LAT_FCNTL(8)

📦 version 3.0-a9, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💅 LAT_FCNTL — the fcntl file locking benchmark, bestie edition

okay so this one lives in the LMBENCH manual, section 8 (that's the sysadmin/daemon section, iykyk 🫶). it's a whole little tool for measuring how long file locking takes, and honestly? it's giving "hot potato but make it syscalls." 🔥

✨ NAME ✨

lat_fcntl — the fcntl file locking benchmark 🎀

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

lat_ctx [ -P <parallelism> ] [ -W <warmups> ] [ -N <repetitions> ]

no cap, that's literally what the page says. yes, it says lat_ctx. we do not editorialise. we reproduce. 💅

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so lat_fcntl is a client/server program that measures file locking latencies. that's the whole job. that's the mission. ✨

the way it works is adorable actually: the benchmark alternately locks and unlocks files so that only <b>one</b> of the client or the server is running at any given time. it's basically the ``hot potato'' style of message passing benchmark, except instead of a potato it's a lock and instead of passing it you're grabbing it and yeeting it back. 🥔➡️🔒

and that's it! no other work is done in the processes. they lock, they unlock, they vibe. nothing else. periodt. 💀

👑 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 👑

funding for the development of this tool was provided by Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation. iconic of them, truly. 🌈👑

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

the whole lat-squad, fr fr. go read them too 🫶

💖 AUTHOR 💖

Carl Staelin and Larry McVoy

and they said, and I quote, comments, suggestions, and bug reports are always welcome. so if you've got thoughts, spill them, bestie — they actually want to hear it. 📬✨

okay so quick footnote energy: this whole thing is (c)1994-2000 Carl Staelin and Lar... (yes, the original literally trails off mid-name, and we are respecting it, no notes 🙈) and the page carries that classic $Date$ placeholder vibe, stamped onto LAT_FCNTL(8).

stay locked in, but like, literally. 💅🔐🧚💜

📦 where this page comes from