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Comment:Clarify that using an database file with a link count different from 1 results in undefined behavior.
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User & Date: drh 2016-05-05 13:28:23.714
Context
2016-05-05
13:33
Merge changes from the 3.12 branch. (check-in: d545903147 user: drh tags: trunk)
13:28
Clarify that using an database file with a link count different from 1 results in undefined behavior. (Leaf check-in: 7c96132d65 user: drh tags: branch-3.12)
2016-04-25
21:58
Clarify restrictions on the use of PRAGMA page_size. (check-in: 44656180a0 user: drh tags: branch-3.12)
Changes
Unified Diff Ignore Whitespace Patch
Changes to pages/howtocorrupt.in.
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then the two processes will be talking to different database files with 
the same name.  (Note that this is only possible on Posix and Posix-like
systems that permit a file to be unlinked while it is still open for
reading and writing.  Windows does not allow this to occur.)
Since rollback journals and WAL files are based on the name of the database
file, the two different database files will share the same rollback
journal or WAL file.  A rollback or recovery for one of the databases
might use content from the other database, resulting in corruption.</p>

<p>A similar problem occurs if a database file is renamed while it is
opened and a new file is created with the old name.</p>




<p>Beginning with SQLite [version 3.7.17], the unix OS interface will
send SQLITE_WARNING messages to the [error log] if a database file is unlinked
while it is still in use.</p>

<tcl>hd_fragment alias {database filename aliasing}</tcl>
<h3>2.5 Multiple links to the same file</h3>

<p>If a single database file has multiple links (either hard or soft links)
then that is just another way of saying that the file has multiple names.
If two or more processes open the database using different names, then
they will use different rollback journals and WAL files.  That means that
if one process crashes, the other process will be unable to recover the
transaction in progress because it will be looking in the wrong place
for the appropriate journal.</p>




<p>Beginning with SQLite [version 3.7.17], the unix OS interface will
send SQLITE_WARNING messages to the [error log] if a database file has 
multiple hard links.  As of this writing, SQLite still does not yet detect 
or warn about the use of database files through soft links.</p>







<h2>3.0 Failure to sync</h2>

<p>In order to guarantee that database files are always consistent, SQLite
will occasionally ask the operating system to flush all pending writes to
persistent storage then wait for that flush to complete.  This is 
accomplished using the <tt>fsync()</tt> system call under unix and








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then the two processes will be talking to different database files with 
the same name.  (Note that this is only possible on Posix and Posix-like
systems that permit a file to be unlinked while it is still open for
reading and writing.  Windows does not allow this to occur.)
Since rollback journals and WAL files are based on the name of the database
file, the two different database files will share the same rollback
journal or WAL file.  A rollback or recovery for one of the databases
might use content from the other database, resulting in corruption.

A similar problem occurs if a database file is renamed while it is
opened and a new file is created with the old name.</p>

<p>In other words, unlinking or renaming an open database file 
results in behavior that is undefined and probably undesirable.</p>

<p>Beginning with SQLite [version 3.7.17], the unix OS interface will
send SQLITE_WARNING messages to the [error log] if a database file is unlinked
while it is still in use.</p>

<tcl>hd_fragment alias {database filename aliasing}</tcl>
<h3>2.5 Multiple links to the same file</h3>

<p>If a single database file has multiple links (either hard or soft links)
then that is just another way of saying that the file has multiple names.
If two or more processes open the database using different names, then
they will use different rollback journals and WAL files.  That means that
if one process crashes, the other process will be unable to recover the
transaction in progress because it will be looking in the wrong place
for the appropriate journal.</p>

<p>In other words, opening and using a database file that has two or
more names results in behavior that is undefined and probably undesirable.</p>

<p>Beginning with SQLite [version 3.7.17], the unix OS interface will
send SQLITE_WARNING messages to the [error log] if a database file has 
multiple hard links.</p>


<p>Beginning with SQLite [version 3.10.0], the unix OS interface will
attempt to resolve symbolic links and open the database file by its
canonical name.  Prior to version 3.10.0, opening a database file 
through a symbolic link was similar to opening a database file
that had multiple hard links and resulted in undefined behavior.</p>

<h2>3.0 Failure to sync</h2>

<p>In order to guarantee that database files are always consistent, SQLite
will occasionally ask the operating system to flush all pending writes to
persistent storage then wait for that flush to complete.  This is 
accomplished using the <tt>fsync()</tt> system call under unix and
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