Add file:allocate/3 operation

This operation allows pre-allocation of space for files.
It succeeds only on systems that support such operation.

The POSIX standard defines the optional system call
posix_fallocate() to implement this feature. However,
some systems implement more specific functions to
accomplish the same operation.

On Linux, if the more specific function fallocate() is
implemented, it is used instead of posix_fallocate(),
falling back to posix_fallocate() if the fallocate()
call failed (it's only supported for the ext4, ocfs2,
xfs and btrfs file systems at the moment).

On Mac OS X it uses the specific fcntl() operation
F_PREALLOCATE, falling back to posix_fallocate() if
it's available (at the moment Mac OS X doesn't provide
posix_fallocate()).

On any other UNIX system, it uses posix_fallocate() if it's
available. Any other system not providing this system call
or any function to pre-allocate space for files, this operation
always fails with the ENOTSUP POSIX error.

1 files changed, 7 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/erts/preloaded/src/prim_file.erl b/erts/preloaded/src/prim_file.erl
index eafab1bae4..c412b7faf2 100644
--- a/erts/preloaded/src/prim_file.erl
+++ b/erts/preloaded/src/prim_file.erl
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 %% Generic file contents operations
 -export([open/2, close/1, datasync/1, sync/1, advise/4, position/2, truncate/1,
 	 write/2, pwrite/2, pwrite/3, read/2, read_line/1, pread/2, pread/3,
-	 copy/3, sendfile/10]).
+	 copy/3, sendfile/10, allocate/3]).
 
 %% Specialized file operations
 -export([open/1, open/3]).
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@
 -define(FILE_FDATASYNC,        30).
 -define(FILE_ADVISE,           31).
 -define(FILE_SENDFILE,         32).
+-define(FILE_ALLOCATE,         33).
 
 %% Driver responses
 -define(FILE_RESP_OK,          0).
@@ -293,6 +294,11 @@ advise(#file_descriptor{module = ?MODULE, data = {Port, _}},
     end.
 
 %% Returns {error, Reason} | ok.
+allocate(#file_descriptor{module = ?MODULE, data = {Port, _}}, Offset, Length) ->
+    Cmd = <<?FILE_ALLOCATE, Offset:64/signed, Length:64/signed>>,
+    drv_command(Port, Cmd).
+
+%% Returns {error, Reason} | ok.
 write(#file_descriptor{module = ?MODULE, data = {Port, _}}, Bytes) ->
     case drv_command_nt(Port, [?FILE_WRITE,erlang:dt_prepend_vm_tag_data(Bytes)],undefined) of
 	{ok, _Size} ->