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-rw-r--r--include/block/block.h9
-rw-r--r--include/block/block_int.h18
2 files changed, 24 insertions, 3 deletions
diff --git a/include/block/block.h b/include/block/block.h
index cdec3639a3..3894edda9d 100644
--- a/include/block/block.h
+++ b/include/block/block.h
@@ -54,8 +54,12 @@ typedef enum {
     BDRV_REQ_FUA                = 0x10,
     BDRV_REQ_WRITE_COMPRESSED   = 0x20,
 
+    /* Signifies that this write request will not change the visible disk
+     * content. */
+    BDRV_REQ_WRITE_UNCHANGED    = 0x40,
+
     /* Mask of valid flags */
-    BDRV_REQ_MASK               = 0x3f,
+    BDRV_REQ_MASK               = 0x7f,
 } BdrvRequestFlags;
 
 typedef struct BlockSizes {
@@ -205,6 +209,9 @@ enum {
      * This permission (which is weaker than BLK_PERM_WRITE) is both enough and
      * required for writes to the block node when the caller promises that
      * the visible disk content doesn't change.
+     *
+     * As the BLK_PERM_WRITE permission is strictly stronger, either is
+     * sufficient to perform an unchanging write.
      */
     BLK_PERM_WRITE_UNCHANGED    = 0x04,
 
diff --git a/include/block/block_int.h b/include/block/block_int.h
index e3d6219f4e..76b589da57 100644
--- a/include/block/block_int.h
+++ b/include/block/block_int.h
@@ -656,10 +656,24 @@ struct BlockDriverState {
     /* I/O Limits */
     BlockLimits bl;
 
-    /* Flags honored during pwrite (so far: BDRV_REQ_FUA) */
+    /* Flags honored during pwrite (so far: BDRV_REQ_FUA,
+     * BDRV_REQ_WRITE_UNCHANGED).
+     * If a driver does not support BDRV_REQ_WRITE_UNCHANGED, those
+     * writes will be issued as normal writes without the flag set.
+     * This is important to note for drivers that do not explicitly
+     * request a WRITE permission for their children and instead take
+     * the same permissions as their parent did (this is commonly what
+     * block filters do).  Such drivers have to be aware that the
+     * parent may have taken a WRITE_UNCHANGED permission only and is
+     * issuing such requests.  Drivers either must make sure that
+     * these requests do not result in plain WRITE accesses (usually
+     * by supporting BDRV_REQ_WRITE_UNCHANGED, and then forwarding
+     * every incoming write request as-is, including potentially that
+     * flag), or they have to explicitly take the WRITE permission for
+     * their children. */
     unsigned int supported_write_flags;
     /* Flags honored during pwrite_zeroes (so far: BDRV_REQ_FUA,
-     * BDRV_REQ_MAY_UNMAP) */
+     * BDRV_REQ_MAY_UNMAP, BDRV_REQ_WRITE_UNCHANGED) */
     unsigned int supported_zero_flags;
 
     /* the following member gives a name to every node on the bs graph. */