Defraging linux

[tomd11]

I'm running Linux 2.5 beta on a dual p3 workstation.
Is there a way to defrag the hd ?

[varkk]

Good question, one thing I haven't considered much before

So long as you are using a *nix file system then you shouldn't need to drefrag it as it is designed to be resistant to fragmentation as opposed to FAT16/32.

http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=1490&highlight=defragging+filesystems

[sparkles]

which distribution are you using, and more importantly, which file system are you using?

defragging tools are generally designed for single file systems, the main exception being the microsoft one which can handle ntfs and fat file systems.

i know that there is one buried somewhere in the redhat 8 cds, which works for the ext-3 file system. most distributions do include a defragging tool, its just a case of finding which one is the right one to use :)

/edit: varkk: no file system is perfect, as much as i may enjoy a good old fashioned windows/ms bash. if someone "uses" the seperate mount points available under *nix, then there is generally less need for a defrag, but that seldom happens :rolleyes:

[varkk]

I have just been reading more about it, and hunting through my own system(RH9), there is a command "/sbin/defragfs" I assume this could be used to defrag a filesystem device unfortunatly there is no man page for it and running "/sbin/defragfs --help" complains that --help is not a recognised parameter :rolleyes:
Further looking into I see that "hdparm" and "fsck" will probably also be worth looking into to improve performance and keep disks maintaned. Especially check that you have DMA and 32bit I/O enabled on your drives as this will have an effect on performance(hdparm -c -d /dev/hda). These are more crtitical than defragging and also defragging a properly setup *nix filesystem is largely redundant. Go read the link I gave you and search for others on justlinux.com

[tomd11]

I thank you guy's for your help.