flock

In the realm of computing, especially in environments where multiple processes or instances need to access and modify the same resources concurrently, mutual exclusion (mutex) is crucial to prevent conflicts and preserve data integrity. This article explains how to implement a mutex across distributed systems using the flock command in Linux Bash, particularly when the systems share files over Network File System (NFS). Q&A on Implementing Mutex with flock over NFS Q: What is flock and how is it used in Linux? A: flock is a command-line utility in Linux used to manage locks from shell scripts or command line.

When working with scripts on Linux, managing how those scripts execute is crucial, especially to prevent multiple instances of the same script from running concurrently. Such a scenario can lead to unintended consequences like data corruption or performance degradation. One robust tool available for handling this issue in Linux is flock. Q1: What is flock and how does it work? A1: flock is a command-line utility used to manage locks from shell scripts or the command line. It basically helps in managing locks on files and scripts to prevent overlapping runs. flock can be used to wrap the execution of a script to ensure that only one instance of the lock/file/script is being run at any time.