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From: ericblake AT comcast DOT net (Eric Blake)
To: thomas DOT revell AT powerconv DOT alstom DOT com, cygwin AT cygwin DOT com
Subject: Re: ctime updated unexpectedly
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 16:12:31 +0000
Message-Id: <041120051612.10730.425AA1EF0003B34F000029EA22007358340A050E040D0C079D0A@comcast.net>

> Hi everyone,
> 
> I wonder if someone could clear up an issue I'm having with ls -c (sorting 
> files by ctime). As I understand it, the ctime is only updated when file 
> status information (such as permissions) changes, or a file is completely 
> recreated. It looks to me though, like the ctime is being updated every 
> time the contents of a file change.

You misunderstand ctime, as specified by POSIX.  See http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/basedefs/xbd_chap04.html, section 4.7, and various other places within POSIX.  ctime is required to reflect any change to a file's metadata _or contents_.  Also, while mtime can be arbitrarily changed (think utimes()), ctime is supposed to be an accurate side effect of file modification that cannot be spoofed.

> 
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--
Eric Blake


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