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From: libes@nbs-amrf.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: How many times do you "sync"?
Message-ID: <178@nbs-amrf.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 31-Jan-84 22:41:54 EST
Article-I.D.: nbs-amrf.178
Posted: Tue Jan 31 22:41:54 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Feb-84 03:14:26 EST
Organization: National Bureau of Standards
Lines: 18

Let me throw another superstition on the heap: sync.

I first used it, not really knowing what it did, but it worked (I was
always slow and careful).  Later, I was told that occasionally the
system "didn't hear it the first time" and it was so important that I
should type sync twice "just to be safe".  Then I was told that sync
returns after the write is scheduled but before the write occurs, so
"type it 3 times to give it time to do the write".  While working at
AT&T on a highly-exposed project, I received a memo from my supervisor
explaining that I should "sync 4 times".  Fortunately, by that time I
had figured out what was going on, because shortly after that he asked
me to add code to the shutdown routine to call sync 100 times.

Needless to say, almost everything about UNIX was superstitious to my
supervisor (including the programmers).

Don ("sync" 17 times just to be safe) Libes
{seismo!allegra}!umcp-cs!nbs-amrf!libes