linux - two file descriptors to same file

Question

Using the posix read() write() linux calls, is it guaranteed that if I write through one file descriptor and read through another file descriptor, in a serial fashion such that the two actions are mutually exclusive of each other... that my read file descriptor will always see what was written last by the write file descriptor?

i believe this is the case, but I want to make sure and the man page isn't very helpful on this

Answer 1

It depends on where you got the two file descriptors. If they come from a dup(2) call, then they share file offset and status, so doing a write(2) on one will affect the position on the other. If, on the other hand, they come from two separate open(2) calls, each will have their own file offset and status.

A file descriptor is mostly just a reference to a kernel file structure, and it is that kernel structure that contains most of the state. When you open(2) a file, you get a new kernel file structure and a new file descriptor that refers to it. When you dup(2) a file descriptor (or pass a file descriptor through sendmsg), you get a new reference to the same kernel file struct.