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**dibl** · Oct 26, 2008, 01:51 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Originally posted by undoIT

It seems to me that JFS is the best option from all of the different threads I have read. I installed the Kubuntu 8.10 RC on my secondary laptop with JFS and haven't seen any problems yet. Does anyone have any comments on file systems? Are there any caveots to using JFS? Are there better options?

Yeah, I'm kind of a filesystem adventurer too, so I'll give my opinion. First observation is that "best option" is a really subjective characterization -- it depends a lot on what you're doing with it.

OK, you didn't mention XFS, so I'll share my experience with installing it:

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3087434.0

and tell you how it ended. It was a disappointment. After about 6 months, I noticed that my VMWare Player, running a Win XP VM, was taking a long time to close. First it was a minute, then two minutes, then five minutes. And in gkrellm I could see that the applicable hard drive was really, really working the whole time. So I got nervous as this appeared to be a deteriorating situation and I have some really valuable data on my genealogy database that runs on the VM, so I ended that part of the experiment. However, I also formatted a 750GB hdd XFS, and on that one is stored some very static data -- some videos and backups of images and music. That filesystem (actually it's three partitions) still seems fine, so it remains XFS. But I'm not running my OS on an XFS system again. I subsequently came across this excellent little dissertation by a filesystem developer and Linux kernel builder, Stefan Lippers-Holman (slh):

http://sidux.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-1336.html

I view that as expert advice.

So, since slh didn't totally trash JFS the way he did XFS, I have ventured to install both Kubuntu and sidux on JFS filesystems, and again my VMWare VM on top of Linux. I did this back in June, but I have subsequently re-installed Kubuntu 8.10 -- I think it was late August or September. So far, so good -- I see no disadvantage to running your Linux OS on a JFS filesystem. I've beat on them both with VMWare, frequent updates, every new kernel that has been released, and I cannot observe any ill effect.

Am I any better off than with ext3? Honestly, probably not in any measurable way. But, it runs fast and smooth and reliable, so that's what I'm looking for. I also have some ext3 partitions on my system, and it's always a drag to wait for the fsck that pops up every 30 boots.

Reiserfs is an abandoned piece of software, for all practical purposes -- the guy that owns it will never see the light of day, if there's any justice. So, being without development support, it doesn't appear to have a future, and I wouldn't spend any time on it if I were you. Kind of too bad, in a way -- it once held great promise.

That's my two cents' worth on filesystems. 8)

**Snowhog** · Oct 26, 2008, 02:05 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Originally posted by dibl

That's my two cents' worth on filesystems. 8)

Only in Linux does two cents' buy you so much.

**undoIT** · Oct 26, 2008, 02:33 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Originally posted by Snowhog

Only in Linux does two cents' buy you so much.

Yeah, why do people still pay for their operating system? Have you ever tried to call Microsoft support? :P

**dibl** · Oct 26, 2008, 02:34 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Originally posted by undoIT

Have you ever tried to call Microsoft support? :P

Yes.

Once.

I was told that my two hard drives constituted the legal maximum allowable under my Windows license. If I wanted to add a third hard drive, I was invited to shell out more $$$$ for a "server" license.

>

I now have 5 hard drives in my computer, and their little OS runs on a VM under LInux.

I win.

8)

**undoIT** · Oct 26, 2008, 02:44 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Originally posted by dibl

http://sidux.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-1336.html

Thanks for the link. Hadn't seen that one yet.

I basically came to the conclusion that XFS is not an option because of the problems with data corruption if there is power interruption or a crash. It may be good to use on a second hard drive for video capture, bouncing edits etc. since it seems to perform well with large files. Definitely not the way to go for running an OS though, which your experience further verifies.

One of the big reasons I wanted to try a file system other than EXT3 is indeed the 30 reboot auto disk scan. I don't mind it so much myself, but I don't want all of the people I install Linux for to have to deal with that bit of clunkery. It is just one of those Linux turn offs that should be done away with if possible. So, if that doesn't come up with JFS and it is as reliable as I have read, I think I'm going to start using JFS for all installs.

**dibl** · Oct 26, 2008, 02:55 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

slh warned me that I needed a separate partition for /boot if I wanted to run sidux on JFS. But, his warning came too late -- I had already installed without making a /boot partition, and both Kubuntu and sidux boot just fine without a separate /boot partition.

