invalid arguments), the call returns without having enqueued the request. No queue, no vibe.

The iocb->aio_sigevent structure can be used to request notification of the operation's completion as described in aio(4). So you can get a little ping when it's done, iykyk ✨

🙈 RESTRICTIONS 🙈

bestie these are not optional, they're the rules of the group chat 💀
  • The Asynchronous I/O Control Block structure pointed to by iocb must remain valid until the operation has completed. Do not ghost it.
  • The asynchronous I/O control buffer iocb should be zeroed before the aio_fsync() call to avoid passing bogus context information to the kernel. Zero it out, clean vibe, periodt.
  • Modification of the Asynchronous I/O Control Block structure is not allowed while the request is queued. Hands off while it's in the queue, no cap.

🌈 RETURN VALUES 🌈

The aio_fsync() function returns the value 0 if successful; otherwise the value -1 is returned and the global variable errno is set to indicate the error. 0 = slay, -1 = check errno, that's the whole mood.

💀 ERRORS 💀

The aio_fsync() system call will fail if:

  • [EAGAIN] — The request was not queued because of system resource limitations. She's busy, try again later.
  • [EINVAL] — The asynchronous notification method in iocb->aio_sigevent.sigev_notify is invalid or not supported. That notification method is not it.
  • [EOPNOTSUPP] — Asynchronous file synchronization operations on the file descriptor iocb->aio_fildes are unsafe and unsafe asynchronous I/O operations are disabled. It's giving unsafe, and the unsafe async I/O is turned off.
  • [EINVAL] — A value of the op argument is not set to O_SYNC or O_DSYNC. You had one job, bestie: O_SYNC or O_DSYNC.

The following conditions may be synchronously detected when the aio_fsync() system call is made, or asynchronously, at any time thereafter. If they are detected at call time, aio_fsync() returns -1 and sets errno appropriately; otherwise the aio_return() system call must be called, and will return -1, and aio_error() must be called to determine the actual value that would have been returned in errno.

  • [EBADF] — The iocb->aio_fildes argument is not a valid descriptor. That fd is not invited to the function, sorry.
  • [EINVAL] — This implementation does not support synchronized I/O for this file. Not every file gets the sync treatment, and that's the tea.

If the request is successfully enqueued, but subsequently cancelled or an error occurs, the value returned by the aio_return() system call is per the read(2) and write(2) system calls, and the value returned by the aio_error() system call is one of the error returns from the read(2) or write(2) system calls. So like, follow the read/write receipts, fr fr.

🫶 SEE ALSO 🫶

👑 STANDARDS 👑

The aio_fsync() system call is expected to conform to the IEEE Std 1003.1 (“POSIX.1”) standard. So like, POSIX girlie through and through 👑

🧚 HISTORY 🧚

The aio_fsync() system call first appeared in FreeBSD 7.0. The O_DSYNC option appeared in FreeBSD 13.0. Glow up, honestly.

xoxo, your Debian bestie 💖 — this page is from Debian, dated November 15, 2023, and the manual is AIO_FSYNC(2). hope this helped bestie, go sync something 🦋

📦 where this page comes from