Ext3 users - Jul 2001 - GFP_BUFFER change to GFP_NOFS is not nice to symlinks

Hello Andrew,
I fetched (CVS) ext3 latest changes (3 July 2001) which include
changing GFP_BUFFER to GFP_NOFS and now have random troubles with
symlink files on ext3 filesystems.
>From my experience over the last days with Linus's changes I find
that GFP_NOIO worked perfectly.

Below is Linus's response about bounce buffer change.

I am late to work, but this evening will try to substitute _NOFS
for _NOIO and report back results.
Later,
Albert
> Subject: 
>          Re: Bounce buffer deadlock
>    Date: 
>          Sat, 30 Jun 2001 10:50:56 -0700 (PDT)
>    From: 
>          Linus Torvalds <torvalds@transmeta.com>
>      To: 
>          Steve Lord <lord@sgi.com>
>      CC: 
>          Marcelo Tosatti <marcelo@conectiva.com.br>,
>          lkml <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Sat, 30 Jun 2001, Steve Lord wrote:
> >
> > OK, sounds reasonable, time to go download and merge again I guess!
> 
> For 2.4.7 or so, I'll make a backwards-compatibility define (ie make
> GFP_BUFFER be the same as the new GFP_NOIO, which is the historical
> behaviour and the anally safe value, if not very efficient), but I'm
> planning on releasing 2.4.6 without it, to try to flush out people who are
> able to take advantage of the new extended semantics out of the
> woodworks..
> 
>                 Linus
> 
-- 
Albert Cranford Deerfield Beach FL USA
ac9410@bellsouth.net

Albert Cranford wrote:
> 
> Hello Andrew,
> I fetched (CVS) ext3 latest changes (3 July 2001) which include
> changing GFP_BUFFER to GFP_NOFS and now have random troubles with
> symlink files on ext3 filesystems.
> 
> >From my experience over the last days with Linus's changes I find
> that GFP_NOIO worked perfectly.
> 
> Below is Linus's response about bounce buffer change.
> 
> I am late to work, but this evening will try to substitute _NOFS
> for _NOIO and report back results.
I'd rather doubt that the allocation mask affects symlinks.
I did make a change to the symlink code in CVS head but I
wouldn't expect it to break anything.

Could you please describe the problems you're seeing?