programmes to defrag linux partitions

[Flamedance]

as far as i'm concerned the rhl7.1 distribution do not include any packages for defragmentation of linux partitions. i read somewhere that there was an ftp site in the uk which let users download a particular defrag programme.

if anyone would be kind enuff to suggest any programmes for this.

thanks all.

[furrycat]

You don't generally need to defrag ext2 partitions. Linux is not Windows. It is not designed as badly as Windows. It does not run as inefficiently as Windows.

The ext2 filesystem is far superior to FAT32. You will most likely never need to defrag an ext2 partition.

[EthicsGradient]

Furrycat is quite correct - ext2 (and friends, like ext3 and ReiserFS) partitions don't need defragmenting.

The reason is that they store data on the disk in a completely different way to Windows, in a form that doesn't actually fragment very much at all - and any fragmentation that does occur doesn't incur a performance hit.

There are experimental programs to defragment ext2 partitions, but I have to say in 6 years of running Linux, I've never identified a need to defragment my partitions.

[cradle]

The same was said of OS2 which I used to run at one time till I decided the lack of support and apps meant I had to change. Does the Ext2 file system work in a similar way to HPFS? And if it does would I understand it?

DAve

[furrycat]

Knowing neither how HPFS works nor how much you know about it, I can't answer that question :-)

But I can say that the full source and ample documentation for ext2 is readily available.