Empty directory (on ext3) thinks it still has files in it
Robin Munn
it out, and I come across a directory that's empty but which still
thinks it has files in it:
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $ ls -l .xml
ls: .xml/cur: No such file or directory
ls: .xml/new: No such file or directory
total 0
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $
"That's bizarre", I think to myself. "What happens if we rmdir it?"
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $ rmdir .xml
rmdir: `.xml': Directory not empty
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $
"OK, let's create the files it thinks are in there, and see what it
does."
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $ mkdir .xml/{cur,new}
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $ ls -l .xml
total 0
drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 cur
drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 cur
drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 new
drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 new
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $
"That's a new one. We've got duplicate directories lying around here! I
wonder what inodes they're using?"
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $ ls -li .xml
total 0
70292 drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 cur
70292 drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 cur
70434 drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 new
70434 drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 new
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $
"Huh. Look at that. Two entires for the same inode, with the same name.
That shouldn't happen. Hmm... What happens if I delete one?"
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $ rmdir .xml/cur
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $ ls -li .xml
ls: .xml/cur: No such file or directory
total 0
70434 drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 new
70434 drwxr-xr-x 2 rmunn users 48 Mar 28 01:28 new
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $
This has me stumped. Anyone seen anything like this before? How do I
clean this up? There's no files I want to save, I just want to get rid
of my ~/.maildir/.xml directory.
This is on a Linux ext3 filesystem, by the way. Running Gentoo with
kernel 2.6.10.
Any help or pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated.
Wayne
> So I'm going through my mail archive, backing up old files and clearing
> it out, and I come across a directory that's empty but which still
> thinks it has files in it:
>
> rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $ ls -l .xml
> ls: .xml/cur: No such file or directory
> ls: .xml/new: No such file or directory
> total 0
> rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $
>
> Any help or pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated.
>
Looks to me as if you have a pair of files in there, with a space
in the names. Try "ls" without the "-l" option on that directory,
or try "find".
Note you can delete a directory and all of its contents with the
rather dangerous "rm -rf".
-Wayne
Robin Munn
Nope, it's something slightly more obscure than a simple
space-in-filename problem. I already tried doing an "rm -rf
~/.maildir/.xml" with no success:
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $ ls -a .xml/
ls: .xml/cur: No such file or directory
ls: .xml/new: No such file or directory
. ..
rmunn@locahost ~/.maildir $ rm -rf .xml
rm: cannot remove directory `.xml': Directory not empty
rmunn@localhost ~/.maildir $
When "rm -rf" tells you "Cannot remove directory foo: directory not
empty", you know something's screwy...
Thanks for your help, though.