Guide: How to know if Linux Needs to Be Defragged
There seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to defragmentation and Linux operating systems. Myths falsely remain that Linux doesn’t require defragmentation at all, but the truth is, the operating system does in fact need it. In this article, we will try to clear your doubts about defragmenting a Linux system and show you the best way to do it.
What is defragmentation?
When we store files on a hard drive, chances are that the pieces of larger files are stored in different sectors of the hard drive. This occurrence is called fragmentation and is especially common in FAT and FAT32 file systems. Fragmentation can also occur when we update a particular file. Since updating a file usually means increasing its size, the system will try to store the new pieces of information next to the original file. But if there is no space next to where the file is stored, the new data will be stored elsewhere. When we try to access these files, the system will have to go to different physical locations on the disk to collect all the bits to open the file in question. This will of course slow things down. That’s why we use defragmentation to avoid these slowdowns. Defragmentation bundles the scattered data to improve loading and opening times.
What about Linux?
There is no doubt that Windows users are much more used to defragmentation than Linux users. That’s because of the success of the journaled file systems used by Linux, including EXT2, 3 and 4, BTRFS, among others. Unlike the FAT, FAT32 and NTFS systems, the Linux file systems allow the data to be stored in multiple locations on the disk. The following figure shows how the data is stored on the FAT and FAT32 systems.
Here’s an example of how Linux file systems store data.
So when you save files for the first time, Linux will leave significant unwritten spaces between files. When you update the files later, these spaces will store the new pieces of information. This process ensures that the files are never spread across the disk. Even in cases where the unwritten space on a hard drive is insufficient for an updated file, Linux file systems will attempt to completely rewrite the file in a different sector. Again, this ensures that when you try to access these files, they are not fragmented.
Not worried about fragmentation with Linux?
We didn’t say that. While Linux file systems don’t need defragmentation as often or as often as their Windows counterparts, there is still a possibility that fragmentation will occur. It can happen if the hard drive is too small so that the file system leaves enough space between the files. Multiple read / write executions also allow the operating system to be optimized. While you rarely have to do it on your Linux computer, it’s good to know how the defragmentation process works. Here are the nuts and bolts of defragmentation on Linux.
How to Check if your Linux system needs to be defragmented?
To check if your Linux system needs to be defragmented, you need to install a defragmentation tool. There are quite a few tools available for Linux systems, but we recommend that you use “e4defrag” as it may already be installed on your system. Open the terminal and type this: sudo e4defrag -c / location or / dev / device You can scan a particular folder to find the fragmentation score. As a rule of thumb, if this process returns a score above 30, it’s a good idea to defrag your system.
The easiest way to defrag your Linux hard drive
The easiest and best way to defrag your Linux computer is to copy all your data on the hard drive to another hard drive. Once you’ve done that, delete and format the files on your original hard drive. Now when you copy the files back, Linux file systems will cause the data to be intelligently grouped.
Defragmented and ready to use
To sum it up upLinux operating systems almost never need to be defragmented because of their excellent journaling techniques. However, if you feel the need to defrag your hard drive, follow the method mentioned above. It is important to note that only HDDs should be defragmented. Most people use SSDs these days. If you’re using the latter, you don’t have to worry about defragmentation at all. That’s because SSDs can randomly access the data stored on them, unlike HDDs, which can only access data sequentially. If you decide to defragment your Linux hard drive, make a backupup before formatting your drive. There are also more technical methods available, but we wouldn’t recommend them. They can damage your data if not executed accurately. If there is one more trick you use to avoid fragmentation, be it Linux or Windows systems, let us know in the comments below. We love to hear from our community!
How to know if Linux Needs to Be Defragged: benefits
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