[GH-ISSUE #1354] RHEL 6 (Linux 2.6.32) compatibility

kerem commented

2026-03-04 01:48:14 +03:00

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Originally created by @gaul on GitHub (Aug 9, 2020).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/s3fs-fuse/s3fs-fuse/issues/1354

Recently a StackOverflow user reported an issue compiling s3fs using RHEL 6:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/63303833/problem-installing-s3fs-on-the-rhel-6-system

This is due to the use of SEEK_HOLE and SEEK_DATA in PageList::GetSparseFilePages. Linux 3.8 introduced these for ext4. It appears that this works on macOS, at least modern versions.

s3fs support for RHEL 6 has always been complicated due its use of an older FUSE. I don't think that we should do anything to support such an ancient distribution since users can compile an older version like 1.86, but I would like this to be an intentional change instead of accidental. Setting a minimum requirement of RHEL 7 and Ubuntu 16.04 (or equivalent) allows s3fs freedom to modernize its dependencies, e.g., C++11, AWS SDK (#1068).

Originally created by @gaul on GitHub (Aug 9, 2020). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/s3fs-fuse/s3fs-fuse/issues/1354 Recently a StackOverflow user reported an issue compiling s3fs using RHEL 6: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/63303833/problem-installing-s3fs-on-the-rhel-6-system This is due to the use of `SEEK_HOLE` and `SEEK_DATA` in `PageList::GetSparseFilePages`. Linux 3.8 introduced these for ext4. It appears that this works on macOS, at least modern versions. s3fs support for RHEL 6 has always been complicated due its use of an older FUSE. I don't think that we should do anything to support such an ancient distribution since users can compile an older version like 1.86, but I would like this to be an intentional change instead of accidental. Setting a minimum requirement of RHEL 7 and Ubuntu 16.04 (or equivalent) allows s3fs freedom to modernize its dependencies, e.g., C++11, AWS SDK (#1068).

kerem closed this issue

2026-03-04 01:48:14 +03:00

kerem commented

2026-03-04 01:48:15 +03:00

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@juliogonzalez commented on GitHub (Aug 9, 2020):

Just a side note: RHEL 6 is on Maintenace Phase until November 30, 2020: https://access.redhat.com/articles/4665701

From that point the Extended Life Phase applies, and that means (https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/errata#Extended_Life_Cycle_Phase): "Red Hat will provide limited ongoing technical support. No bug fixes, security fixes, hardware enablement or root-cause analysis will be available during this phase, and support will be provided on existing installations only." This is not the real EoL, but it's close to it.

CentOS6 goes EoL on November 30, 2020 as well: https://wiki.centos.org/About/Product

In short: documenting that RHEL6/CentOS6 are not supported should be fine, specially because I understand that 1.87 will still support it.

I suggest that a note is added on 1.87 release notes. Something like "WARNING: This is the last s3fs release supporting RHEL6/CentOS6 and Ubuntu <= 16.04). Please consider migrating to a newer OS."

I also suggest you consider the impact on other distributions when bumping dependencies, such as Debian or SLE (AFAIK both provide gcc with C+11 support, but that's to be checked).

In the end it's a matter of finding a balance, as using an old s3fs version can be a problem (since older versions do not have maintenance).

@juliogonzalez commented on GitHub (Aug 9, 2020): Just a side note: RHEL 6 is on Maintenace Phase until November 30, 2020: https://access.redhat.com/articles/4665701 From that point the Extended Life Phase applies, and that means (https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/errata#Extended_Life_Cycle_Phase): "Red Hat will provide limited ongoing technical support. No bug fixes, security fixes, hardware enablement or root-cause analysis will be available during this phase, and support will be provided on existing installations only." This is not the real EoL, but it's close to it. CentOS6 goes EoL on November 30, 2020 as well: https://wiki.centos.org/About/Product In short: documenting that RHEL6/CentOS6 are not supported should be fine, specially because I understand that 1.87 will still support it. I suggest that a note is added on 1.87 release notes. Something like "WARNING: This is the last s3fs release supporting RHEL6/CentOS6 and Ubuntu <= 16.04). Please consider migrating to a newer OS." I also suggest you consider the impact on other distributions when bumping dependencies, such as Debian or SLE (AFAIK both provide gcc with C+11 support, but that's to be checked). In the end it's a matter of finding a balance, as using an old s3fs version can be a problem (since older versions do not have maintenance).

kerem commented

2026-03-04 01:48:15 +03:00

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@gaul commented on GitHub (Aug 9, 2020):

Small correction, 1.86 was the last release that compiled on RHEL 6. I would certainly merge a PR which provides a workaround for older Linux distributions but I cannot justify spending my own time to work on this. Managing the backlog of issues for more modern environments is a large enough task already!

@gaul commented on GitHub (Aug 9, 2020): Small correction, 1.86 was the last release that compiled on RHEL 6. I would certainly merge a PR which provides a workaround for older Linux distributions but I cannot justify spending my own time to work on this. Managing the backlog of issues for more modern environments is a large enough task already!

kerem commented

2026-03-04 01:48:15 +03:00

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@juliogonzalez commented on GitHub (Aug 9, 2020):

Ok, so I understand that master does not build on RHEL6/CentOS6 anymore, is that right?

