Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 beta 3/9/83; site nbs-amrf.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!nbs-amrf!libes 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