Uhm ... I reading /usr/src/linux-2.4.27/Documentation/mandatory.txt The last section says:
""" 6. Warning! ----------- Not even root can override a mandatory lock, so runaway processes can wreak havoc if they lock crucial files. The way around it is to change the file permissions (remove the setgid bit) before trying to read or write to it. Of course, that might be a bit tricky if the system is hung :-( """ so lockf locks do not look completely harmless ... Michele Simionato -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list