That's not the end of the world. As a I said, RHEL6/CentOS6 is going EoL soon and the good thing is that because of the fuse dependency, I don't provide official RPMs on EPEL (but I still allow building it from my personal repository, together with the fuse RPMs):

A note on 1.87 stating that RHEL6/CentOS6 is not supported anymore should be fine. I'd also add a note about old Ubuntu versions or any other old distributions known to fail when building. Only reason for this is that it will save github issues created by users, or if they get created they can be closed as invalid, pointing to the doc and/or the release notes.

If you want, I can setup an OBS project to build s3fs master branch for a lot of "alive" distributions, so we can check quickly what builds and what not. Just let me know.

@juliogonzalez commented on GitHub (Aug 9, 2020): Ok, so I understand that master does not build on RHEL6/CentOS6 anymore, is that right? That's not the end of the world. As a I said, RHEL6/CentOS6 is going EoL soon and the good thing is that because of the fuse dependency, I don't provide official RPMs on EPEL (but I still allow building it from my personal repository, together with the fuse RPMs): A note on 1.87 stating that RHEL6/CentOS6 is not supported anymore should be fine. I'd also add a note about old Ubuntu versions or any other old distributions known to fail when building. Only reason for this is that it will save github issues created by users, or if they get created they can be closed as invalid, pointing to the doc and/or the release notes. If you want, I can setup an [OBS](https://build.opensuse.org/) project to build s3fs master branch for a lot of "alive" distributions, so we can check quickly what builds and what not. Just let me know.

kerem commented

2026-03-04 01:48:15 +03:00

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@ggtakec commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2020):

I understand that it doesn't support RHEL6.
However, I will try building on RHEL6 and code modifications for cases other than the glibc environment.
(But I agree to fade out support for RHEL6.)

@ggtakec commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2020): I understand that it doesn't support RHEL6. However, I will try building on RHEL6 and code modifications for cases other than the glibc environment. (But I agree to fade out support for RHEL6.)

kerem commented

2026-03-04 01:48:15 +03:00

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@juliogonzalez commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2020):

Just for completeness, I confirm that master and 1.87 are already broken for RHEL6/CentOS6: https://jenkins.juliogonzalez.es/job/s3fs-fuse-rpm-build-pr/46/DISTRO=centos6,label=docker/console

19:32:03 fdcache.cpp: In static member function 'static bool PageList::GetSparseFilePages(int, size_t, fdpage_list_t&)':
19:32:03 fdcache.cpp:478: error: 'SEEK_HOLE' was not declared in this scope
19:32:03 fdcache.cpp:479: error: 'SEEK_DATA' was not declared in this scope
19:32:03 fdcache.cpp: In static member function 'static bool PageList::CheckZeroAreaInFile(int, off_t, size_t)':
19:32:03 fdcache.cpp:518: warning: comparison between signed and unsigned integer expressions
19:32:03 make[2]: *** [fdcache.o] Error 1

So with v1.87 I am removing the support for CentOS6/RHEL6 from my repository as well.

Just for your interest, the support for Amazon Linux 1 is not broken, and s3fs v1.87 still compiles even with an old Amazon Linux 2017.03

@juliogonzalez commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2020): Just for completeness, I confirm that master and 1.87 are already broken for RHEL6/CentOS6: https://jenkins.juliogonzalez.es/job/s3fs-fuse-rpm-build-pr/46/DISTRO=centos6,label=docker/console ``` 19:32:03 fdcache.cpp: In static member function 'static bool PageList::GetSparseFilePages(int, size_t, fdpage_list_t&)': 19:32:03 fdcache.cpp:478: error: 'SEEK_HOLE' was not declared in this scope 19:32:03 fdcache.cpp:479: error: 'SEEK_DATA' was not declared in this scope 19:32:03 fdcache.cpp: In static member function 'static bool PageList::CheckZeroAreaInFile(int, off_t, size_t)': 19:32:03 fdcache.cpp:518: warning: comparison between signed and unsigned integer expressions 19:32:03 make[2]: *** [fdcache.o] Error 1 ``` So with v1.87 I am removing the support for CentOS6/RHEL6 from my repository as well. Just for your interest, the support for [Amazon Linux 1](https://aws.amazon.com/amazon-linux-ami/) is **not broken**, and s3fs v1.87 still compiles even with an old Amazon Linux 2017.03

kerem commented

2026-03-04 01:48:15 +03:00

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@juliogonzalez commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2020):

Wiki updated: https://github.com/s3fs-fuse/s3fs-fuse/wiki/Installation-Notes/_compare/2e1e5a69929771928d35a5ef96d42dd8f4367658

@juliogonzalez commented on GitHub (Aug 10, 2020): Wiki updated: https://github.com/s3fs-fuse/s3fs-fuse/wiki/Installation-Notes/_compare/2e1e5a69929771928d35a5ef96d42dd8f4367658

kerem commented

2026-03-04 01:48:15 +03:00

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@gaul commented on GitHub (Sep 15, 2020):

@ggtakec Is this fixed?

@gaul commented on GitHub (Sep 15, 2020): @ggtakec Is this fixed?

kerem commented

2026-03-04 01:48:15 +03:00

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@ggtakec commented on GitHub (Sep 21, 2020):