[Lxc-users] version 0.8.0 coming soon

[Serge Hallyn]

Quoting Papp Tamas (tompos at martos.bme.hu):
> On 02/28/2012 01:20 AM, Serge Hallyn wrote:
> > Quoting Daniel Lezcano (daniel.lezcano at free.fr):
> >> Hi all,
> >>
> >> I will release a 0.8.0-rc1. I am looking for volunteer to test it :)
> > Worked fine for me.  Tested create and clone of ubuntu, ubuntu and
> > ubuntu-cloud images, with dir and lvm backing stores.  (And a run
> > of lp:~serge-hallyn/+junk/lxc-test)
> >
> > Note, because upstream kernel didn't much care about the
> > 'mount -o remount,ro /' problem, I'm going to patch lxc to
> > pin open a '${rootfs}.hold' file, as long as the container
> > is running.  That will prevent the underlying fs from being
> > remounted ro.  (see
> > https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/lxc/+bug/942325 for
> > details).  That'll buy us some time to find a better solution
> > in the kernel.
> >
> >
> 
> Why can a container change mount options outside of its rootfs?
> Sorry for the stupid question:)

It's not a stupid question at all.

The container isn't changing mount options outside of its rootfs.  THere
are two places an fs can be marked readonly - in the mount itself, and in
the superblock.  When you make a bind mount, you are creating more mounts
(vfsmounts) using the same superblcok.

If you do

	mount --bind / / # not needed in container bc it's already been done
	mount --bind -o remount,ro /

then you are setting the reasonly flag on the mount itself.  If you just do

	mount -o remount,ro /

then you are setting the reasonly flag on the superblock, which will
force all other mounts of that superblcok to also be readonly.

Right now there is no way to prevent a container from doing that.  I sent
a patch to make the devices cgroup be consulted on that, so that it could
reteurn -EPERM.  That was refused.  The two other options I'm considering
(and it wouldn't hurt ot have both) are 1. to pass the  remoutn flags to the
LSM (selinux or apparmor or smack) so that it can deny permission.  Right
now it can't do that (except for all-or-nothing check on remount).  And 2.
to make it so that after doing

	mount --bind / /
	mount --bind -o remount,ro /
	mount --bind -o remount,rw /

any subsequent

	mount -o remount,rw /

would be refused (or automatically done only at the mount level).  I don't
think that should be hard to do at fs/namespace.c:do_remount().

-serge