HOWEVER, I have Grub installed on the MBR of a different hard drive than either Kubuntu or sidux. That may be significant -- you may not be able to boot Linux on a JFS filesystem on the same hard drive as the MBR, without a separate /boot partition. Fair warning.

p.s. there's a way to reset the default number of boots that fsck checks, for ext3. You could make it 100 if you want. Of course, if there's fileystem corruption or a power outage in the meanwhile .......

**undoIT** · Oct 26, 2008, 02:56 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Originally posted by dibl

I was told that my two hard drives constituted the legal maximum allowable under my Windows license. If I wanted to add a third hard drive, I was invited to shell out more $$$$ for a "server" license.

Back when I was doing tech support, we had an OEM install disk in the shop and would use the key from the clients computer to reinstall Windows, either after the hard drive had failed or if their computer was so gunked up with malware that it would be quicker to backup the data and do a fresh install. Almost everytime, we'd have to call Microsoft for activation. I shudder at the thought of entering the license key only to be redirected to a live support agent and having to repeat the whole key over again on the phone, and then having to re-repeat the letters that were misunderstood. Eventually we wrote down the phone digit combination just to get directly to a live agent.

Adobe is equally annoying if your hard drive crashes or you forget to deactivate before reinstalling the product you paid money for on a computer system you own. I own a software developer version of Windows XP with unlimited installs which lives in a little Virtualbox install and only gets loaded when I need to test something or use one of the three programs I still need that only runs on Windows.

With commercial software I often feel like I am paying money for the privilege of owning an inferior product with inferior support. I'd much rather donate to open source / free software than pay for commercial crap.

**dibl** · Oct 26, 2008, 03:02 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Originally posted by undoIT

we had an OEM install disk

I have one of those (now). But I only use it for my one computer. Makes life simpler.

But, if you take the time to learn how to work with GNU/Linux, you can get most tasks done. The exceptions being the unique Windows hardware or software that is mission essential for some reason. In that case, you run VMWare or VirtualBox.

The other exception being the advanced games that require the utmost from your graphics system -- they kinda gotta be in a native Windows installation. Fortunately I'm not a gamer so I don't care.

**undoIT** · Oct 26, 2008, 03:05 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Originally posted by dibl

HOWEVER, I have Grub installed on the MBR of a different hard drive than either Kubuntu or sidux. That may be significant -- you may not be able to boot Linux on a JFS filesystem on the same hard drive as the MBR, without a separate /boot partition. Fair warning.

Hmm, that's a bit of a drag. Do you have the link to information for why it is necessary to put /boot on a separate partition?

Perhaps it would be better to use EXT3 for now and wait for EXT4 to become stable, since it looks like an upgrade would be easy.

**dibl** · Oct 26, 2008, 03:09 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

It was in a post on sidux forum back in June, that slh told me I needed a separate /boot partition if I was going to run the OS on JFS. But, by the time he posted, I had already done the deed.

I would encourage you to experiment, if you have time, on one computer/hard drive, and see if there's an issue booting it. It just happens that my rig has an IDE drive and 4 SATA drives, and since the installer insists on putting Grub in the MBR of the IDE drive, I go with the flow and let it go there, even though Kubuntu is on one SATA drive and sidux is on another.

**undoIT** · Oct 26, 2008, 03:12 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Maybe the advice was for your particular configuration. Also, wouldn't it be possible to run a repair from a bootable CD or USB drive if the JFS install happened to become unbootable?

P.S. Here is one of the articles that convinced me to try out JFS.

http://www.linux.com/feature/119025

**dibl** · Oct 26, 2008, 03:16 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

No, it was a generic instruction that the kernel needed to be in a /boot partition separate from the rest of the OS. XFS definitely has that requirement. I'm not sure if it has to do with the time it takes the kernel to find the rest of the filesystem, or what. I have fast Western Digital SATA drives, except for the one IDE drive which is not fast.

**undoIT** · Oct 27, 2008, 12:28 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Everything you ever wanted to know about JFS

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/JFS

and... a nice set of benchmarks:

http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/388

**dibl** · Oct 27, 2008, 01:03 PM

Re: File System - EXT3 vs ReiserFS vs JFS

Excellent -- thanks -- I'd forgotten to mention the 64-bit benefit of JFS, if your architecture supports it.

Also, if you haven't seen it already, here's the 2006 Piszcz benchmark test:

http://linuxgazette.net/122/TWDT.html#piszcz

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