How do I defrag Linux?

There is no need to defrag linux.

Not sure how to, but, typically not necessary.
Look HERE...

Someone said you do not haveto defrag Linux. There were allkindsof charts etc. I do not understand any of them. I am used to working in Windows so Linux is a complete mystery. I have been told I do not have to defrag or delete cookies in Linux. I have Ubuntu powered by linux and Firefox. I am really confused. Thanks for any help.


dearcat

do you understand how file fragmentation occurs under windows?

http://files.diskeeper.com/pdf/HowFi...nWindowsXP.pdf

That link will give you an idea of why it occurs in Windows, this explains why it is not needed in Linux...

http://geekblog.oneandoneis2.org/ind..._defragmenting

Rasta420

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Thanks . No, I do not understand how it works in Windows, but I accept the fact I do not have to defrag Linux.Lotto learn

The links will detail in very easy to understand terms, it will pay you back immensely to understand the "why" not just accept the fact.


That is how whole cultures and nations of people are subjugated by "accepting" and not know or learning...

Rage Against The Machine - No Shelter

Rasta420

2 members found this post helpful.

Thanks Rasta420. At my age I do not care to understand machines. I do not,however,accept other matters. As print news reporter formore than 50 yrs. I throughly inform myself of all facts and always ask why and why not. I also get my answers. In fact, I have come out of retirement to fight a battle for Maine senior and disabled citizens. We are winning.

Awesome!

Thank you for your contributions to Maine seniors and disabled citizens.

Rasta420

FYI: you do still need to manage cookies; that's a platform independent issue.

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Actually, Dearcat, even Windows filesystems generally don't need to be defragmented anymore. The FAT32 file system (which, give it a break, was designed for floppy disks...) did; its successor, NTFS, does not.

Furthermore, the sheer size of hard drives today makes the filesystem's job much easier: there is almost always a plethora of contiguous disk space to be had. Drives today are both fast and smart, with their own on-board capabilities over and above whatever the disk controller can do. It simply isn't the issue that it once was: not for Linux, not for OS/X, and not even for Windows.

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I can not figure out how to manage cookies in Linux or Firefox.

Cookies are a browser feature; nothing to do with OS. Internet Explorer, FF, Opera etc all have to deal with cookies. Its one way that websites 'remember' you, amongst other things.
You just need to go through the menus in your browser until you see it eg on this machine (MS XP + FF v10) its Tools->options->privacy.
On the IE8 its basically the same: tools-> Internet Options->privacy
You can google the version of FF you have in front of you, or just look through the menus.

Check this thread: http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=232773, here is some discussion about defragmentation on fedora.

A common question from new Linux users is "How do you defrag your hard drive?" The short answer is that you probably don’t have to. The file system on Linux and other UNIX (and UNIX-like) operating systems is organized and stored more efficiently than the one on a Windows PC. On Windows, PC users will not notice a performance dropoff until fragmentation hits 20 percent or more, which is rare; on a multi-user, multi-tasking, multi-threaded operating system like Linux, the fragmentation of files on the hard disk is usually under 1 percent.

There are a few tools available that will allow you to defrag a Linux hard drive or partition. “EX2 File System for Windows” will let you defrag a Linux Ext2 volumes structure on a dual-boot system (a system partitioned to run both Linux and Windows). Defragmentation of the Linux partition or drive is done from directly within the Windows environment.

There is one native solution to defragging a Linux partition or boot drive from directly within Linux. The “Linux File-System Defragmenter” runs only in the command-line environment. The application can be downloaded directly from the SourceForge software repository. To use The Linux File-System Defragmenter, download and expand the tarball and type “make” in the command-line terminal. Use of the utility can be implemented with the command:
Specification of "-f" will also force defragmentation.

Ext3/4 also generates blank spaces around each file. Where it differs significantly from NTFS is that it’ll only fragment when it’s impossible to keep the file as one single fragment that(usually) only happens when the disk becomes too full.

But as per my further knowledge there is no need of any defragmentation on Linux.

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As an example of Linux filing system durability, my /home partition has been in use for 7 years and my non-contiguous files count (not exactly the same as fragmentation) is only about 10%. (I hope that doesn't turn out to be a case of pride before a fall!)

As one retiree to another, when you get to our age, you get a sense of priorities as to what you need to know. Good luck with your campaigning.

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