Created attachment 459527 [details]
proposed patch

Just as a general note, using the ext4 driver for ext3 filesystems in RHEL6 is not recommended.  We can fix this, but it's not the preferred mode of operation.

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in a Red Hat Enterprise Linux maintenance release. Product Management has 
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inclusion in a Red Hat Enterprise Linux Update release for currently deployed 
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Upstream commit:

commit e0d10bfa91b0a089a9e2c378b5c42f4e96171d95
Author: Toshiyuki Okajima <toshi.okajima.com>
Date:   Wed Oct 27 21:30:06 2010 -0400

    ext4: improve llseek error handling for overly large seek offsets
    
    The llseek system call should return EINVAL if passed a seek offset
    which results in a write error.  What this maximum offset should be
    depends on whether or not the huge_file file system feature is set,
    and whether or not the file is extent based or not.
    
    
    If the file has no "EXT4_EXTENTS_FL" flag, the maximum size which can be
    written (write systemcall) is different from the maximum size which can be
    sought (lseek systemcall).
    
    For example, the following 2 cases demonstrates the differences
    between the maximum size which can be written, versus the seek offset
    allowed by the llseek system call:
    
    #1: mkfs.ext3 <dev>; mount -t ext4 <dev>
    #2: mkfs.ext3 <dev>; tune2fs -Oextent,huge_file <dev>; mount -t ext4 <dev>
    
    Table. the max file size which we can write or seek
           at each filesystem feature tuning and file flag setting
    +============+===============================+===============================+
    | \ File flag|                               |                               |
    |      \     |     !EXT4_EXTENTS_FL          |        EXT4_EXTETNS_FL        |
    |case       \|                               |                               |
    +------------+-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
    | #1         |   write:      2194719883264   | write:       --------------   |
    |            |   seek:       2199023251456   | seek:        --------------   |
    +------------+-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
    | #2         |   write:      4402345721856   | write:       17592186044415   |
    |            |   seek:      17592186044415   | seek:        17592186044415   |
    +------------+-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
    
    The differences exist because ext4 has 2 maxbytes which are sb->s_maxbytes
    (= extent-mapped maxbytes) and EXT4_SB(sb)->s_bitmap_maxbytes (= block-mapped
    maxbytes).  Although generic_file_llseek uses only extent-mapped maxbytes.
    (llseek of ext4_file_operations is generic_file_llseek which uses
    sb->s_maxbytes.)
    
    Therefore we create ext4 llseek function which uses 2 maxbytes.
    
    The new own function originates from generic_file_llseek().
    If the file flag, "EXT4_EXTENTS_FL" is not set, the function alters
    inode->i_sb->s_maxbytes into EXT4_SB(inode->i_sb)->s_bitmap_maxbytes.
    
    Signed-off-by: Toshiyuki Okajima <toshi.okajima.com>

I think that there is an error in the attached backported patch:

+	if (!(inode->i_flags & EXT4_EXTENTS_FL))
+		maxbytes = EXT4_SB(inode->i_sb)->s_bitmap_maxbytes;
+	else
+		maxbytes = inode->i_sb->s_maxbytes;

upstream this is:

+       if (!(ext4_test_inode_flag(inode, EXT4_INODE_EXTENTS)))
+               maxbytes = EXT4_SB(inode->i_sb)->s_bitmap_maxbytes;
+       else
+               maxbytes = inode->i_sb->s_maxbytes;

but the ext4_test_inode_flag function is not yet available in rhel6.

However, it should be changed to:

+	if (!(EXT4_I(inode)->i_flags & EXT4_EXTENTS_FL))

not

+	if (!(inode->i_flags & EXT4_EXTENTS_FL))

because the EXT4_EXTENTS_FL flag is only valid on the extended ext4 inode not the vfs inode.

Patch(es) available on kernel-2.6.32-91.el6

Reproduced in 2.6.32-90.el6 and verified in 2.6.32-91.el.

An advisory has been issued which should help the problem
described in this bug report. This report is therefore being
closed with a resolution of ERRATA. For more information
on therefore solution and/or where to find the updated files,
please follow the link below. You may reopen this bug report
if the solution does not work for you.

http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2011-0542.html