Why does linux not need defragging?

tearinox · 10-09-2004, 03:19 PM

Quote:

This is similar to how a Windows organizes its data on its hard drive. A computer will slot a new piece of data in an empty area of the hard drive as well. If the file is too big for the slot, it will break it up and put a piece in one slot and another elsewhere.

The next time you ask the computer to open that file it has to move the hard drive's heads twice to grab the two pieces of the file, which takes more time. Disk Defragmenter acts as an organized employee would. The employee would sort through all the books and organize them in categories on the shelves so that customers could find them more readily.

So what is different about linux filesystems (ie ext2, ext3, reiserfs) that makes it so it doesn't have to defragment?

Thanks

acid_kewpie · 10-09-2004, 03:22 PM

basically because before it writes stuff to disk it finds somewhere suitable to put it, rather than finding the first space on the disc platter and moving on if it's in trouble. with lots of large files, a file system will always fragment, but that's just natural to a low degree.

case1984 · 10-09-2004, 04:29 PM

There was actually an article in PC magazine a while ago about how they tried to figure out the best defrag program for windows XP (they were using them on an office file server that got heavy use). They found not one program that improved performance at all! The programs were not flawed, the idea of defragmenting no longer makes sense with modern a OS. Drives are faster now also.
I couldn't find the magazine article, but here is another...

http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07254

Michael

tearinox · 10-11-2004, 06:59 PM

ah sweet, thanks for explaining it to me guys!