LinuxQuestions.org
Welcome to the most active Linux Forum on the web.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - General
User Name
Password
Linux - General This Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion.
If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 01-03-2005, 09:13 AM   #1
nc101
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Jan 2005
Posts: 4

Rep: Reputation: 0
What can change an inode number?


hi,

I'd like to implement a software license mechanism into my software, and was looking for a way of uniquely identifying a machine. Someone suggested using the creation date of /bin, and while they hadn't realised you can't get that date, it was still a good approach. It's not perfectly unique, but will be different enough for my purposes and it has the advantage that it's not hardware dependent (ie they can replace their nics etc).

I was wondering if I could use the inode number of /bin instead? The stumbling blocks will be how unique is it really, and is it likely to change at any time?

I guess if two machines were identical, and the install procedure of linux used was the same each time, then there'd be a good chance the inode's of /bin would be the same - but what factors could influence a different number (HD size/partitioning? Install procedure?, other hardware on the PC? etc).

If the inode is likely to change over time for /bin, then this idea is blown out of the water anyway...

thanks,
nik
 
Old 01-03-2005, 10:11 AM   #2
acid_kewpie
Moderator
 
Registered: Jun 2001
Location: UK
Distribution: Gentoo, RHEL, Fedora, Centos
Posts: 43,417

Rep: Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985Reputation: 1985
seems a little odd a thing to pick, why not pick a hardware serial number instead? hdparm -i /dev/hda for example. Obviously that could change too, but if it did, the inode would also be different really.
 
Old 01-03-2005, 10:29 AM   #3
nc101
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Jan 2005
Posts: 4

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
is it true that SCSI drives don't have a serial number? If that isn't true then I've been on a bit of a goose chase and the HD serial will possibly be just fine.

I didn't want to use non-HD serial numbers (ie nics etc) as they are too easily replaced (obviously replacing a HD means reinstalling OS and my software anyway).

Furthermore, in a RAID system, I assume the inode's are all the same (so if the main disk goes down, the secondary disk is *identical*)? (equally, will the serial numbers be the same - they are created at formatting rather than being hard wired?)

nik
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Error with cpio: truncating inode number abefroman Linux - Software 2 08-30-2006 10:52 AM
iNode number, how does it change? saudoi Solaris / OpenSolaris 4 05-22-2005 04:38 AM
System Manager to modify inode number in USB Flash drive asaba Linux - Software 2 03-09-2005 03:12 AM
Bash script to change a filename associated with an inode index number. Ziv Programming 22 06-19-2004 08:41 AM
why did this inode change? jlangelier Linux - Security 1 08-10-2003 09:49 AM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - General

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:06 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration