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Last update: 10 April,2001

                                                                1003.1-90 #13
        Classification: No change required


This response will be incorporated in an IEEE interpretations
publication, and will be also made available on-line on the IEEE 
SPAsystem.

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	Interpretation Number:	XXXX
	Topic:			rmdir and . or ..
	Relevant Sections:	5.1.2.2, 5.5.2.2


Interpretation Request: (Defect Report)
-----------------------

    In 5.1.2.2 Description [Directory Operations], page 84, line 44:
 
	"It is unspecified whether entries are returned for dot or dot-dot."
 
    In 5.5.2.2 Description [Remove a Directory], page 98, lines 517-520:
 
	"If one or more processes have the directory open when the last link
	is removed, the dot and dot-dot entries, if present, are removed
	before rmdir() returns and no new entries may be created in the
	directory, but the directory is not removed until all references
	to the directory have been closed."
 
    What is the effect of removing the dot and dot-dot entries?  May
    a conforming implementation return entries for dot or dot-dot with
    the readdir() function after these entries have been removed by
    the rmdir() function?
	
IEEE Interpretation for 1003.1-1990 (9945-1:1990):
--------------------------------------------------

Whether or not the entries for dot and dot-dot are returned by a call to
readdir() is unspecified. After the removal of the dot and dot-dot the
return of these entries by readdir() is still unspecified. However, the
observed behaviour in these two instances may differ on an implementation.

Rationale for Interpretation:
-----------------------------

A conforming application should not depend on the presence or absence of the
dot and dot-dot entries being returned by readdir().

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